VieraLink
Latest
Eyes on with the VT30, Panasonic's flagship 3D plasma
The latest and greatest (and largest) 3D plasmas from Panasonic are finally shipping, including the flagship, THX-certified Viera VT30 sets with their single sheet of glass panels and Infinite Black Pro2 filters. We first caught a glimpse of these bad boys back at CES and we've been impatiently waiting for a chance to blast our retinas with their PDP goodness in all three dimensions. The company was nice enough to invite us over recently to have a little TV powwow that featured an uncomfortable amount of Avatar on Bluray. Keep reading after the break for all the not-so-gory details. %Gallery-123262%
Panasonic's DMR-BF200 stuffs hard drive and Blu-ray burner into one tiny, magical box
And this, friends, is why Japan is a marvelous place. Panasonic has just removed the wraps from its new DIGA DMR-BF200, which is being hailed as the planet's smallest Blu-ray recorder. For all intents and purposes, this is simply an external hard drive with a slot-loading Blu-ray burner baked in, but there's plenty more on the inside to pay attention to. It'll stream DLNA content, interface with your other VIERA Link equipment, output content via HDMI and even access acTVila (a Japanese video-on-demand service). Users can also toss in an SD card for watching flicks stored on more portable media, and most anything housed on the 320GB internal hard drive can be toasted on BD-R/RE for playback elsewhere. It should be noted, however, that neither BDXL nor Blu-ray 3D are supported, but those still keenly interested can find it on November 15th for ¥70,000 ($861) in black or white.
HDMI founders to finally rally around single CEC standard
Back in March, we called for HDMI members to put aside their differences and unify around a single HDMI-CEC standard. According to Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC, that movement is about to begin. While speaking to CE Pro at CEDIA, the bigwig confessed that the HDMI founders (Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson and Toshiba) have finally agreed to team up on a "unified CEC plan." If executed, the result would mean that HDMI-CEC-enabled VIERA plasmas could be controlled in unison with HDMI-CEC-enabled Sony receivers, and the whole VIERA Link / BRAVIA Sync / Anynet+ / AQUOS Link garbage could finally be disposed of. Mr. Venuti also claimed that there would "probably be an announcement at CES 2009," so we'll be keeping an ear out in around 100 days.[Image courtesy of AVReview, thanks Lindsay]
Panasonic's latest 103-inch 1080p plasma: step aside oil barons, this one's headed home
Hard to believe but Panasonic just introduced its third generation 103-inch plasma just in time for IFA. Model TH-103PZ800 adds a few more HDMI (4x 1080/24p) jacks with Deep Color and x.v.Color support, a smattering of tuners, a 10,000:1 contrast, and VIERA Link compatibility to ease the connectivity of all your like-minded, Panny gear. In fact, this set looks primed for home-use, not just the businesses and trust-funders targeted by Panny's previous monster sets. Ready for order on August 26th (shipping in September for Japan) for ¥5.6 million or a bit more than $50k -- a steep, $20k price drop since February. But at 7-feet wide and nearly 6-feet tall you'll be paying a bit extra for professional installation to keep this 756-pound (343-kg) beast off your toes and out of your milkshake.[Via Impress]
Panasonic's DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player gets spec'd, "released" in Europe
Well, would you look at this. According to an atypically short blurb on Panasonic's own website, the elusive DMP-BD50 that we peeked briefly at CES has been "released on the European market." Sadly, we're still left to wonder about the price, but the website does dish out a whole slew of specifications. Granted, there's not anything out of the ordinary: BD-Live, UniPhier chip, Deep Color compatibility, 1080p24 playback, Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD support, VIERA Link, DivX support, SD expansion slot and an Ethernet jack. The site does warn, however, that these specs are valid "on the European model only," but we don't imagine the US edition being all that different. Now, if anyone across the pond actually finds one for sale, do us all a favor and holler, cool?[Thanks, Eric R.]
Panasonic goes wild, reveals loads of TVs in Japan
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 unveils upscaling SC-PTX5 home cinema system
Regrettably, Panasonic's SC-PTX5 won't play either high-definition disc format, but for those still basking in the glory of plain ole DVD, it's not a half bad setup. The system consists of an upscaling DVD player that takes your DVDs to 1080p over HDMI as well as a 2.1 sound system with 140-watts of total power. The DVD player also plays nice with WMA, MP3, JPEG, MPEG4, and DivX files, touts a built-in DTS decoder and VIERA Link, and boasts a slew of ports including component, optical digital audio in / out, optional iPod connectivity, and a USB socket to boot. Per usual, there's no official deets on pricing, availability, or whether we Americans will ever see this package make its way to our side of the drink, but word on the street has it at €649.99 ($888).[Via Pocket-Lint]
Panasonic's "world's smallest" 42-inch 1080p plasma now in production
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's 15, 20, and 23-inch Viera LCDs pack HDMI and Ethernet
Panasonic just loosed a trio of tiny new Vieras on Japan which we didn't see at CES. The 20-inch (TH-20LX70) and 23-inch (TH-23LX70) each bring a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 1366 x 768 panel resolution while the wee 15-inch (TH-15LD70) LCD pictured above manages a 4:3 aspect at a 640 x 480 res. All pack SD card support for viewing your snapshots in addition to a hybrid terrestrial analog/digital TV tuner and HDMI (2x on the 20/23-inch models, 1x on the 15-inch) allowing them to work with your existing Viera Link remote and compatible gear. Each set also packs an Ethernet port for connecting to Japan's acTVila TV portal service launching February 1st. Just in time since these sets will all pop on February 20th starting at ¥90,000 ($739), ¥120,000 ($985), and ¥150,000 ($1,232) for the 15, 20, and 23-inch LCDs, respectively. Pictures of the 20 and 23-inch models after the break.
Panasonic's HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 AVCHD 1080i camcorders loosed
Say good morning to the first production run of Panasonic's AVCHD 1080i 3CCD camcorders. That's right, Panny took the drab yet so, so sexy CEATEC prototype and turned her out with some shiny new paint as the HDC-SD1. Fortunately, it's still packing that 12x optical zoom Leica DICOMAR lens in addition to a 3-inch LCD, 1.5-hour battery, and HDMI (1.2a) for output and control with Panasonic's VIERA Link universal remote. The camera utilizes those three 1/4-inch CCDs to record video to SD/SDHC cards for up to 90/60/40-minutes with 13/9/6-Mbps compression, respectively, when toting the bundled 4GB SDHC card. It'll even grab a 1.5 megapixel snap while simultaneously recording if you have the urge. On sale in Japan for ¥180,000 or about $1,531 starting December 1st. Oh, and Panny also announced their HDC-DX1 model which shares the same specs but records to 8-cm DVDs instead for ¥160,000 (about $1,361) starting December 15th. More pics of both 3CCD cams after the break.[Via Impress]
Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray player reviewed
The Panasonic DMP-BD10 is the second standalone Blu-ray player to become available, not quite making its expected September launch but sneaking onto store shelves near you this month. Was it worth the wait and/or the $1,300 price tag? Compared to the Samsung BD-P1000 player, reviewers note a slightly better picture quality and load times, plus excellent audio output. It doesn't support next-gen lossless audio codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD out of the box but, those are promised for a future firmware update. Negatives include a clunky remote and lack of BD-Live connectivity that will be present in the PlayStation 3. This player appears to do the same 1080p to 1080i to 1080p conversion present in the Samsung, so if 1080p/24 output is a must, it's a pass. Still, with EZ-SYNC HDMI control to matching SA-XR700 receiver and flat panel HDTV, if you must have the best Blu-ray hardware available -- at least until Sony and Pioneer's offerings hit the street -- the DMP-BD10 is ready to give it to you.Read - Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray Disc Player - Canada HifiRead - Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-Ray Player - Home Theater Forum
Panasonic displays DMR-BW200 and BR100 Blu-ray recorders
For the technically-inclined Japanese household looking to back up HD episodes of Desire and Fashion House (or their Japanese equivalents) the Panasonic DMR-BW200 and DMR-BR100 Blu-ray recorders may just fit the bill, and are due out November 15th. With 500GB and 200GB HDDs respectively you've got plenty of space to save important telenovelas prior to burning them to 25GB or 50GB BD-R/REs at 4x speed. Tuners for terrestrial, BS, 110-degree CS digital broadcasts and analog TV are included, as well as all the usual ins and outs like 1080p HDMI. The high-end BW200 adds dual tuners for digital broadcasts, an i.Link port for D-VHS dubbing and Ethernet connectivity. Both have Panasonic's Viera Link technology and HD Optimizer for cleaning up noise in digital broadcasts and upconverting SD content. As our friends at Engadget point out, unlike the Sony Blu-ray recorder these have a release date, specs and price -- ¥300,000 (about $2,550) for the BW200 and ¥200,000 (about $1,700) for the BR100 -- and their slim design seems to carry less pet-crushing risk than the Toshiba RD-A1.[Via Engadget]
Panasonic's 32 and 26-inch Viera LCD televisions
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.
Panasonic DMP-BD10 player gets price and accessories
In lieu of somebody actually releasing one of these Blu-ray players, Panasonic is getting "official" on their DMP-BD10 and have a price and some accessories to hopefully keep us entertained until it all drops in September. It looks like they're hoping to hit the premium end of the already pricey Blu-ray spectrum, and are going to be shipping this unit for $1300. Other than Blu-ray playback and 1080p upconverting, the main notable feature is some proprietary P4HD tech to improve 1080i/720p output over analog, which apparently excuses a $300 premium over other players. The $1000 7.1 channel SA-XR700 receiver nicely allows control over HDMI via Panasonic's Viera Link tech, and has an extra HDMI in and a single HDMI out for 1080p pass through. If you team all this up with Panny's $3000 SB-TP1000 speaker system, which includes "Twin Center Speaker" tech to double your center channel fun, and maybe toss in an 80-inch plasma, we're sure you'll have one of the hottest spots on your block for viewing "Benchwarmers" and "Fifth Element" when this all gets released -- in September.[Via HD Beat]
