Toshiba TV’s CEVO 4K tech delivers ‘true image’

MANILA, Philippines - Toshiba recently showcased the superior capabilities of its updated CEVO 4K video processing engine in a technology preview.  CEVO 4K is Toshiba’s core technology for television that is capable of enhancing full HD up to four times its original resolution.

Yuji Motomura, head of Toshiba’s product planning division for TV, who currently leads a team of engineers in developing the CEVO 4K technology, said, “CEVO 4K is Toshiba’s state-of-the-art technology for television which upgrades image quality and restores precision, enabling superior picture for contents like Blu-ray, HD TV and 4K video.”

“It is an enhancement of the 4K video format first introduced by Toshiba in 2011. The resolution of 4K is four times the pixels of full HD,” Motomura said.

Toshiba’s unique philosophy for television, according to Motomura, is to bring out the natural look and feel of life. “Televisions are being made to create a wow feeling, the bigger the screen, the more excitement,” he said.

“The problem with bigger screens that do not have an advanced video processing engine is that even images shot in full HD can look pixelized. It is not enough that the TV screen is big — it also has to be equipped with the technology that maintains the high picture quality to enhance the viewing experience,” he added.

Most content currently available for the general public, such as commercial TV broadcast by global media outfits and movies distributed internationally, are shot in full HD and 4K has begun to catch on.

In the Philippines, local TV networks still broadcast in standard definition but are expected to go into full HD in the next couple of years. These developments signal a shift, if not a mass migration, to more advanced TV models that will give justice to the hi-tech formats that they are produced in.

“If the programs you are watching are in Blu-ray or HD, the CEVO 4K technology improves the images and makes it possible to watch them in near 4K level picture quality. That’s the wonder of the technology,” Motomura said. “If you see very detailed pictures or images you somehow get excited. The ultimate excitement is delivered when the picture is so good and the screen is so wide.”

Motomura gave media guests a preview of the power of the CEVO 4K through Toshiba’s Ultra HD 84-inch LED. A movie clip from an animation film available in Blu-ray was shown. It was demonstrated how CEVO 4K gave a near 4K level picture quality to the movie. It can improve precision up to 90 percent of the original content, which provides a sense of reality that is unmatched in terms of viewing experience.

It was also demonstrated how even the quality of YouTube videos are enhanced, which would be an added treat to the growing number of people who love to watch and upload videos.

Toshiba’s CEVO 4K gets  nod of young media innovators

Professionals in the creative industries always lead the pack when it comes to the latest in video technology. An awarded independent film director and one of the most in-demand advertising directors in Manila, Paul Soriano, was among the first to experience first-hand the power of Toshiba’s core technology.

Soriano is particular with visual quality, having shot over a hundred TV advertisements since he got his first commercial break in 2007. “It is not easy to show true images on a television screen that best match real life color and consistency,” he said.

“Whenever I do a commercial or a movie there’s always a message that you want to share with the audience and after that would be the look — you spend so much time lighting scenes, making people look good, production design, cinematography, direction — that also helps with the narrative. For example, if you are doing a dramatic scene your lighting has those muted tones. So when people watch it, they would need a decent television to be able to project that. My team exerts a lot of effort to make a scene look good. When the colors are right it really helps bring the viewer into the whole scene,” he said.

Soriano said Toshiba’s CEVO 4K technology is topnotch in terms of precision. “The sense of detail and sharpness is excellent and the way it captures natural light and skin tones. The Toshiba TV Cevo 4K is fantastic technology. My films and TV commercials are shot now in 4K and it’s such beautiful imaging.”

“When you do side by side tests of television sets, Toshiba really stands out, especially with color. I’m very particular when it comes to skin tone — I don’t like pale or what looks like dead, bluish skin tone. When you watch in the Toshiba TV, the skin tone comes alive and you get a nice flesh color. What I really like from the test videos that I saw in the demonstration is that the beauty of the production design really comes out — the flowers were true to their color. Those are things we really prepare for in production,” he said.

“If you are the type who likes to watch videos in Blu Ray and TV programs that are broadcast in HD, it’s definitely something you would want your TV to be equipped with. It will be a waste not to enjoy the full benefits of HD broadcast if your TV set is not optimum. Toshiba has truly brought out the passion in developing their TVs — it’s fantastic. When I was watching the animation videos in the Toshiba TV I was drawn to the visuals, it was so life-like, and that’s the experience you want to have,” he added.

Abe Olandres of YugaTech fame, one of the most widely read technology websites in the country, believes in the capability of the CEVO 4K to enhance image quality. “Nothing beats more natural color compared to over-saturated or very highly lit TV sets. For a 4K TV, Toshiba has more pixels and it means higher resolution, more detail. There is a better perception of depth, wider range of color,” he said.

Olandres observes that when it comes to buying TV sets, Filipinos are conscious of features. “Technology is important. In general, the understanding of Filipino consumers in terms of who produces the best image is not yet up there but we are getting there. We are done with HD and full HD, we are now in 4K. The reason for the drive for 4K is because of the panel size, we need this technology — it makes a difference when your screen is big. In order for you to maintain that good image quality index, you need very good resolution.”

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www.toshiba.ph/tph.