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Panasonic Z1 wireless HDTV appearing in US retailers

by Nilay Patel, posted Jun 27th 2009 at 1:20AM

Hey, look at that -- it's Panasonic's super-hot one-inch thick Z1 wireless HDTV, just cold sitting out for sale in a San Jose Magnolia store. No official availability announcement yet, but we're guessing it's coming soon, right on time for the Z1's planned summer debut. Everyone got their $6,000 ready?

LG's Netflix-friendly 47LH50 and 50PS80 NetCast HDTVs now shipping in America

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 11th 2009 at 1:37PM

Without a doubt, the next big thing in the world of HDTVs is internet capabilities. With Toshiba just shipping its own web-enabled sets this week, LG Electronics is making sure it doesn't fall too far behind by floating a few of its own NetCast models out to the open market. Originally unveiled at CES, these HDTVs are the first from the company with built-in Netflix streaming support, and if you're curious about model numbers, it's the 47-inch 47LH50 LCD HDTV and the 50-inch 50PS80 plasma that are available today. LG tells us that the 42-inch 42LH50 LCD and 60-inch 60PS80 plasma should hit later this summer, but if you're looking to buy now, you'll have to pony up $1,999 for the 47LH50 or 50PS80.

Gametrak Freedom Xbox 360 motion controller up for pre-order with Squeeballs

by Darren Murph, posted May 31st 2009 at 11:18PM

We get the feeling this isn't the motion sensing surprise that's likely in store for Xbox 360 fans at E3, but it's still great to see this controller moving beyond the hype stage. After being spied late last year and detailed around two months ago, the Gametrak Freedom motion controller is now listed at GameStop with an October 15th ship date. The controller, which will come bundled with Squeeballs: Island Party for the Xbox 360, is already up for pre-order, promising gamers who shell out $69.99 a grand total of 11 motion sensing party games. Unfortunately, there's no word on how much extra Freedom sticks will run, but based on the price of this kit, we'd wager not much.

[Thanks, Josh]

LG's 50PS70 and 60PS70 plasmas get 160GB Time Machine functionality

by Darren Murph, posted May 21st 2009 at 8:59AM

The jury's still out on whether inbuilt DVRs are good for HDTVs, but LG's obviously hot to trot on the whole idea. Nearly a year after first introducing sets with an integrated Time Machine, the outfit is hitting back with two new big-screen plasmas that each posses a 160GB internal hard drive. The X Canvas 50PS70 (50-inch) and 60PS70 (60-inch) panels also boast 600Hz dejudder technology and can record overflow onto external drives connected via USB 2.0. Additional details (price, screen resolution, availability, etc.) are scant, but we'll be sure to keep an ear to the ground.

[Via Akihabara News]

Bang & Olufsen's BeoVision 4 103-inch plasma on sale in USA: $93,050

by Darren Murph, posted May 6th 2009 at 9:19AM

So, there are two ways to look at this: the first is that this television set costs almost as much as many homes, while the second is that it's around $40,000 cheaper than the Euro-conversion price. Specially designed for plutocrats who need to brag that Mark Cuban has the bargain version of their HDTV, Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma brings along a 1080p panel and plenty of wow. The unit has just been let loose here in America, going on a US press tour and becoming available for special order for those with loads of disposable income. It can be purchased in an array of color options including black, silver, red, blue, and dark grey, though there is a three to four month lead time for each set. The pain? $93,050 on wall mount, $111,805 on motorized floor stand -- though we hear that it's hand delivered by Dos Equis himself.

Gallery: Bang & Olufsen's BeoVision 4 103-inch plasma on sale in USA: $93,050

Samsung's 850 PAVV plasma teases the 1-inch thick mark

by Darren Murph, posted May 4th 2009 at 8:07AM

The plasma industry may be teetering on the edge of certain doom (okay, so maybe that's exaggerating it... a little), but Samsung's still pushing the envelope. Over in South Korea, the company just outed its latest PDPs, the 850 PAVV lineup. Aside from being 40 percent more power efficient, 20 percent lighter and 120 percent more seductive than the prior generation, the new 50- and 58-inch sets also boast DLNA support, a USB 2.0 socket, DivX compatibility and a rather striking stand. The real kicker? The 29 millimeter depth, which equates to just over one inch thick for those who abhor the metric system. There's no word on when these beauties will hit the streets, but we're guessing Panasonic will be keenly interested in knowing.

Rock Band double bass pedal brings out the Joey Jordison in you

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 9th 2009 at 6:57PM

True metal-heads have already modded their Rock Band / Guitar Hero kits to accommodate that DW 5000, but for those who lack any DIY genes whatsoever, there's this. Accessory maker PDP is gearing up to ship its universal Rock Band replacement kick pedal, which conveniently ships with a "double bass adapter that allows for two pedals to be used at the same time." Time to get to work on your coordination skills, 'cause you'll definitely want to lay down $24.99 on this when it ships on June 1st.

[Thanks, Omar]

Pioneer outlines KURO plasma exit, insinuates that you should buy one now

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 24th 2009 at 3:02PM

Okay, so maybe that harshly translated version of Pioneer's recent KURO-related press release doesn't actually encourage prospective buyers to snag a unit while they still can, but it may as well have. Following up on the outfit's curious decision to abandon a product line that was universally adored, Pioneer has decided that just four of its PDPs will stay in production until April 11th. After 3,000 or so of the KRP-500A, KRP-500M, KRP-600A and KRP-600M units have been produced, the lines will be shut down and we'll all be invited to what will undoubtedly be a tear-filled memorial service. The company has also made clear that warranty service will still be provided for an undisclosed amount of time (at least in Japan), but there has yet to be a statement made specifically regarding the North American market.

[Via Slashgear]

Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma is gorgeous, pricey

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 19th 2009 at 1:47PM

Plasma's dying, huh? Go and tell that to Bang & Olufsen. Just in case the 50- and 65-inch versions of the BeoVision 4 HDTV weren't expansive enough, the high-end home cinema outfitter has just pushed out news of an all new addition: the 103-inch BeoVision 4-103. If that number immediately rings a bell, here's a cookie. The 103-inch Panasonic TH-103PF9 panel is indeed the exact one used here, but B&O has obviously spruced up the design, added an automatic rising stand and incorporated the BeoSystem 3 and the VisionClear technology that automatically adjusts colors and brightness. Oh, and it tossed in a B&O logo, which is darn near priceless. Speaking of stickers, the set should be available this July for around €100,000 ($136,220) pre-VAT. Check the demonstration vid after the break.

[Thanks, John]

Gallery: Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma is gorgeous, pricey

Continue reading Bang & Olufsen's 103-inch BeoVision 4-103 plasma is gorgeous, pricey

Samsung outs Fabrizio PAVV 450 Series plasma HDTVs in Korea

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 9th 2009 at 10:01AM

Despite a sudden lack of support, the plasma ain't dead yet. Just days after announcing its ritzy new Bordeaux PAVV Fabrizio 650 LCD HDTVs over in South Korea, the same company has introduced a new line catering to the unshakable PDP fans across the globe. The Fabrizio PAVV 450 Series includes a 42- and 50-inch version with Sammy's own Crystal Engine, 0.001 millisecond response time, "Mega Contrast," and a trio of HDMI sockets. Outside of that, details are still being kept under wraps, but hopefully we'll know more after these get a US ship date. Wait, these are coming to America, right Samsung?

[Via Akihabara News]

Panasonic's ultrathin TC-P54Z1 VIERA plasma priced at $5,999.95

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 5th 2009 at 11:41AM

Yeah, we know -- six large for a 54-inch HDTV seems a bit much in today's society, but the same sort of thing was said last September when Mitsubishi threw a $6,999 sticker on its mesmerizing LaserVue set. Panasonic's one-inch thick TC-P54Z1 plasma, which just might be the last of its breed barring production of the NeoPDP concept, will undoubtedly serve a shrinking niche, but for those willing to pay for the best of what's new, they'll be getting an awful lot of sexy for $5,999.95. Speaking of that MSRP, that's the good word from the HD Guru himself, though we've yet to see an official confirmation from Panny. Honestly though, that's about what we reckoned it would list at after seeing it unveiled at CES, so now would probably be a good time to start hunting for any 10 percent off coupons for your favorite B&M HDTV outlet.

[Via CNET]

Panasonic's 103-inch plasma repurposed as multitouch air hockey table

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 17th 2009 at 5:38PM

With VIZIO and Pioneer jumping out of the plasma game, we can totally foresee sales of Panasonic's 103-inch PDP skyrocketing. All kidding aside, a startup arcade would be ludicrous to not shove one of these into the center of the action. What you're looking at above is a mutltitouch air hockey table, made possible by Panny's ginormous plasma and a U-Touch overlay from uicentric. The table was on display over in Amsterdam at ISE 2009, and quite frankly, we're intensely envious of the attendees who were able to blow off some steam by grabbing a game on this. Obligatory video is just past the break.

Continue reading Panasonic's 103-inch plasma repurposed as multitouch air hockey table

VIZIO kicks plasma to the curb, will focus on LCD TVs

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 11th 2009 at 3:30PM

We've certainly seen mixed reviews for VIZIO plasmas, but it seems that those very reviews will be the last of their breed. According to the New York Times, VIZIO co-founder Laynie Newsome has confirmed that its existing PDPs will be the last the company sells. Looking back, you'll notice that only LCDs were introduced by the outfit at CES, and while Pioneer may or may not completely abandon its TV initiatives, Americans can now definitively count on just three major players to provide for their plasma desires: LG, Samsung and Panasonic. Newsome stated that the decision was made for a number of reasons. First, PDP sets simply "don't show as well in big box stores," and VIZIO wanted to "devote all of its available shelf space to the technology that moves off the shelves fastest." We're a tad torn as to whether we should weep here, but regardless, a fond farewell is in order.

CES 2009 HDTV mega-guide

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 20th 2009 at 2:00PM

CES 2009 may be over and done with, but we'll be feeling the ramifications of it for months to come. For those not watching for every last announcement from the show, you may be surprised to find that dozens upon dozens of new HDTVs were introduced, with many of them slated to start shipping this Spring / Summer. Engadget HD has hosted up a thorough mega-guide to showcase what sets made their debut in Vegas this month, complete with links to more information as well as release windows and pricing where available. If you're even remotely considering a new set this year, you owe it to yourself to give this one a look. Head on over, won't you?

LG gets official with 50PQ60D and 42PQ60D Xcanvas plasmas in Korea

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 20th 2009 at 11:33AM

Don't bet the farm on it just yet, but given the FCC filing that outed these sets at the tail end of December, we'd say it's safe to assume that the panel you see above (and after the break) will be headed to America in short order. Made official today in South Korea, LG's Xcanvas 50PQ60D and 42PQ60D plasmas sport a sleeker, more fully integrated design that conceals the speakers within the border. The TV itself also detects ambient light and automatically adjusts brightness in order to conserve energy, and the built-in USB port enables portable media to be loaded on for all to see. Few other details about the pair are being released, but you can expect 'em on sale halfway across the world in around three weeks for $1,460 / $1,022, respectively.

[Via Slashgear]

Continue reading LG gets official with 50PQ60D and 42PQ60D Xcanvas plasmas in Korea