From smartphones and TVs to credit cards, technologies that manipulate light are deeply embedded in our daily lives, many of which are based on holography. However, conventional holographic technologies have faced limitations, particularly in displaying multiple images on a single screen and in maintaining high-resolution image quality.
Recently, a research team led by Professor Junsuk Rho at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has developed a groundbreaking metasurface technology that can display up to 36 high-resolution images on a surface thinner than a human hair. This research has been published in Advanced Science.
LG boosts productivity with first 5K2K monitor packing Thunderbolt 5
By Paul Ridden
June 08, 2025
LG has announced what's claimed to be the first 5K2K computer monitor sporting Thunderbolt 5 ports, enabling super-fast data throughput, easy connection to source devices and laptop charging chops all from a single cable.
Aimed at professionals looking for a productivity boost, the UltraFine 40WT95UF monitor features a 40 inch IPS panel in 21:9 aspect, displaying 5,120 x 2,160 pixels with a snappy 120-Hz refresh rate. There's up to 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR600 support for "more vivid visuals," a 5-millisecond response time, a 2,000:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits of brightness.
The screen offers a bunch of helpful organization options, including picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture for multitasking ease. "Financial analysts can simultaneously view extensive datasets, application dashboards and market charts, while IT specialists – whether in software development, systems integration or media services – can utilize the extended screen space and advanced capabilities to review long lines of code, manage complex design timelines and conduct in-depth content analysis," says the company.
Portable display unfurls like an umbrella for on-the-go productivity
By Paul Ridden
June 20, 2025
A few years back, we covered a pop-up computer monitor that could fit in a small carry case between uses, and also serve as a pico projector. Now Texas-based Arovia has returned to Kickstarter with a larger version of the Splay screen, called the Max.
The basic idea behind the Splay Max hasn't really changed much since Arovia introduced South by Southwest festival goers to its SPUD project back in 2016. You start with a small carry box that contains a projection unit and a collapsed display screen.
This display is unfurled like an umbrella so that its front becomes a rigid panel, the projection module is mounted to the rear, the setup connected to a laptop and you have yourself a second screen or main monitor. The SPUD – which stood for Spontaneous Pop-Up Display – offered 24 diagonal inches of screen real estate, which was retained for the brighter, higher-resolution follow up that gained a stand-alone projection mode.
Versatile 27-inch smart screen delivers Dolby audiovisuals on the go
By Paul Ridden
July 14, 2025
A couple of years ago, LG went viral with a mobile version of a "wireless private TV" announced in late 2021. An upgraded flavor of the StanbyME smart screen was uncovered at CES 2025 back in January, and is now being rolled out globally.
Like the original StanbyME, version 2 is mounted to a movable stand rolling with concealed wheels for placement flexibility (2023's Go model came in a carry case). This time the device can be removed from its docking stand with one click and go it alone.
This effectively transforms it into a 27-inch touchscreen tablet (with a huge folio cover and carry strap), a display for hanging on the wall in portrait or landscape to show off static or moving digital artworks or serve as a massive digital clock, an interactive board game hub when placed flat on a table top, or a portable audiovisual entertainment center.
Samsung to bring OLED TV challenger to US living rooms
By Paul Ridden
August 13, 2025
Samsung teased a fresh take on backlit premium televisions at CES in January, with a 98-inch 8K LCD TV prototype featuring RGB microLED technology. Now the company has gone into production with a 115-inch 4K model – and it's coming to the US.
A step up from the MicroLED technology seen in Samsung's The Wall and subsequent consumer flavors, Micro RGB tech crams in tiny RGB LEDs behind the LCD panel of big-screen TVs.
These RGB LEDs each measure less than 100 µm – around the thickness of the average human hair – and the platform is reported to enable "unprecedented precision in the control of micrometer-sized RGB LEDs, raising the bar for color accuracy and contrast in consumer displays."
This one's purely for competitive gamers and hardcore PC builders itching for weapons-grade hardware. Asus has just unveiled its adorably named ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W monitor, which manages 540-Hz frame rates at 2,560 x 1,440, and an immense 720 Hz when you turn it down to 1080p. That's about as nuts as it gets in the world of OLED screens today.
Asus says this is actually a 26.5-inch tandem OLED panel designed for higher HDR brightness, and it's also got a special coating for deeper blacks and reduced glare even in a brightly lit room. The panel tech – along with a Neo Proximity Sensor that notices when you step away from your desk and switches to a black screen – should help prevent burn-in and extend the life of this monitor a bit.
The company's also gone all out with the design of this thing. The back features a gorgeous translucent and silver rear panel that will make you want to get up close to admire its innards. It's paired with a propeller-like stand that's certainly eye-catching, but it will also take up a good bit of room.
Wall-hugging Laser TV promises true 4K at up to 150 inches
By Paul Ridden
January 12, 2026
Epson added an ultra-short-throw laser projector to its new Lifestudio range of streaming models last year, which promised "impressive brightness and a vivid, true-to-life picture day or night." Now the veteran company is adding a more powerful flavor.
"[The] EH-LS970 raises the bar for shared cinematic experiences at home," said Kiran Sanghera of Epson Europe. "You get real 4K detail, 4,000 lumens brightness and Bose-engineered sound in a system that’s easy to live with, all with Google TV built in, intelligent setup and whisper-quiet operation."
To expand a little on that brief overview, as with the LS670, Epson is building the new ultra-short-thrower around a 3LCD laser light source but bumps the output to 4,000 lumens and promises zero rainbow effect (bothersome RGB flashes). Where the older Lifestudio unit employs pixel-shifting to achieve 4K-resolution visuals, the LS970 promises "Real 4K UHD" at 8.3-million pixels for the 3,840 x 2,160 UHD imagery.
