We all knew that we could expect some big things of the television manufacturers at CES. But an 80″ 4K television? That seemed like just a dream. However, Sharp has made it a reality with their CES announcement of a truly astounding 80 inch 4K touch-screen television and large battery-run portable displays. Their touch-screen televisions will be called the Aquos Board which Sharp imagines professionals drawing , taking notes, and saving information on.

In addition, the televisions come with 4 HDMI inputs, a built-in WiFi controller (for streaming television), has a dynamic contrast ratio of 6,000,000:1, and a 120Hz signal. Each television will also have a USB port for playback of video, music, and photos making this a truly interactive television display. If you’re thinking about getting this for your next preview monitor or business meetings, it’ll cost you a cool $13,795. A price that’s not for the weak of heart.

At the same time, Sharp also introduced another 80 inch television, the LC80LE844U, that has built-in WiFi, 4 HDMI inputs, 3D capabilities, a 240Hz signal, and Sharp’s new AQUOS Beamzit, a free media-sharing app that allows users to wirelessly send photos, music, and video to the television using an Apple or Android phone.

Not to be outdone, Sharp also showed off its lightweight, WiFi enabled battery powered portable displays that can be carried from room to room. The smallest display in this line, the 20 inch model, weighs in at only 5.5 pounds. This technology means that it’s possible to easily carry a preview monitor from work to home without having to find an outlet to plug your television into. Even if you plan on keeping the television where it is, the thinness of the display should ensure that you keep plenty of space in your living room.

Lastly, Sharp also announced an ICC-4K television which provides four times the resolution of a 1080p television. No word on when this television will be available or the cost, but it’s already quite clear that the 4K revolution is upon us!

In typical fashion, RED founder Jim Jannard revealed on the RED User forum that they’re hard at work on a new projector powered by lasers. Also in typical RED fashion they didn’t give a price or a release date, just a quote from Stephen Pizzo, the co-founder of Element Technica who said,

“After watching a demo of RED’s laser projector I’ve been struggling to find a way to describe it. Comparing it to traditional professional systems is completely inadequate. I have never witnessed 3D that was as bright or brighter as the best 2D projections until now. It generated the best color, best dynamic range and best images I have ever seen in 3D or even 2D. When I learned we were watching at 1/4 of its total resolution I was speechless. It was so clean and so vibrant the only thing I can compare it to is Cibachrome. That’s it, a giant moving Cibachrome!”

Mark L. Pederson from OffHollywood also had good things to say about the newest piece of RED technology. He said, “Aldey & I got treated to a sneak peak yesterday and we could not stop watching. You have to see it to believe it. I have NEVER seen better projection – from any projector – at any price point. I can’t stop thinking about it. It was beyond stunning.”

That’s pretty high praise for a projector. Albeit, a projector that can display at 4K resolutions. It would seem that RED’s new game plan is to have customers shoot video with their 5K cameras, edit it in REDcode RAW, burn it to a RED RAY disc, and display it using their new passive 4K projector. Sounds like all they need now is a program to edit the whole thing with. Of course one of the biggest concerns will be price. Though RED founder Jim Jannard announced they’ll be making the projector for home and theater use, it’s probably still going to be out of the range of the average consumer if their camcorder costs are any indication. However, there’s no denying that living in a world where 4K resolution is the norm will be sweet.

Every once in a blue moon, there are so many changes in current video technology that I feel it is worth my time to imagine what the future with this technology will be. Now I know it’s usually a rookie error for someone to write about what’s coming in the future since it changes just about every minute of the day, but honestly, it’s too fun not to try.  Besides, when the pace of technology only grows more rapid with time like it has, it’s probably a good idea to throw one’s hands up and realize that time will most definitely make anyone who dares to presume about the future look foolish.

There was a time when a person could buy a piece of technology and expect it to be at the relative top of technological advancements for almost a year, but alas, those days are far behind us. This is not all bad however. Even though I might have to endure buyer’s remorse within a week of having bought a new piece of video equipment, I also know that by the time I buy my next camera or computer I will have already seen the good and the bad of two generations worth of technology. This means that I have a great chance at buying a real solid piece of advanced equipment by the time my old one wears out. Plus, nothing beats that feeling of knowing you finally have the ability to do what others around you have been doing for years. In light of these facts, let’s take a close look at what is coming around the corner in the world of camcorder technology.

Everyone knows that the more megapixels in an image, the sharper and clearer it is. Given these facts it is exciting to note that Canon recently announced that they have developed a sensor that can pick up 120 megapixels of data in one image. This means there is definitely 13,280×9,184 pixel images in our future. With this kind of clarity, you may actually be able to take a picture of the Eiffel tower and zoom it in to see your friend’s face clearly from the top. Unless you’re making a billboard there may not seem to be a valid reason for a 120 megapixel image for now, but with rapid advancements in the space on hard drives, the better question might by why not?

We truly live in an advanced age in which camera companies are putting video functions in their DSLRs. With this revolution, camcorders suddenly went from sensor sizes of 5 mm or less, to sensor sizes of 24-35 mm or more – not to mention the addition of interchangeable lenses. While this has been a real boon to image quality and shallow depth of field capabilities, some camcorder companies are not satisfied with just that. Instead, companies such as RED are making sensors that are 186×56 mm across allowing video shot at 28K and stills shot at a whopping 261 megapixels. Now granted, there are no televisions in the world that can view the entirety of a 28K film and there isn’t even a 28K camera out yet (as RED loves to tease with information well before they actually produce a product) but you can rest assured that the day is coming. Already we’ve seen 4K and QuadHD televisions at tradeshows like CES with resolution so fine that you can count the amount of noodles in the Ramen a man is eating far off in the background of a scene.

Even the camera and camcorder companies are beginning to give us a glimpse into how they see the future. We reported in an earlier blog that Canon believes the future will hold cameras that can go from macro focus to 500 mm zooms all with one lens while taking such high resolution video that you can simply use a frame from the video and zoom and crop it in Photoshop on your computer at a later date. While this sounds fantastical, at the rate that technology is changing now, it’s not hard to imagine that a camera like that is not too far off in the future. Simply put, there seems to be enough demand for higher end products – and technology is quickly catching up. So here’s to hoping that it’s only a matter of time before pictures and video become so high in quality that it almost won’t matter how wide you shoot a scene – it can always be scaled up and cropped later.

Just about everyone loves watching movies. With both the clarity of sound and the resolution of the screen, theaters can uniquely make you feel more a part of the film than your television at home ever could. That was, until now. Even during all the hype of 3D, television manufacturers the likes of Sony, Sharp, Panasonic, and Samsung have been quietly releasing televisions with the same resolution of major Hollywood films. That means watching both television and movies at 4K resolution right from the comfort of your own home. Panasonic even went as far as releasing a 150 inch plasma screen at 4K resolution at CES in an effort to beat the competition in the 4K market. Having been to CES, I was able to actually see this screen with my own eyes. As a result, I can say that I feel confident that 4K is the future of television.

Unlike most televisions, when watching in 4096×2150 resolution, one can actually see more details in the picture as you get nearer to the screen. When watching a 4K television at NAB, to my amazement when I got closer to the Kung Fu movie on the screen, I was able to count the amount of noodles in the chow mein that a monk was eating way in the background giving the picture a breathtaking amount of realism. With experiences like this, it would seem that giving TVs higher resolution makes a picture more realistic than even putting it in 3D, with today’s technology. Of course, this would also make cinematographers and filmmakers happy as they could finally display their masterpieces in homes at the full resolution it was originally shot. With these kinds of benefits it is clear that television manufacturers see 4K as the next step in the future of the television market. As evidence, a company spokesperson for Sharp, talking about their 4K TV said, “We developed this LCD panel focusing on the upcoming ‘super HDTV’ generation. That is pretty exciting and with the constant improvements in video resolution and computer speeds, it seems like only a matter of time before you’ll be able to count the laces on a baseball thrown in a game broadcast in 4K HD.