10 Greatest Entertainment Innovations Of 2012

Sony VPL- VW1000ES

Screen quality follows a simple rule: The larger the screen, the more pixels necessary to fill it. A high-def image is 1,920 by 1,080 pixels. On a 60-inch LCD TV, the image is flawless, but go any larger—say, 80 inches or a wall-sized projection—and the individual pixels become visible, degrading image quality. The Sony VPL-VW1000ES is the first home-theater projector to produce 4,096-by-2,160-pixel, or 4K, images, which allows it to produce pictures up to 200 inches across. The company’s engineers based the VPL’s 8.8-million-pixel projection chip on those used in Sony’s 4K theater projectors. Though 4K content is limited now, directors, including Peter Jackson, have already shot about 75 movies at the standard. As those movies reach homes, viewers will have the means to experience full, cinematic quality in their living rooms.

Projection: Up to 200 inches
Weight: 44 pounds
Price: $25,000

Nintendo Wii U

The Wii U is not only the first new major game console from any manufacturer in more than four years, it’s also the first system with two-screen play. A custom IBM processor and high-def graphics engine drive both the main TV image and the 6.2-inch LCD touchscreen on the Wii U controller, which is connected over Nintendo’s proprietary wireless channel. Developers can create maps, tools, and unique camera angles for the controller screen. From $300