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Panasonic's TH-50PZ700U plasma becomes 'best ever tested'
While we've seen Consumer Reports take a gander at a number of HDTVs before, it's been a tick (or maybe "forever" is more fitting) since it's seen "the best flat screen ever tested." Believe it or not, Panasonic's 50-inch TH-50PZ700U plasma was actually the recipient of such sensational praise, and such luxuries as the 1080p resolution (oooh) and its ability to "reproduce the finest details, rich vibrant colors and deep blacks" (aaah) apparently set it way ahead of the pack. Additionally, the screen was so impressive that reviewers actually stated that it "lent an almost three-dimensional look to images," which we figured was only possible with a pair of truly gaudy glasses. Welp, guess we all know which HDTV you're getting next, eh?
Runco's 103-inch XP-103DHD plasma gets price, ship date
Nary a month after Hitachi unveiled a 103-inch plasma of its own to take on Panasonic's beast, Runco is getting even more official about its own iteration that first surfaced at CEDIA. The CinemaWall XP-103DHD features a native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, provides ISF calibration modes and includes an HDCP-compliant DVI port. Additionally, its next-generation DHD Digital controller incorporates the firm's ViVix II digital video processing technology, which is said to provide "premium aspect ratio control" and prevent "double scaling." Of course, most of us will be lusting after this from afar -- unless you've no qualms with coughing up the $99,995 required to toss this under the tree when it lands in December, that is.
Hitachi unveils 103-inch 1080p plasma display of its own
While Panasonic's 103-inch plasma has had the spotlight for quite some time, Hitachi is hoping to steal some of that oh-so-lucrative high-end market share with one of its own. Matching the Panny inch-for-inch is the CMP1030FWJ, which sports a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, VGA / component / S-Video / composite inputs, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, and audio out as well. Additionally, this behemoth weighs in at a whopping 485 pounds, and while we'd love to know the (presumably sky-high) price, those details have yet to be divulged. Notably, users not equipped with a den large enough to hold a 103-inch PDP can opt for Hitachi's also-new (and also unpriced) CMP650FWJ, which touts 65 expansive inches of Full HD goodness and features a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Panasonic unveils TH-42PZ77 / TH-50PZ77 plasma displays
Panasonic has already kicked out a couple of HD projectors, but if you're more into wall-mounted displays, well, you're covered too. The firm has announced a new duo of 1080p plasma displays, the 42-inch TH-42PZ77 and 50-inch TH-50PZ77, which both tout 10:000:1 contrast ratios, a pair of HDMI sockets, three S-Video and composite jacks, and two component inputs. The PZ77 series "also incorporates an automatic pixel wobbling function" as well as EZ-Sync technology, which "links Panasonic consumer home entertainment and video products to allow seamless control" with a single remote. Most interesting, however, are the price tags that these suckas are wearing, as the 42-incher will only run you $1,799.95, while the big boy is expected to ring up at a still respectable $2,799.95 when they ship this month.
Panasonic ships LCZ / LCX LIFI rear-projection HDTVs
Remember that LIFI RPTV that Panasonic introduced way back in January? Welp, it's finally shipping to anxious consumers. Reportedly, Panny has just loosed the LCZ and LCX line of rear-projection HDTVs into the world, both of which include the nearly-everlasting LIFI bulb. The LCZ series brings a trio of 1080p-capable displays that check in at 50-, 56-, and 61-inches, while the LCX delivers a 56- and 61-incher that offer up 720p. In case you weren't aware, the LIFI bulb is said to "virtually never need to be replaced," which means that you could potentially be watching these very sets long after SED units actually go mainstream (ahem). Nevertheless, both lineups are heading out the door as we speak, and prices will range from $1,699.95 for the 720p PT-56LCX70 to $2,199.95 for the 1080p PT-61LCZ70.
Mirror Collage Plasma TV Cabinet conceals your set, decorates room
In most cases, tactfully hanging your PDP on a wall could pass as a piece of art, and while there are certainly alternatives out there for those too hesitant to hang, this creation certainly ups the ante. The Mirror Collage Plasma TV Cabinet spans far enough around to accommodate "most 50-inch plasmas," and as the picture above depicts, it covers your set with a variety of mirrors that not only block your display, but purportedly "create the illusion of more space" in your room. Of course, the real draw here is that this piece is precisely what we fellows have been needing to convince our better halves to let us adorn a wall with a television -- the only problem, however, is that staggering $4,649 price tag that comes along with it.[Via Luxist]
More details on Pioneer's KURO plasma line
Pioneer has finally launched their KURO plasma line this week, with sets beginning to show up in retailers for prices ranging from $2,700 for the KURO -- Japanese for "black" -- PDP-4280HD 42-inch model to $6,500 for the 60-inch PDP-6010FD 1080p bigg'un. Three of the sets in the line are 720p-ish, with the two top 50- and 60-inchers sporting 1080p resolution. All models feature standards like CableCARD support, quad HDMI 1.3 inputs, and Home Gallery for displaying photos and the like via USB, with contrast ratios and color reproduction that's all the rave with reviewers.[Thanks, Joe]
LCD sales holding strong, plasma sales sinking lower
Even though Matsushita joined forces with Hitachi to take on the less-than-favorable plasma market, things (still) aren't looking good in terms of sales figures. According to recent reports, PDP makers on the whole "are likely to report weak results, having lost dominance of the market for large TVs to the more popular LCD." Additionally, Samsung already posted a "worse-than-expected quarterly net loss, hurt by tumbling prices of its television screens." On the flip side, LCD producers are more likely to be holding their heads high, as sales of these sets has continued to be strong regardless of how far the prices are falling. If you're scratching your head because you thought that people preferred plasmas over LCDs, we can only assume that regardless of predilection, money talks.
Pioneer intros sexy KURO plasma lineup
Shortly after Samsung and Hitachi unveiled their swank HDTV lineups, along comes Pioneer with a sexy plasma lineup of its own to shake things up. The KURO displays are segmented into two divisions, one which includes the 42- and 50-inch standard KUROs, and the other packing "Elite" KUROs of the same sizes. The 42-inch versions sport a 1,024 x 768 resolution panel, four independent HDMI 1.3 inputs, a built-in CableCARD slot, advanced PureCinema with 3:3 pulldown, and more tweakable settings than you can shake a stick at. The 50-inch flavors up the ante with a 1,365 x 768 resolution, and the Elite versions add the Home Media Gallery, come ready for ISFccc calibration, and include a few more choices throughout the display setting menus. Pricing and availability information doesn't look to be available just yet, but judging solely by the specifications on these beauties, we'd say you better bring the purse (as in, the whole thing) if looking seriously at one of these.[Thanks, J]
LG countersues Hitachi for PDP patent infringement... sigh
Just two months after Hitachi sued LG for PDP patent infringement in the litigious-playgrounds of Texas, LG has countersued Hitachi of course. LG's suit seeks monetary compensation and an injunction prohibiting Hitachi from violating its seven plasma display panel patents. Exactly the same claim Hitachi made earlier give-or-take a few patents. While we're fine with the plausible defense of intellectual property, LG's comment on the maneuver has us worried about a bleak future for consumer electronics litigation, "Japanese firms are filing more and more lawsuits as competition in the global display market has increased dramatically. We will proactively deal with the situation based on our patented and patent-applied-for technologies." In other words, firms must sue to compensate their dwindling margins. To make matters worse, LG and Hitachi are (or were) close business partners in areas which include consulting and data storage. A partnership with a Vision statement based on "mutual trust." Riiight.
Matsushita, Hitachi collaborate to take on shaky plasma market
While LG is shutting down plasma manufacturing plants and other manufacturers are scrambling to figure out precisely what happened to the once lucrative PDP market, Hitachi is doing more than just looking overseas. The firm has now inked a deal with Panasonic maker Matsushita to "start supplying Hitachi with 103-inch panels in the current business year to March 2008, while Hitachi will begin providing Matsushita with 85-inch panels next business year." Aside from the natural flow of give 'n take, the motives here center around joining forces to battle competition rather than facing the brutal marketplace alone, and this news comes not too long after whispers of LG and Samsung forming a similar alliance. Of course, only time will tell what sorts of revenue (if any) this will actually generate, but with LCD HDTV prices like they are, we can't blame these guys for giving it a go.
DuPont unveils host of flat-panel HDTV technologies
While we knew the company famous for bringing miracles of science into our daily lives was lending a helping hand with OLEDs, a recent announcement has detailed that the company plans on getting into a whole lot more than just that. Among the technologies it hopes to integrate into tomorrow's flat-panel displays are thermal color filters, direct bonding, Optilon anti-reflective coatings, advanced composite reflectors film for improved luminance, Drylox, and a smattering of niceties around field emission displays. Of course, there's way more here than we could possibly cover in this space, so do your curious mind a favor and dig right in to the detailed read link.
LG shuts doors on A1 plasma manufacturing plant
While some may have balked at Sony taking an early exit from the PDP market, LG is becoming the fourth major player to reevaluate its investment in plasma after Philips was caught claiming that LCD TVs would likely shape its strategy and Hitachi began to look intently overseas for buyers. Reportedly, LG is closing the doors of its oldest plasma manufacturing plant in Gumi, South Korea as it hopes to "increase operational efficiency and reduce costs." The removal of the A1 plant will drop its plasma capacity from 430,000 to 360,000 panels this year, and it should save the company somewhere between "$22 million and $32 million per year." Notably, LG currently sits in second place in quantity of PDPs shipped worldwide, but considering the perpetual nosedive of HDTV prices over the past year or so, we can't say that Life looks too Good in the PDP arena right now.[Via PCMag]
Hitachi sues LG over plasma patent infringement, tries to halt US sales
Just when Hitachi had us all believing that it was planning on reaching new heights in the plasma market thanks to a ginormous PDP set and a thirsty overseas crowd, now we're seeing the fallback plan. Of course, we can't really suggest that Hitachi's latest lawsuit on LG's (surprise, surprise) plasma displays have anything to do with the firm's dreary numbers, but it has nevertheless filed a lawsuit in the ill famed "district court in Texas" (read: patent troll heaven) saying that "the South Korean company infringed its plasma display-related patents." The suit seeks the obligatory "monetary compensation for damages," but more interesting is the tidbit that requests a "permanent injunction prohibiting LG's plasma display panel product sales in the United States." According to a Hitachi spokesperson, the two outfits had "been in talks regarding the appropriate licenses for these seven patents," but apparently, neither side is backing down anytime soon.
Panasonic's 103-inch plasma reviewed
Panasonic's TH-103FP9 103-inch plasma may have been dethroned at CES this year by Sharp, but it is still the king in our hearts, at least untill Sharp starts shipping its 108-inch LCD, that is. TrustedReviews had a chance to review the massive TV, and after the three-hour install by the crack specialty team -- including the use of an interior crane that we'd also like to get a look at -- they were very impressed with the picture quality. They were amazed that a TV this large didn't sacrifice contrast or color, and in fact, the only thing they could complain about was how bad it made some content look after enjoying 1080p in all its glory. Of course, they didn't like the $70,000 MSRP, but we suppose that is the price you have pay to watch a 103-inch screen in a well lit room. [Via Digital Media Thoughts]
Hitachi aims high with forthcoming 85-inch plasma HDTV
It looks like Hitachi is continuing to follow the go-big mantra revived by the 1TB 7K1000, as the firm is reportedly looking to crank out quite a few 85-inch plasma HDTVs over the next few years. Of course, this forthcoming beauty won't take the crown for the largest PDP out there, but it could very well achieve the metrics the sales crew is hoping for. Hitachi is looking to hit the 50-inch and over category hard, increasing overall PDP marketshare to 20-percent, and boosting its stake in the aforementioned subset to over 30-percent. Still, the company probably has a fairly good backup plan if plasma sales continue to sag, but we reckon a respectably priced behemoth such as this could definitely make up the slack if it's bringing the goods.
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.
Pioneer announces Pure Vision 2 plasmas for Japan
Pioneer Japan has announced two models of 7th-generation plasma displays, featuring lower power consumption and using Pure Vision 2 technology with increased contrast. The company has modified the glass used for the panel's display, which lowers the level of glare and reflection you'll get, while increasing contrast and brightness. It also uses less juice than ever before, as Pioneer -- along with other plasma manufacturers -- continue to push the envelope for PDP technology. Unfortunately, both the 50-inch PDP-A507HX and 42-inch PDP-A427HX models are only 720p-capable, meaning they'll accept a 1080p input but downconvert the content. The new displays will use 343 and 288 Watts respectively, and will retail for 560,000 and 450,000 Yen ($4700 and $3800 USD) later this month.
Philips not yet phasing out plasmas, focusing on LCD TVs
While we're sure quite a few of you are taking the day off to enjoy the first few days of March Madness in HD on your beautiful Philips plasma display, we certainly hope you weren't planning on eventually replacing it with yet another Philips. Turns out that Rudy Provoost, CEO of Philips Consumer Electronics, has reportedly announced that the outfit will "phase out of the PDP market and focus on LCD TVs in the future." Interestingly, it sounds like the presumably lucrative (or not) North American / Australian markets will still have the opportunity to purchase its plasmas for an undisclosed amount of time to come, while the rest of the world (including China later this year) will be forced to look elsewhere to satisfy their PDP needs. Of course, this isn't the first time a major player has dropped out of the plasma game entirely, but ranking fourth worldwide with just a ten-percent market share apparently wasn't enough for Philips to hang on any longer. So, Sony, you still looking to scratch the re-entry itch?[Thanks, Jason M.]Update: Philips wanted to let us know that Plasma is still on their plate for 2007: "Incorrectly reported comments on a Russian news website have suggested that Philips is pulling out of the PDP (Plasma Display Panel) FlatTV market. For the foreseeable future, Philips will continue to include gas plasma-based sets in its overall product mix of FlatTVs sold around the world. Since Philips introduced the world's first plasma-based FlatTV over 10 years ago, it has consistently applied the best display technologies available to meet consumer needs, using both plasma and LCD panels to manage the product mix in the most optimum way. However, it is widely acknowledged that over time LCD will become the dominant flat panel TV technology, serving all screen sizes currently addressed by both LCD and PDP solutions, and this will inevitably shape Philips' product strategy in this market segment."
Samsung debuts "Cannes" plasma displays
Samsung is tossing in all the PR speak for these new Cannes plasma displays it's busting out. Terms like "Ultra DayLight," "Natural True Color," and "Real Motion Studio" are all well and good, but we're glad to see there are some specs to back 'em up. Both of the new PAVV Cannes displays boast a range of 1,000:1 to 15,000:1 contrast ratios, 18 bit color and blur-free image thanks to that "Real Motion" stuff. Samsung is generous with the sizes as well, offering up 42-inch, 50-inch and 63-inch displays. Unfortunately, while all of these TVs are designed around movies -- they're named after the Cannes Film Festival, after all -- only the 63-inch SPD-63P71FHD looks to support a full 1080p resolution. The SPD-42Q92HD and SPD-50Q92HD also-rans go for 2,100,000 won and 3,400,000 won, respectively ($2,239 and $3,624), while the 63-incher will run you a spankin' 9,000,000 won ($9,594). No word on when exactly these will be hitting the market. [Via AVING]
