We already saw Panasonic's 50-inch TH-50PZ80Q plasma doing the tru2way thing at CEDIA 2008, but the official lever has just been pulled in Denver and Chicago. As of today, Comcast's tru2way platform is active in the aforesaid cities, and the very first tru2way-capable HDTVs are arriving to retail. Eager consumers in the Windy or Mile High City who are ready to ditch the set-top-box altogether without sacrificing VOD and such can polish off their wounded credit cards, as both a 42-inch (TH-42PZ80Q; $1,599.95) and 50-inch (TH-50PZ80Q; $2,999.95) VIERA plasma will be on sale by "late October." As for the rest of the US anxious to dip in the cool, cool waters of tru2way? A few undisclosed locales should be going live with the service "in the coming months," though your guess is as good as ours as to what exactly that means.

It has taken a bit longer than expected, but Panasonic has finally got around to unveiling the 58- and 65-inch flavors of its VIERA CAST plasma lineup. The two new members of the PZ850 family are both internet enabled and can receive web streams (video, in particular) without a separate set-top-box. More specifically, users can see YouTube blown up to ungodly proportions and check out digital photos hosted up on Google's Picasa website. The pair will also boast a 30,000:1 contrast ratio (read: not dynamic), 24p native reproduction, Game Mode, an SD card slot, RS-232C port and four HDMI sockets. The pain? $3,999.95 for the TH-58PZ850, $6,999.95 for the TH-65PZ850 (i.e. the Grand Poobah).

After slipping past their original spring release date, Panasonic's PZ850 series of plasmas are no longer the only ones with YouTube support, but those desiring internet features, high contrast ratios and easy-access calibration settings can expect them on shelves this summer. The 46-, 50- and 58-inch versions should all be available in mid-June, with the 65-incher rolling out in August. Other than the IP features (Picasa access is also part of the package) the THX-certified PZ850s support h.264 playback from the SD card slot, RS-232C, 24p native playback, and a variety of display modes and settings to get the picture just the way the director intended, the way you like it, or anywhere in between. Check after the break for a list of prices, and our video hands on from CES 2008.

Pioneer and Matsushita (Panasonic) have finally hammered out the basics of a deal that will allow the latter to supply panels for future Kuro plasma displays, and plasma HDTV fans to breathe easy again. Pending a final agreement in May, dollars and cents remain undisclosed, but we can expect a fusion of Panasonic's current "Neo PDP" technology from its Viera line when they begin production May 2009 in Amagasaki before hitting shelves in the fall. Kuro will still be maintained as a premium brand (with a premium price) with different image processing, while both companies plan to keep working together on reducing power consumption and the infinite black level plasma. Pioneer still plans future Kuro LCD HDTVs based on panels from Sharp,but it'll also apparently have access to IPS technology from Panasonic's tie-up with Canon and Hitachi. See? We told you it'd be okay.

[Via AV Watch]

Every so often, we see a firm go out of its way to let loose not just one or two new products, but enough fresh kit to totally overwhelm anyone trying to digest it all. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on perspective) for us all, Panasonic has done just that with a smattering of televisions. Up first is the 17-inch TH-17LX8 LCD TV, which will be available in five different hues and offer up a 1,366 x 768 resolution, HDMI input, VIERA Link and built-in SD slot. Next in line, we've got a trio of new LCD TVs in the LX series ranging from 20- to 32-inches in size, all featuring a 1,366 x 768 resolution and an analog / digital tuner to boot. Lastly, we've got three new plasmas (37-, 42- and 50-inches) with lackluster resolutions, a 15,000:1 contrast ratio and a bevy of inputs (including an SD slot and Ethernet port). The whole lot is slated to land in mid-February, so be sure and tag the links below if any of these just happened to tickle your fancy.

Read - 17-inch TH-17LX
Read - Three new mid-sized LCD TVs
Read - Three new plasmas

Panasonic's new VIERACast HDTVs are just an Ethernet cable away from displaying YouTube and all your Picasa photos, and Mahalo Daily's Veronica Belmont got a chance to play with one on the CES show floor -- check out the video after the break!

No longer a rumor, Hitachi, Matsushita (Panasonic) and Canon are joining forces to shake up the LCD biz. Panasonic and Canon have each agreed to take 24.9% ownership of Hitachi Displays, which will use the investment to continue its advancement in LCD technology. Canon gets access to Hitachi's small- to medium-sized LCDs and, OLEDs for its cameras and other products, while Panasonic looks to "enhance the competitive edge in-step with PDP models" of its Viera line of HDTVs with Hitachi's IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology and future OLED production. Don't think Panasonic and Hitachi are giving up on the Plasma Coalition, but they aren't afraid to hedge their bets in reaction to the market's demand for cheap LCDs and similar partnerships among competitors.

It's just not fair. While we're lucky to bear witness to a single hot handset release per month, our Japanese brethren just received a batch of 10 new handsets to swoon over courtesy of NTT DoCoMo. The very best of the best from the new FOMA 905i series includes the Panasonic Viera P905iTV and 5 megapixel Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot SO905iCS. As you'd expect from a handset sporting the Viera branding, the P905iTV is all about the mobile TV with a feature that smooths-out 1Seg's 15fps mobile broadcast rate to display it at 30fps on that 3.5-inch 480 x 854 pixel display. The 17.7-mm (0.7-inch) slab also packs HSDPA and a battery capable of a 1-month standby. Otherwise, it'll pump that TV-to-vein fix for 6-hours straight or up to 80 hours of SD-Audio or 65 hours of WMA if that's your preference. Meanwhile, the Cyber-shot SO905iCS brings a 5 megapixel CMOS camera with 3x optical zoom and 2.7-inch, 480 x 864 pixel display to the Japanese market. It features an LED flash, face recognition and anti-shake stabilization while busting a 24-mm (nearly 1-inch) girth. Plenty more of these two in the gallery below.

[Via The Unwired and Impress]

We've just gotten back from the Panasonic press conference at IFA, where the electronics giant unveiled a couple of interesting new products, including a new lineup of HDTVs, and the brand-spanking-new Lumix DMC-L10 DSLR camera. Here's a brief rundown of all the hot action that you missed, including an Olympics-esque runner dashing across the stage (all for show, folks).

Panasonic just went live with their 2007 plasma lineup in Japan. While missing the big 58-incher prepped for big-azz US living rooms, they've notably taken the "world's smallest" 42-inch 1080p plasma from prototype to full-blown production status. The TH-42PZ700 1920 x 1080 panel ships on April 27th for ¥430,000 (about $3,602) with side-mounted speakers or ¥20,000 (about $168) less if opting for the single, under-panel speaker. The Japanese models also feature new AVCHD playback direct off SD (and SDHC too, we presume) cards in support of Panny's lineup of 3CCD HD camcorders. Rounding things out are the US-bound, 50-inch 1080p TH-50PZ700 and three lesser PDPs from the PX70 series ranging in size from 37- to 50-inches.

Panasonic just slipped a couple more LCD panels into their Viera line-up of televisions. Both the 32-inch TH-32LX65 and 26-inch TH-26LX65 feature a 1366x768 pixel resolution, 178-degree visibility, and a single HDMI-in on top of a slathering of Japanese D4, composite, S-Video, digital optical and Ethernet connections. And yeah, it integrates seamlessly with Panny's Viera Link HDMI remote for universal control over your HDMI-equipped home entertainment center. Both the 32 and 26-inchers will begin shipping in Japan on September 1st for ¥250,000 (about $2,193) and ¥210,000 (about $1,843), respectively.

With the World Cup set to start in less than two weeks, it's time to extract the catheter, re-prioritize, and go big. Trusted Reviews just posted a giddy review of Panasonic's 65-inch Viera TH-65PV500B plasma TV calling it "one of the very few truly giant" sets designed for the "average Joe" with, uh 13 Gs to burn. This 1080i capable beast features HDMI (with HDCP) and component options for HD sources, a PC jack, and three SCARTs (2 x RGB), S-Video, and an SD slot. The 65PV500B also brings its own digital-tuner to the party with "all the bangs and whistles" you'd expect like a 7-day EPG with timer. But the picture's the thing boy, and this set delivers by slapping-up "outstanding" images by the standards of big plasmas with colors touting excellent vibrancy and subtlety. Blacks are "superbly dark" and pictures are "superbly free of video noise" even when sourced from upwardly scaled, standard definition feeds. After a review like this, you can just forget about that new kidney your doc's been droning-on about -- you need this TeeVee.