This week at IFA 2010 Toshiba announced their new CEVO-Engine for superior TV experiences and the first TV – the 55ZL1.
Facts & Figures
· First Model with new CEVO-Engine
· Full HD 16:9 LCD panel with Direct LED backlight, 1920 x 1080 pixels
· MEGA LED panel with 512 cluster local dimming
· Active Vision M400 HD (400Hz)
· 3D FULL HD
· embedded high performance 2D to 3D conversion, Intelligent 3D, 3D Resolution+
· HbbTV support
· Toshiba Places portal integrated
· Screen size: 55ZL1: 140cm (55”)
· Designed in collaboration with JACOB JENSEN DESIGN
As you can see, it is designed to work out of the box with their recently announced Toshiba Places and Toshiba Marketplace.
Here is the full press release:
TV evolution by chip technology: Toshiba unveils its new CEVO-Engine for a superior TV experience
55 ZL1 TV will be powered by Toshiba’s CEVO-Engine to drive various unrivalled technologies and applications in 2D and 3D
Berlin, Germany, 2nd September 2010 – Toshiba today introduced its new CEVO-Engine1 to the European home entertainment market.
An intelligent combination of its skills in semiconductor and software development allowed Toshiba to develop this new multi-processor
platform TV engine to power its premium TVs. The CEVO-Engine enables the devices to offer an outstanding picture quality, powerful
3D solutions and a rich web experience. Toshiba’s new flagship TV, the 55ZL1, is the first device that benefits from the enormous
calculation power of the CEVO-Engine and enables it to offer many unrivalled applications. In addition to its CEVO Engine, the 55ZL1
carries much more innovations: Its bright MEGA LED Panel with an as yet unseen 512-cluster local dimming solution, working alongside the
CEVO engine guarantees outstanding picture quality. As a premium TV needs a premium design, Toshiba collaborated with JACOB
JENSEN DESIGN to create an eye-catching masterpiece in technology, usability and design heralding a new era in home entertainment.
Bundled expertise in semi conductor and software technology “True innovations in the TV industry today are primarily based on a
close functional interaction of high calculation power and intelligent, user-centric applications,” says Toshihiro Ikeda, President, Toshiba
Television Central Europe Sp. zo. o. “That’s why Toshiba has bundled its outstanding knowledge in semiconductor design and software
development to develop a brand new multi-processor platform together with tailored applications to meet the demands of home
entertainment enthusiasts.”1 CEVO-Engine is a Toshiba code name
The new CEVO-Engine is at the heart of Toshiba’s strategy to establish a strong presence in the European high-end home
entertainment market with user-centric applications. According to Toshiba’s market research, the European TV market requires for
more sophisticated TVs. 91% of users say highest possible picture quality is the top criteria in the purchase decision. 69% demand for
easy access to the Web and 61% for most powerful 3D solutions including high quality 2D to 3D conversion. Powered by the CEVO
Engine combined with additional innovations, the new 55ZL1 will be able to exactly meet these needs.Superior 3D technologies powered by CEVO-Engine CEVO-Engine offers superior picture quality and also an impressive
brightness in 3D mode. As active shutter glasses, that are needed to watch 3D content, distinctly reduce the brightness of displayed
pictures Intelligent 3D automatically sets the adequate brightness as soon as it detects a 3D signal. Also other picture parameters such as
colour contrast are changed by shutter glasses. Intelligent 3D compensates for these deteriorations as well. Since digital TV
broadcasting may use a lower bandwidth and transmit pictures with lower resolution in side-by-side mode, than e.g. a Blu-ray 3D disc, the
perceived sharpness of 3D programmes may be reduced. 3D Resolution+, a technology that analyses each image and uses
complex algorithms to calculate the missing image content, compensates for these effects. The result is a significantly sharper,
more detailed near FULL-HD 3D TV experience. In addition, Toshiba’s high performance 2D to 3D conversion technology captures
and analyzes image composition and movement in 2D content and converts it to 3D with precise rendering and natural, high definition
images. To cope with the complex algorithm the CEVO-Engine features a powerful processing unit that exclusively caters for the
complex algorithms for the 2D to 3D conversion.Hybrid services with HbbTV
The Toshiba new engine supports Hybrid broadcast broadband TV (HbbTV). It is a European standard that allows devices to display
broadcasts and related web based content on the TV screen at the same time. It also offers access to online services directly on the TV.Ready to enjoy value-added services with Toshiba Places
User can access many more value-added services due to the integration of ‘Toshiba Places’ portal. Also, the cloud-based offering
will extend Toshiba’s Multi Screen Strategy from connecting devices locally to connecting devices via the web to enable users to easily and
intuitively share, store, access and buy multimedia content or apps.Innovations for an outstanding picture quality
The motion picture enhancement function Active Vision M400HD also makes its debut in the 55ZL1. It is a hybrid frame interpolation
technique that adds 150 interpolated frames to the received pictures in the signal by using the calculation power of CEVO-Engine and
combines this with backlight scanning to achieve a 400 Hz frame sequence. The result is noticeably sharper moving pictures.
The 55ZL1 features an bright, luminous Mega LED panel. An innovative local dimming technology that individually triggers 512 LED
areas to adjust the backlight according to the displayed content – the maximum yet achieved in the industry – assures extremely high
contrast and precise black and grey scale.Designed in collaboration with JACOB JENSEN DESIGN
To meet the challenge to pack high-end technology into a sensational design, Toshiba decided to cooperate with the awarded Danish
designers of JACOB JENSEN DESIGN. They joined forces to create a modern and timeless design with high-quality materials..Price and availability
The 140cm/55” 55ZL1 will be available early 2011 throughout Europe targeting a recommended market retail price lower than 5.000 Euros.
Having seen this TV in action I can honestly say it looks and performs amazingly, but then at the price you would expect that!
For more information, visit the Toshiba website.
