passive

Surveillance device uses Wi-Fi to see through walls

Researchers in England have created a prototype surveillance device that can be used to spy on people inside buildings and behind walls by tracking the frequency changes as Wi-Fi signals generated by wireless routers and access points bounce off people as they move around.

The device, which is about the size of a suitcase and has two antennae and a signal processing unit, works as a "passive radar system" that can "see" through walls, according to PopSci.com. It was able to successfully determine the location, speed, and direction of a person behind a one-foot-thick brick wall, but can not detect people standing or sitting still, the article said.

The U.K. Ministry of Defence is looking into whether the device -- designed by Karl Woodbridge and Kevin Chetty of the University of College London -- can be used in "urban warfare" for scanning buildings, PopSci reported.

… Read more

Practice your verbs with Coniuno

One of the hardest things about mastering a foreign language is learning how to properly conjugate verbs. Coniuno offers conjugation practice for verbs in German, English, Spanish, Italian, French, Latin, and Portuguese. It's not the most intuitive program we've seen, and it might not be the best choice for language learners who are really new to the concept of conjugating verbs. For users who have some foreign language experience and a familiarity with conjugating, however, it's definitely a good way to hone your skills.

Coniuno's interface makes use of a couple of toolbars across the top … Read more

Active 3D vs. passive 3D: What's better?

CNET reader Taher asks:

I'm trying to decide between two 3D TVs: a Panasonic that's active 3D and LG that's passive 3D. LG has all these international certificates for the best 3D picture and claims it's full resolution, but you and others claim Passive 3D is half the resolution of a real 1080p. Is there is a way for me to really tell the difference between an active and a passive 3D?

There sure is.… Read more

Device & Conquer: Understanding 3D TV

You'll have a hard time buying a new TV that isn't 3D by the end of 2012. But that isn't the same as saying you'll be watching 3D TV.

In this episode of Device & Conquer, Brian Cooley gives explains the aspects of this new technology you have to get used to, how it's still evolving and what there is to watch. This isn't a story of a technology that doesn't work -- it does, often spectacularly -- but of on that may not have a mandate to become the next big thing in television, or reverse sliding TV sales numbers. … Read more

What is 4K? Next-generation resolution explained

As if LED and 3D TV weren't confusing enough, in the last few months we have seen a new HDTV technology called 4K, or its official name, Ultra HD. It's being heralded as the next high-def, and judging by the show floor at CES 2013, manufacturers are lining up to bring you a new array of products.

But just as was the case with 3D, it's the hardware chicken before the software egg: there's no consumer 4K content available. Still, if you listen to the industry, it'll tell you it's the last resolution you'll ever need. So what is 4K anyway, and what makes it different from high definition?

Editors' note: This was post was originally published January 23, 2012, and has been updated several times thereafter with expanded information, most recently on January 17, 2013.… Read more

Will $20 glasses, universal standard polish active 3D TV's apple?

LAS VEGAS--Active 3D glasses that come free with the TV, don't cost too much for extra pairs, and work with other brands might help win a few more 3D TV naysayers.

Ami Dror, Chief Strategy Officer for 3D glasses maker XpanD, told CNET that he expects active 3D glasses to cost as little as $20 each before the end of the year. That's $10 less than the current least-expensive such glasses from Samsung, which retail for $30 per pair. Active glasses from Sony and Panasonic currently cost more.

But current active 3D glasses don't work across … Read more

LG's LM9600 full-array local dimming LED TVs expand to 60 inches

LAS VEGAS--Last year LG released only one TV with our favorite kind of LED backlight, but for 2012 it has announced three sizes, from 47 through 60 inches.

All three of the LG LM9600 series offer that rare full-array local dimming LED backlight, but only two--the 47- and 55-inchers--utilize the "Nano" structure found on the 2011 55LW9800, which allows for a thinner cabinet design. The non-Nano 60-incher will have a thicker cabinet, although all three will boast the company's new thin Cinema Screen bezel, measuring "less than 5mm" according to a company rep we spoke … Read more

LG ships largest LCD TV this summer; will its 4K rez help passive 3D?

LAS VEGAS--LG's pre-CES teaser release already confirmed the company's plans to ship a massive 84-inch 4K resolution LCD TV this year, but now we know when, and can speculate whether it will provide "lossless" passive 3D images.

The LG 84LM9600 will be the largest LCD confirmed for U.S. shipping this year, outdoing the 80-inch Sharp. LG has shown the screen size before but this is the first time it has promised a U.S. ship date: June or July of this year, according to the company rep we spoke to, price TBD.… Read more

LG's Cinema Screen TVs get real thin, feature-packed

LAS VEGAS--Apart from the Swiss Army knife that is LG's new Magic Motion remote, the company's next best trick is its thin-bezelled range of televisions under the banner Cinema Screen.

The LED-based TVs all offer bezels under 5mm in width. There's a war on, it's no longer whose TV is biggest, but who can get their frames thinnest for that nearly all-picture look. Samsung fired the first salvo last year and we loved it, giving the UND8000 a "10" in Design by virtue of its 0.2-inch bezel. It's no coincidence that LG'… Read more