New HP display solutions feature virtual reality, ultra high-def and curved offerings

HP's new display products include a major refresh of their ultra-high definition products, their first curved displays, and the industry's first virtual reality displays.

Today at CES, HP is announcing products in three separate categories which it considers highly innovative. It includes their second generation of ultra-high definition displays, which are significantly improved and much cheaper compared to last year’s models. The announcements also include HP’s first curved displays. The catchiest, however, may be the new HP Zvr Virtual Reality display, an entirely new category of product which HP is touting as the closest thing yet to holographic viewing.

“The Zvr is a Blended Reality technology that goes from analog to virtual and back to reduce barriers between the digital and physical worlds,” said Mike Hockey, worldwide public relations manager for commercial business within HP’s Printing and Personal Systems.

The Zvr Virtual Reality display utilizes a high-definition 3D stereoscopic display to provide a fully collaborative real-time sharing of 3D models to a 2D screen, with the 3D provided by four cameras tracking a user’s glasses. Dual-link DVI or DisplayPort connections to an HP Z Workstation provide easy connectivity for architectural, MCAD, education, and scientific content.

HP Hologram 250

The HP Zvr Virtual Reality display

The technology itself comes from zSpace, an HP partner, with HP being their primary, but not exclusive route to market.

“In the short term, the software for this is aimed at the education market,” said Alois Bonnet, Product Manager at HP. “Long term, the only limit is the imagination of software developers.” HP is actively seeking ISVs to write applications for the Zvr.

The curved display is not a net-new type of product like the Zvr, as other OEMs, notably Samsung and LG, already have them on the market, but these are the first such products to be released by HP. Four models are being announced, each with a different brand targeting a different type of the market. They are the HP Z34c, HP ENVY 34c, HP EliteDisplay S270c and HP Pavilion 27c Curved Displays.

The HP Z34c and HP ENVY 34c 3000r Curved Displays measure 34-inches diagonally, have a wide 21:9 aspect ratio, and support a 3440 x 1440 ultra-high resolution with 98 percent sRGB and a premium 6 watt/channel speakers with DTS Audio. They also offer picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture which allows users to view device and PC feeds at the same time.

HP Z34c 250

The HP Z34c

The HP EliteDisplay S270c and HP Pavilion 27c 4000r Curved Displays are smaller, measuring 27-inches diagonally. They feature a 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio and 95 percent sRGB color gamut. They also have integrated speakers with 4 watt/channel speakers with DTS Audio.

All four curved displays offer 3000:1 CR and low-haze enhancement technology to reduce reflectiveness without losing clarity, with an expansive 178-degree field of view. Users can mirror smart phone or tablet content to the screen through an MHL connection that also keeps devices charged and ready to go.

“I was initially skeptical of the concept, then after I saw them I wanted to replace my dual display solution with this,” Bonnet said. “That’s how we see them being used in the commercial market, replacing two displays side by side, especially in the workstation market.” Bonnet said that in the higher-end consumer market, which the ENVY line serves, this technology will be particularly attractive to gamers.

The new ultra-high definition displays include the HP Z27s and HP Z24s 4K Displays and the HP Z27q 5K Display. They all increase the viewing of image detail, can connect to multiple devices at once and effectively quadruple the real estate of the screen, allowing users to see more data in spreadsheets, keep multiple windows open side-by-side or program more lines of code.

HP 227 250

The ultra high-def HP Z27s

“These will be particularly attractive for anyone who wants to use 4k video, for digital video shooting at high resolution,” Bonnet said. The two 4K models have 3840 x 2160 resolution, a 16:9 UHD panel, with the sRGB or AdobeRGB color gamuts and 1.07 billion colors The HP Z27q Display, the 5K model, has a 5120×2880, 5K wide-color gamut, and elivers seven times more pixels than a classic full HD display, with 14.7 million pixels, a 16:9 aspect ratio, and 1.07 billion colors.

“The Z displays are aimed at the commercial market, and are significantly cheaper than the first generation we introduced last year, as well as also better quality,” Bonnet added.

HP Zvr expected availability is Spring 2015. Pricing has not yet been announced.

The HP Z27q Display is expected to be available beginning in March at an estimated U.S. price of $1299. The HP Z34c and HP ENVY 34c are expected to be available worldwide beginning in April at an estimated U.S. price of $999. The HP EliteDisplay S270c and Pavilion 27c Curved Displays are available now for $399.

The HP Z27s, and HP Z24s displays are expected to be available worldwide beginning in January and April respectively, with estimated U.S. pricing starting at $749 for the 27 inch model and $549 for the 24 inch. A 31.5 inch model will launch at an undetermined point later in the year, with pricing also undetermined.