BobPerry
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Who doesn't want Android and Intel in their HDTV? Panasonic & Samsung
Sure, selling $150~ 3D glasses and $80~ WiFi adapters for their HDTVs is no problem, but according to Bloomberg Samsung and Panasonic have drawn the line at the rumored Google TV initiative. Panasonic VP Bob Perry said in an interview that the Intel hardware to run Android "adds too much to the cost of the set," while Samsung similarly declined to join, looking towards a future built on its own apps platform. The widget experience at CES 2010 did appear to be much improved, but so far the sometimes slow and clunky interfaces have left us with CE4100 dreams and open Market wishes. Judging by our last poll on the subject, opinions on the future of such displays are split, but without anything in the way of an official announcement from the Google / Intel / Sony / Logitech cabal we'll hold off on deciding who has made the right choice.
Panasonic's response on shifting black levels in plasma HDTVs: 'There's nothing to fix'
Owners of Panasonic's recent plasma HDTVs have continued to push for more details on the "automatic control" the company cited as the cause of suddenly elevated black levels and it has revealed a few more details in an email exchange with CNET. Those hoping for some kind of patch or action in response to the changes will likely be disappointed however, as Senior VP Bob Perry put it, "there's nothing to fix." Citing trade secrets and a lack of a standard measure for black level performance, he also was unable to give any specifics about when the changes are designed to happen or by exactly how much. The company is promising technology in its 2010 models will offer a more gradual adjustment thanks to design adjustments, but that doesn't help current model owners left wondering if their set has, or will have in the future, degraded picture quality either by design or some software glitch. He did close by offering the olive branch of the VIERA Concierge Program for dissatisfied customers -- we'll see if a happy resolution for all is still within reach. [Thanks, Chris]
LG kills combo player, goes back to Blu-ray-only plans
Geez, LG, would you make up your mind already? First you were gung-ho about bringing the BD199 Blu-ray player to market in Q2 of this year, then you scrapped that idea in favor a combo Blu-ray / HD DVD device, and now you're back to your original plan of releasing a Blu-ray-only model at some unspecified future date. At least that's the official word for now from the Korean manufacturer, courtesy of VP of sales and channel marketing Bob Perry's recent speech at the company's 2006 Summer Line Show in New York. Perry refused to give more than just a broad outline of LG's product roadmap, but with Europe already investigating both next-gen formats regarding anti-trust violations, we'll probably have all moved back to regular old DVDs by the time this proposed model is released, anyway.
