Highlights from
Highlights from IFA Preview Sascha Lange Sascha Lange has worked for Toshiba for the last ten years. He is currently Head of Marketing of the Consumer Visual Products division for Europe. In 2001, he joined Toshiba after graduating in economics at “Westfaelische Wilhelm University”, Muenster (Germany). His first assignment at Toshiba was TV product manager. GLASSES-FREE Toshiba’s glassesfree 3D system uses a webcam to track the position of the user’s face, combined with a lenticular screen, which is able to display two images simultaneously. The system automatically adjusts which layers of the screen are active, based on which part of the screen the viewer is looking at. As a result, the 3D effect is always visible, regardless of viewing angle. TOSHIBA PLACES Just as in a shopping mall, customers to Toshiba Places can visit different ‘places’ to access different offerings from a variety of select partners. The portal offers a user experience, and a choice of content and services that are appropriate to the visitor’s device. Toshiba Places is a cloud-based platform, which is accessible via a standard web browser on PCs and via a dedicated user interface on TVs. In addition to Music Place, which was launched in January 2011 on PC, customers can enjoy a variety of content and services — including Video Place, News Place, Game Place, App Place and Services Place — using a single login. In addition, Social Place allows the sharing of photos and video content between different users and devices. Goodbye to Glasses Toshiba launching glasses-free 3D TVs and Laptops This year, the biggest topic for us is in Berlin is glassesfree 3D. In the lead up to IFA, we announced the launch of the Qosmio F750 laptop, which has a lenticular 3D display. Even though the Qosmio F750 has been on sale since July, it is nonetheless a main focus at the show. Alongside that, we are demonstrating glasses-free 3D screens in larger screen sizes of 40 inches and above. How much time and effort has Toshiba invested in its 3D technology? We have made huge efforts to get this to work. Not only have we created our own software, which is able to calculate the multiview picture in real time, but we have also created a viewing engine called the CEVO and modified our panels to support the 3D effect. Earlier this year, we demonstrated the technology, which was then at a much less advanced stage. But that was more about showing the industry and the media that we have made a serious commitment to the technology. What we are showing at IFA is very different, because there have been several new technologies added and these have improved the 3D effect. What does CEVO stand for? It means ‘Cell Evolution’, because the technology is based on a very powerful chip called the CELL, which we developed but couldn’t integrate into a TV for the European market, because it was too hot and used too much electricity. So CEVO was developed from that chip and has more or less the same processing power, which means that it can do great things — like glassesfree 3D. Is 3D the main thrust for Toshiba? It’s not the only one, but I think everyone wishes they could watch 3D images every day. Even though it takes some time getting used to this, it's an amazing experience. However, we are also very focused on smart TV. We have created a portal called Toshiba Places, which offers a VOD service, additional news services, music downloads and music streaming. It also allows the user to share content with family and friends all over the world. The third area in which we are innovating is in the user interface. Our Personal TV allows one television to be personalised by four people, each of whom can set their own channel preferences, picture settings, volume and more. It also uses face recognition, which means the TV recognises who is in front of it and automatically uploads the relevant profile. Where’s connected TV headed? It will be an everyday topic in the future. People won’t need to rent videos — they will stream content from the web. Basically, everything that is becoming normal on smartphones will become normal on TVs. Interview by Richard Barnes Toshiba has been researching the idea of glasses-free 3D screens for several years and, after pioneering the supporting software and hardware, the technology is now retail-ready. Sascha Lange, head of marketing, visual products, for Toshiba Europe, gives IFA International the inside story on the glassesfree sets due to go on sale early in 2012… Hall 21 Stand 101 Sascha Lange European Head of Marketing, Consumer Visual Products, Toshiba Europe GmbH “(…) the TV recognises who is in front of it and automatically uploads the relevant profile” www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 29 th August 2011 33
