Wednesday’s Wacky HDTV Offers

We always love a good deal, don’t we HDTV fans? Well, here’s a nice little selection of offers for your perusal:

BuyDig.com has the Panasonic TC-P42G25 42″ Viera G25 Series Plasma HDTV for $909 with free shipping as well. Use the Add to cart to see the sale price. Very nice deal on one of the newer, neater Pannys out there right now.

Walmart has a Proscan 47LED55SA 47″ LED 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV for $799 with free shipping, which is amazing considering the size and its decent ratings too. Check it out!

Thanks for reading and keep on visiting us for more HDTV deals and developments.

8K Goodness: NHK Plasma prototype to change the playing field

That’s the thing about technology; it’s always advancing, never staying in place very long. Especially these days, it seems. An 8K Plasma HDTV screen, you say? There’s actually a working semi-prototype out there right now. Feel free to read:

NHK has been working on 33 megapixel, 8K Super Hi-Vision displays for quite some time now. As the story goes, in 2005 the group’s Science and Technology Labs estimated a necessary 0.3mm dot pitch for plasma screens in the 100-inch category to achieve the necessary 7,680 x 4,320 pixels for display. At the time, the best plasma could muster was 0.9mm, but now the researchers have created a prototype 58-inch screen with 0.33mm pixel pitch. Ergo, four such prototypes stacked together should create a 116-inch window to the world that just about displays 8K video.

No word on when this will be available in the marketplace, but hey, advances like this are worth waiting for. Kinda makes that 1080p seem sorta puny, doesn’t it?

Bigger is Better: Panasonic shipping out a 152″ 4K Plasma screen later this year

Yes, we always love to cover really big screens with our reports, and Panasonic is definitely filling that void this week with their upcoming monster unit, the 152″ Plasma wonder of the world, described here on an Engadget blog (pic also courtesy of them):

Say goodbye to the former king of Panasonic plasmas, the old 103-inch that toured the country and took center stage in presidential elections is old news, moved aside for a new family of commercial displays including the 152-inch 4K resolution 3DTV towered over all at this year’s CES. Just in case 4096 x 2160 is too much resolution, there are 103- and 85-inch 1080p versions available as well, but seriously, look at that thing. You know Mark Cuban is going to buy one — why shouldn’t you?

Price will probably be in the $500K range or so to start out with, but don’t let that stop you if you’re a TV lover. (We’re – sort of – kidding). You’re welcome to oogle the picture here if you wish.

The Future is Soon: Samsung readying 42″ OLED trials in 2011?

It appears dreams of large OLED panels in the marketplace may be coming true quite soon…sooner than we even expected, if certain news sources are to be believed. Where once an 11″ panel was the biggest anyone could get, and they cost a fortune, read this story and try not to get drool on your keyboard:

Now OLEDNet claims that Samsung Mobile Display — you know, the cellphone AMOLED guys — is purchasing equipment in preparation for bringing its 5.5 generation facility on-line in the first half of 2011. That should give Samsung the ability make 42-inch AMOLED TVs on a trial basis by the end of the twenty-eleven. But with relatively cheap LCDs steadily closing the gap on OLEDs size, contrast, and power savings advantages, well, we’ll believe it when we see the first big screen OLED TVs in our living rooms.

Good point, now that technology has evolved to a point where contrast features with Plasma and LCD aren’t too far away from OLED, it isn’t the huge news many had expected it would be. We’ll see how it shakes out… if it actually happens.

Now That’s Big: 13 ft. Plasma Graces Japanese Airport

Engadget has spotted a really huge curved Plasma screen been used in an airport in Japan that may signal the beginning of many applications for Plasma screens. The marvel of HDTV engineering is shown in the pic, and discussed a bit here:

Sure, we’ve seen 125-inch and a 145-inch curved plasma displays, but there’s a new size champ in town: the international departure area at Japan’s Kansai Airport was just graced with this 200-inch waterfall of a curved plasma. That’s right around 13 feet by 10 feet in size.

Amazing indeed…and its just the beginning really of some really cool usages of the medium. Due to its design, plasmas tend to be more flexible than LCD designs, and its death is officially premature, we can safely say now.

Saturday’s HDTV Sale Mania

We love us some great HDTV deals, and here’s some more for your review:

Newegg – Now here is a well-reviewed TV with 1080p for (almost) a song: The Toshiba Regza 40XV648U 40″ 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV for $750 – and we even provide you with a $100 off with coupon code “EMCYRZT57” (Expires 4/22), so this bad boy will only run you $650. Who loves you, baby?

ButterflyPhoto – Here’s the best offer on this monster unit we’ve seen: the Samsung PN63B550 63” 1080p 600Hz Plasma HDTV, and they even throw in a Free 5pc TV Hook Up Kit for $1969.00 with free shipping too? Yep, the price is not a misprint.

Thanks for reading and feel free to check out the offers on the page.

The Fight Is On: LCD vs. Plasma

Let’s face it: 2009 was a pretty bad year for Plasma in general. Prices went lower (a good thing), but how else could you describe a year where the ‘king of plasmas’ exits the marketplace for good, purposely?

It was hard enough when Kuro lovers learned that Panasonic would be manufacturing them instead of illustrious Plasma makers Pioneer, and its a good thing Panasonic, Samsung and LG continued on and didn’t hang their heads when Vizio joined the Plasma quitters club  — Panasonic even opened the biggest ever Plasma plant in 2009 which should continue the Plasma tradition for quite awhile to come.

We aren’t sure who will win the HDTV format wars for the next few years, but its looking apparent that LCD has huge favor with many large companies, and Plasma will have an uphill battle to regain its lost market share.

Sunday’s Scary Good HDTV Deals

This writer is celebrating a Birthday tomorrow, so we’re breaking out some really good deals here in this post today. Read on to find out more:

BuyDig.com – How about a fine LG TV for a great price, like the LG 50PK550 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV for $979, and free shipping. Big, bright and plenty of power to watch anything in the finest detail. Check it out!

Walmart.com – Now Sony’s are finally coming down into the reasonable range price wise, and with this deal on the Sony BRAVIA EX400 Series 46” LCD Flat Panel HDTV – Black for $809.00, with free shipping, it hits a new low in price. Great reviews and well-known quality make for a fine pair.

Thanks for joining us and have a good rest of the weekend!

Sunday’s Easter HDTV Specials

It’s Easter, time for bunny rabbits, marshmallow peeps and great HDTV deals. Check them out:

TigerDirect.com has a great deal on a well-regarded Plasma HDTV: the Samsung PN42C450 42” 720p Plasma HDTV for $539.99 with free shipping too. That’ll even tempt the Easter Bunny to turn in his basket and kick back for some HD joy.

Staples.com has a very nice combo unit: the Sharp LC-26DV27UT 26” LCD HDTV With DVD Player built-in for $349.99, and with free shipping as well. Brighten up anyone’s Easter with this gift!

Thanks for joining us, and may many brightly colored eggs be headed your way.

Wednesday’s HDTV Deals

Yet more amazing deals we scour the internet to bring to you, so feel free to stare, gawk and generally be amazed:

Sears.com has a very nice Panasonic TC-P50C2 50” Viera 720p Plasma for $719.99 with free shipping too, and that’s a heck of a deal for a company whose specialty seems to be of the Plasma persuasion. Check it out.

PcRUSH.com has an LED wonder, the Sharp AQUOS LC-40LE700UN 40” 1080p LED HDTV for $814.96 with free shipping as well, and that’s one of the lower prices for this we’ve seen around. Great reviews, great price, no strings.

Thanks for joining us, and see you all later!

Wednesday’s Wonderful HDTV Deals

Here they are, more great deals on fine HDTV products from various sources:

Newegg has a fine Panasonic TC-P50X1 50″ VIERA 720p Plasma TV for $700 + $20 shipping = $720 total. We’ve covered ad nauseum how great Panny Plasmas are, so grab this one for a song.

BestBuy has the Insignia NSLBD32X10A 32” 1080p LCD HDTV With built-in Blu-ray Player (awesome!) for $599.99 with free in-store pickup too, if you happen to be near one. One of the cooler deals we’ve seen.

Thanks for reading, and please do return!

Saturday’s HDTV Deal-o-Rama

Here they are, once again, the HDTV weekend deals:

Vanns.com has a nice deal on the Sony Bravia KDL-52W5150 52” LCD HDTV for $1397.77 , and free shipping too. We’ve noticed a good price drop on Sony TVs of late, and that trend continues with this awesome deal.

TigerDirect.com has a great LG Plasma unit, the 42PQ30 42” 720p “Smooth Motion” Plasma HDTV for $549.99 with free shipping as well. Unbelievable pic (and that famous LG quality) for a great low price.

Thanks for reading, and please do come again for more great HDTV news and deals!

Plasma still breathing: Review of the Panasonic G20 HDTV

Here we were, writing off Plasma as a dying technology. It appear to be alive and kicking seeing Panasonic’s latest HDTV release, the G20.

FlatpanelsHD, a well-known HD guru site, took a 42-inch model fresh out of their big new plant we reported on earlier, and ran it through a gauntlet of very thorough tests. The 1080p panel, which includes a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio destroyed all of the tests, delivering deep blacks, fine viewing angles and rich colors that are the hallmark of Plasma HDTVs, with little to really complain about.

That said, the improvements here over the G10 series are slight for the most part, with black levels and network stuff about the same as the previous incarnation, so if you want the very latest in charged gas HDTV fun, look no further.

Battle Royale #2: Samsung vs. Vizio for HDTV sales supremecy

It’s official: Samsung is the leading flat-panel seller in the US, according to a new study from research firm iSuppli, which tracks these kind of numbers. Vizio remains the #1 HDTV LCD seller in the US as well, which should be no great shock. Their partnership with various discount stores like Wal-Mart would easily net them this honor.

Samsung led in overall sales because it makes both Plasma and LCD flat-panel TVs, obviously, and their quality has greatly improved over the last year or two. iSuppli stated all flat-panel TV sales grabbed a 23 percent market share in 2009.

The numbers: Samsung had a 18.4 percent market share while Vizio was second with 16.8%. Bad news for Sony though: their market share dropped from 12.8% to 10.3%, a pretty sizable drop (probably mainly due to higher price).

Look, No Bezels: LG launches “Skinny Frame” Plasma HDTV line

Who says Plasma as a HDTV technology is dead? Panasonic isn’t saying, and apparently, neither is LG. They’re launching a new small bezel line of Plasmas with good stats that will be debuting soon.

They’ll appear first in their home market of Korea and will be called “Skinny Frame,” a reference to the tiny 25mm border around the panels — which honestly isn’t super thin these days. You can grab them in 50″ and 60″ flavors, and both include super fast 600Hz refresh rates, contrast adjustment based on lighting, and the ability to play photos and videos from a thumb USB drive too.

Very nice features all, but the price tags aren’t the cheapest either: 1,700,000 and 3,800,000 won ($1,150 and $3,325 USD respectively). Eventually we imagine these making their way to the states and other shores as they evolve.

Panasonic Dust-Up: Black Levels shifting + “Nothing to fix”

It seems many Panasonic plasma HDTV owners are taking umbrage to the shifting (read: better) black levels on more recent models of theirViera line. First, going 3D, now this?

Owners are wanting more details on the “automatic control” and in an email exchange with CNET recently, the company revealed more about this slight fallout.

Those lucky Panny owners hoping for a  patch or action in response to the changes will be pretty annoyed, as VP Bob Perry says, “there’s nothing to fix.” They reserve the right to add or change adjustments to these levels as they see fit pretty much, and said they claim “trade secrets” as to why they can’t speak about it too much. Yes, its a bit of a cop out, but companies and software improves and patches all the time with little notice, so we can’t exactly be outraged. Improved control and black levels are a good thing.

He did offer the Viera Concierge Program as a peace offering, though, so watch for that soon.

3D News: Panasonic migrates Plasma to 3D

Yet more HD 3D news, this time from the world of Plasma: Panasonic is apparently adapting their Plasma HDTVs for the glorious realm of 3D.

Finally making the transition are Panasonic’s (famous?) Viera 3D plasma HDTVs. The company has announced it will be launching two 1080p units late April in Japan, priced at ¥530,000 ($5,932 USD) for the monster 54″ P54VT2 and ¥430,000 ($4,813 USD) for its smaller 50″ brother, the P50VT2.

For your large amount of cash, you’ll be getting the trademark deep blacks and includes an outrageous 5,000,000:1 native contrast ratio, lots of inputs with four HDMI ports, and of course the 3D active shutter glasses are included. Will 3D Plasma be successful? Probably about as much as LCD 3D, however much that will be remains to be seen, we think.

Sunday’s Tempting HDTV Deals

Yet more Sunday HDTV offers to tempt and oogle at:

Target occasionally has some really cool prices on gear, such as this Magnavox 42″ 1080p LCD HDTV for $449 (!!), after our coupon code WH2TEBMD and $35 shipping = $484. For a 1080p TV with 15K:1 contrast ratio? Pretty amazing.

6ave.com is a vendor similar to TigerDirect in that they have lots of electronics for great prices, such as this Panasonic TH46PZ80U 46” 1080p Plasma LCD HDTV for $898.00 with free shipping as well. Goes to show you; prices are definitely trending downward, even for the larger sizes, and that Plasma definitely is not dead yet.

Thanks for joining us, and have a happy Sunday.

5M:1 Contrast Ratio? Panasonic’s upcoming models claiming just that

Plasma (as we have reported is a dying technology but is still being built) has been making a bit of a comeback it seems, and Panasonic in particular isn’t done working on it just yet, it appears. The latest models, debuting recently, claim 5M:1 native contrast ratios and super deep blacks, are a real eye-opener in terms of what Plasma can really do in the hands of a company that believes in it.

The Viera G2 line arrives in just a few weeks, and it promises some pretty gaudy stuff in terms of features, which we look forward to greatly. It will include full 1080p HD, in addition to 3 HDMI ports.

Prices may be less pretty though, as the 50″ top of the line model is expected to sell for $3,500 USD, and $2,400 for the smaller 42″, so these aren’t the super bargains you see on many HDTV shelves these days. 46″ models should appear as well, expected in the $2,800-3K range.

Let The Drooling Commence: The Panasonic 152″ Plasma HDTV

It’s been said common sense is overrated at times. This is one of those times.

The 152″ Panasonic plasma HDTV displayed at CES this year is the stuff dreams are made of.  Yes, it’ll be expensive ($10-15K mark probably) and its probably too big for most living rooms, but hey, why let that stop anyone? We want it, you want it, and hopefully soon, it’ll be within everyone’s reach to own a TV like this (or perhaps one just south of 100″, if your place is small).

The pic here was taken by Engadget, and its truly a marvel to behold. It even supports 3D if you should ever find yourself wanting that as well. As far as the death of plasma as a technology goes, perhaps its death has been exaggerated just a tad bit.

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