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.

Tumbling Prices: 2010 to be the year of falling HDTV prices

This article is a personal one: the observation that if this is the case, prices will continue to fall on HDTV sets until reaching a pretty low level, and that includes larger sizes (50″ and up), reaching levels never before seen. As HDTV lovers, we’re thrilled at this prospect.

I personally remember a 40″ Plasma TV selling for around $6,000 about 5-6 years ago. It was only 720p, and it looked amazing. People predicted price drops, but not to the levels they’re at now, especially so quickly. It’s a testament to the fact that technology marches on, and as it does, prices drop further and further, and will continue to do so. Experts are predicting record price drops in the next year or two.

See here for how prices have fallen: $780 for a 50″ LG Plasma? Simply amazing.

Not Dead Yet: Panasonic opens largest ever Plasma TV plant

We’ve reported that Plasma as a technology for HDTV is slowly dying, but perhaps someone should tell Panasonic. The electronic giant’s latest big time investment in the technology should keep its elite Plasmas shipping to stores for quite awhile. Perhaps Plasma isn’t dead quite yet.

About 5 days ago it opened the doors on its biggest plant in Amagasaki, and reportedly when full strength it’ll be capable of over a million TVs per month or so, which should keep us in Plasma screens for the foreseeable future.

Still think LCDs are cheaper to run and easier on the environment? You’d be right, but future Plasmas (according to Panny anyway) will be more cost-efficient and not skimp on the brightness and color clarity that Plasma has always promised.

Monday’s HDTV Deals

Here we go with some great HDTV deals to whet any HDTV palette:

Best Buy sometimes has great offers, and this highly-rated Panasonic Viera TC-L32C12 32″ 720p C12 LCD HDTV is a fine example of this. This model is going for $399.99 with shipping on the house. Check it out.

Amazon has yet another Panasonic and a tribute to how cool Plasmas are deal wise sometimes: how about a TC-P50X1 50″ VIERA High-definition 720p Plasma TV for $699 with free shipping as well. 30,000:1 contrast ratio? Yes indeed.

Thanks for joining us and have a great day/night!

Early ‘Black Friday’ Action: Wal-Mart fires first shot in HDTV war

On Saturday November 7th, Wal-Mart fired a huge early shot in the prequel to Black Friday with some pretty amazing HDTV deals on certain models that will definitely set a huge bar for other chains to beat, and many of them won’t be able to, to be frank.

The 1-day deals included a 42” Sharp LCD, the LC42SB45UT for $498. Its a 1080p television that offers a 2,000:1 contrast ratio and 4 HDMI inputs that’s about $200 cheaper than many online retailers such as Amazon sell it for. Or maybe a 46” Plasma from Panasonic (TC-P46U1) for $788 is more your style? With a eye-popping 30,000:1 ratio and $300 or so off the usual price, it was a huge bargain.

Let the HDTV pricing wars begin!

Dying Breath for Plasma?: The Panasonic Z1 Plasma HDTV First Look

Plasma may be dying, or on life support, but hey: they do make for beautiful TVs sometimes. Take the example of the Panasonic 54″ TC-P54Z1, which amazed convention-goers when it was displayed at CES several months ago.

HD Guru recently took this thing for a test drive in their home, and the results were pretty amazing, if the article is to be believed.  It took a 1-hour setup process, but then the gawking was definitely in line after that. Their engineers have the panel down to 1″ wide, really amazing and slick to look at.

Yes it does retail for over $5,000, but its (almost) worth it according to the review, with “outstanding” color and deep black levels not normally found in LCDs.

Read here for a complete unboxing and detailed review, for a look at technology that’s truly sad is going the way of the dinosaur these days.

Friday’s Fantastic HDTV Deals

A second helping of HDTV deals coming up on this fabulous Friday:

6ave.com – How about an LG 42LH30 42” 1080p LCD HDTV for $849.00 – $154 off coupon we have given you “AFLLGE695″ (works until 11/3/09) = $695.00 with free shipping too? Much cheaper than I paid for the same TV more or less, so grab this while it lasts!

CircuitCity.com – We love us some Plasma when we get the chance, so run and grab this one ASAP. This must be LG day, as we present yet another great deal on an LG model, this time the 50PY3D 50” 1080p Plasma HDTV for $939.97 – with free shipping once again. That’s a fantastic price, and its hard to go wrong with plasma, so check it out.

Thanks for joining us for our HDTV deal roundup, and see you all this weekend for more news and savings.

Round 2 – Plasma vs. LCD: Plasma emerges as a surprise winner

Who knew? We wish we could say we did, but we didn’t — the second quarter of 2009, Plasma was the only big screen (40″ or higher) TV technology to show growth in the US market. We’ve always said in some ways Plasma was superior, but this we didn’t expect.

Compared to the first quarter of the year, plasma was + 31% in volume and 35% in earnings according to research firm Quixel’s report. That a big boost, by any standards.

Take the much-covered DTV transition and add in the slipping economic climate, and you have the perfect storm for decent looking 720p, 42″ sets to increase 40% in sales overall.

We like Plasma as a technology, but we also know this could be a short-lived comeback as LCDs continue to mature technologically and dominate the bottom line price wise, but it is good to know people are using their eyes to judge a TV’s value and not just the price tag.

Choice is Always Good: Plasma vs. LCD Wars (sort) continue on

It’s not a huge secret that we do like us some Plasma TVs sometimes, but the price ratio has changed a bit as Plasma begins to phase out of existing lines.

The average cost of a 50″ set is $200-300 cheaper for Plasma than LCD, so it isn’t always a bad choice to go with Plasma, even though its considered “older” technology. It duplicates colors and blacks better than most LCD’s do, and contrast comparisons often favor Plasma.

With the pricier TVs, dynamic LED backlighting has made performance gap not as wide as it once was, but LED backlit sets are still not cheap.

Choice is a good thing, as we’ve always said here at SS, and it still is. We actually hope the “battle” continues, as that usually results in more choice, better HDTV prices and more features for everyone, and that’s a good thing for customers.

We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Sales: DisplaySearch shows Plasma to best LCD in some tests

The past year or so has been pretty rough on Plasma, and yet we’ve said there are times and usages that Plasma beats LCD. And now the tests of a company whose specialty is TVs has backed that up. The  “old” gas capsule technology is considered outdated in many circles, but test results don’t lie.

The lineup of 2008 top of the line LCDs from Samsung, Sharp and Sony were carefully calibrated and compared against a top-end Pansonic plasma TV.

Here’s the full details of the test, but the gist is: the plasma set beat all of the LCDs in contrast, color accuracy and black level, and in some cases, it wasn’t even close. That should be alarming for those who know that Plasma is on its way out for most companies, but it appears maybe it could be another Beta vs. VHS kind of situation (Beta was also clearly superior in sound and picture quality, but lost the cassette tape wars anyway and faded away).

The Sunday HDTV Deals

Here at Screen Sleuth, we pride ourselves in scouring the ‘net and finding some of the better sales out there on great HDTVs, and today is no exception to this mission.

Here’s some Panasonic Plasma quickies for you:

BuyDig.com – Here’s a nice deal on a huge Plasma: a Panasonic VIERA TCP54G10 54” Widescreen 1080p Plasma HDTV for $1799.95 with free shipping too. Great specs (Infinite black panel and 40,000:1 Contrast Ratio) and a nice price to boot.

Newegg.com – Yet another nicely priced Plasma goodie: a Panasonic TCP50X1 50” 720p Plasma HD TV for $932.99 with free shipping as well.

Either of these models will deliver great picture and enjoyment for a lot of years.

AVForums Review: Panasonic THX 50″ TX-P50V10 Plasma

Another day, another Plasma review, this time from AVForums. And this has THX built in, so you know it’ll look and sound right.

Panasonic’s newest and coolest plasma TVs with the NeoPDP panels are grabbing a nice, solid rep across their price ranges, and now it’s this series’ chance to continue that trend at the more high end price ranges. And continue the trend it does, as this review was quite positive.

Rising from the G10 series, the 50″ TX-P50V10 (available mostly in the UK right now) AVForums reviewed did quite well indeed. The “sheet of glass” design looks mighty cool and grabs the eye, but the THX picture adjustments built in came through with flying colors.

According to the review, the THX setting out of the box did very well, enough so that the reviewer gave it a thumbs up over the G10 right away. Also important to note: 24p material was handled the right way, which alsdo hopefully means that Panasonic’s 96Hz refresh in the US models will put the prominent 3:2 artifacts to rest for good.

Overall, the review was glowing and further proof that videophiles may still favor Plasma over LCD for awhile yet. More detailed review is here.

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