Acer announces a pair of high-resolution monitors with a "frameless" design-- the 4K/UHD 27-inch S277HK and the WQHD 25-inch H257HU, both featuring IPS panels and built-in DTS audio.

The S277HK had a hair-line aluminum bezel and sits on top of an asymmetric metallic stand. As mentioned earlier it handles resolutions of up to 4K/UHD (3840x21160) and connects to PCs via DVI, HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2.

Meanwhile the smaller H257HU handles 2560x1440 resolutions (WQHD) and carries DVI, HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 inputs on top of a circular stand.

LG announces the Curved UltraWide Monitor (model 34UC97), a 34-inch display the company the company claims is the first featuring a curved IPS panel with a 21:9 aspect ratio and 178-degree viewing angles.

The 34UC97 handles 4K/UHD resolutions (3440 x 1440), with Thunderbolt 2 connectivity allowing the daisy chaining of multiple monitors and audio via the combination of MAXX AUDIO and a built-in 7W tree speaker system.

It is set to make a first appearance at IFA 2014 together with other new LG monitors-- namely the Digital Cinema 4K Monitor (31MU97) and the Gaming Monitor (24GM77).

One of the alloys found in CDs and DVDs might be key for the thin and flexible displays of the future-- University of Oxford researcher discovered one can "draw" images on a thin layer of GST alloy sandwiched between two transparent electrode layers.

GST (aka Ge2Sb2Te5 or Germanium-Antimony-Tellurium) alloy is a phase change material (PCM), meaning it is able to change between two states with the application of heat, light or electricity. It finds use in rewritable CDs and DVDs, where laser pulses cause it to switch between amorphous and crystalline states.

"We didn't set out to invent a new kind of display," research leader Professor Harish Bhaskaran says. 'We were exploring the relationship between the electrical and optical properties of phase change materials and then had the idea of creating this GST "sandwich" made up of layers just a few nanometres thick. We found that not only were we able to create images in the stack but, to our surprise, thinner layers of GST actually gave us better contrast. We also discovered that altering the size of the bottom electrode layer enabled us to change the colour of the image."

According to the researchers tiny PCM stacks can be turned into "nano-pixels" measuring just 300 x 300 nanometers. One can electrically switch these on and off at will to create the building blocks of a high-resolution display technology.

Projectiondesigns says the company has the first ever high-res active stereo 3D portable projector. They brought it to InfoComm for the first showing.

The F10 AS3D single-chip DLP projector is designed for typical 3D markets such as scientific, visualization, simulation and entertainment. The projector operates at a 120 Hz refresh rate from dual head inputs on DVI or VGA, making it compatible with virtually every single dual head stereoscopic Image Generator in the market, says the company. Continue reading...

According to IDC Q1 2014 PC monitor shipments total 33.7 million units with -0.4% Y-o-Y decline. The analyst also predicts shipments should total 106 million for full year 2018.

"Despite the overall decline, the shipment totals were stronger than the forecast of 31m units," IDC says. "Geographically, Japan and MEA regions delivered the largest gains during Q1 2014 while Dell and HP both experienced solid shipment growth."

The analyst says LED backlighting adoption remains on the up with 92% Q1 2014 market share, a 16.4% Y-o-Y increase. Meanwhile 21.x-inch monitors remain the most popular over the last 6 quarters, with Q1 2014 share reaching 20.5%.

Monitors with 16:9 aspect ratio continue to dominate with 81.3% share, 6.5x higher than 16:10, the 2nd most used aspect ratio.

Acer launches what it claims is the first 4K/UHD resolution monitor featuring Nvidia G-Sync technology-- the XB280HK, a 28-inch LED backlit display promising smooth, tear-free imagery for your customers' PC games.

The display handles resolutions of up to 3840 x 2160, and features flicker-less, low dimming and ComfyView technology to help reduce eye strain. Connectivity comes via DisplayPort v1.2 and four USB 3.0 ports.

An adjustable stand allows tilting from -5 to 35-degrees as well as 120-degree rotation. Viewing angles are 170/170-degree.

An ex-Google product manager invents the "Robo-Projector." He calls it Keecker and it is a rolling robot with a video projector that can sync with smartphones to turn any wall into a screen for watching movies, checking email, and more.

This is R2D2 if designed by Apple. Keecker frees the screen from its fixed spot. Keecker lets home users watch content anywhere there's enough wall space and no stairs (robots can't climb, yet).

Bill Gates has invented his own home system that allows him to control the photos on screens throughout his home, like a personal digital signage system. Now anyone with Keecker can bring video or photo content to any room, any place, any time.

The Oculus Rift is not the only contender in the virtual reality headset arena-- Sony uses the Game Developer Conference 2014 event to unveil "Project Morpheus," a VR headset prototype for the Playstation 4.

"Nothing elevates the level of immersion more than VR,” Sony Computer Entertainment head Shuhei Yoshida says. “Many of us in PlayStation have dreamed of VR and what it can mean to the games we create.”

Morpheus builds on earlier Sony developments in headset (or "Personal 3D Viewer") space, with a 1080p LCD offering a 90-degree field of view and "uniquely developed" 3D audio technology. Aditionally it promises "seamless" PS4 integration-- the Playstation Camera pairs with built-in sensors to take care of head tracking, while the Move peripheral handles game control.