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.

Friday’s Freaky HDTV Deal-O-Rama

Yes, its once again time for some of the great hi-def deals anywhere on the web, courtesy of SS. Feel free to continue reading:

Walmart – Plasma is always a nice option, and here is the Panasonic Viera TC-P50S2 50″ 1080p S2 Series Plasma HDTV for $899, and with free shipping. WalMart is tough to beat for these mid-range deals, and this is just such a case. This HDTV would have been $2,000+ 2-3 years ago.

Adorama.com – The 40″ ranges are becoming more and more inexpensive we’ve noticed. This Toshiba 40XV645U REGZA 40” LCD HDTV for $599.95 with free shipping is a perfect point to accent this shift in pricing.

Feel free to click the links above. Happy HDTV shopping, and make sure to stop by and read us this weekend.

Panny’s New Move: New line of HDTVs with 2D-3D conversion

It seems 3D, in some form or another, is here to stay. And Panasonic is advancing the technology with the first line of HDTV products with 2D to 3D conversion included. Not cheap, but here’s the quick rundown from Engadget:

If you thought you could crawl in a corner and wait for this 3D onslaught to pass, you may be camped out for some time to come. Panasonic is following up on its CES introductions with a new pair of 3D plasmas for the gaming set, the Viera 3D GT25 range. Said series is debuting with a pair to choose from, the 50-inch TC-P50GT25 and the 42-inch TC-P42G25. The latter is Panny’s first-ever 42-inch Full HD 3D plasma, and as you’d expect, both of these guys will require active shutter glasses in order to operate. As for specs? You’re looking at a 1080p panel, 600Hz sub-field drive, 24p playback and (a company first) 2D-to-3D conversion that may or may not be the answer to all of life’s problems.

We like the approach, even if Sony and several other companies are planning similar products. Prices will start around the $1,700 USD mark or so.

Monday’s Mad HDTV Deals

Here once again is our long-awaited HDTV deals segment, for your reading (and hopefully savings) pleasure. Read on:

Sony – How about a super-sharp Sony BRAVIA KDL-40EX600 1080p 40″ LED HDTV for $1080 – $210 off in cart price due to our offer = $990 with free shipping as well. Tough to beat that for a well-reviewed unit suitable for any room in the house. 7 HDMI ports, yes!

6ave.com – Here’s a very nice bundle package: the Panasonic TC-42PX14 42” 720p Plasma HDTV And DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Player, sold together in a great package for $698.00 with free shipping too. One of the better deals we’ve seen anywhere!

There you go, and feel free to check out those offers.

Best Ever?: Review of the Panasonic TC-P65VT25

We always respect certain reviewers and sites, and CNET usually does a nice job of completely reviewing new HDTV units that come onto the scene. In this case, they’re calling this new Panasonic model ‘the best 2D model we’ve ever reviewed’, which is quite a statement indeed.

Here’s more about the review from a few blog sources:

When it comes to TV reviews, we have to give a node to CNet and its David Katzmaier for being one of the best around; so when he says it is the best TV he’s ever tested, we officially want one. The new Panasonic VT25 line didn’t rule every category though, and of course their are concerns that the black levels will prematurely degrade like last year’s — CNet intends to continuously test the VT25 to keep Panasonic honest. Now we know you’re wondering about how it compares to the legendary Kuro and while it lit up the light meeter at a crazy low .004 ftl, the PRO-111FD Kuro is still the winner at .001 ftl — interestingly the similarly speced G20 line only managed .007 ftl. Whether this difference is noticeable at home is up for debate, but Kuro still reigns king as far as the light black meter is concerned.

We always enjoy a little comparison shopping, so to speak, so keep your ears and eyes peeled for more updates on this review down the road.

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.

Reconsideration: Samsung still pondering Android powered HDTVs?

New reports are indicating that Panasonic and Samsung were going to pass on Sony / Google / Intel’s Google TV initiative as being too expensive to make, but a report today released by the Korea Herald indicates that may not be the case, and that they’re seriously reconsidering powered by Android HDTV as a very real option.

While LG has stated it “has not considered” producing a Google TV, the newspaper states an executive from Samsung says they are looking into making Android-powered HDTVs at some point in the future. It could signal a new wave of Android powered TVs and a new movement in the industry at large.

We estimate three or four more rumors with varying degrees of reliability before we hear anything official from Samsung or Panasonic themselves.

Release Info: Panasonic 3D Plasma lineup details and 65″ model on the way

Panasonic will be launching its 2010 3DTV run (along with other companies as we’ve documented) with a very limited Best Buy launch of the 50″ VT20 package, but if want a bigger unit with more juice, this may give you some more info to work with.

With improved black levels and 3D being the highlights, and throw in improved VIERA Cast networked features with Skype built in (now that’s using an HDTV for more than just watching TV).

The big launch starts May 3 with the jumbo 50″ TC-P50VT25 for $2,599 USD, and continues with a monstrous 65″ 3D model in June 2010 for $4,299 USD. That’s a few hundred more than traditional HDTV models of the same size, but extra dimensions cost money, after all.

Andy Not Coming: Android HDTV sets deemed “too expensive”

Sure, $150 3D glasses for HDTVs are just fine with them, but according to Bloomberg in a recently published article, Samsung and Panasonic have drawn the line at the rumored Google TV initiative, stating that adding Android doesn’t fit their needs from an economic standpoint, which is sort of a shame.

Panasonic VP Bob Perry stated the Intel hardware needed to run Android “adds too much to the cost of the set,” and Samsung pretty much said the same thing. So it looks like an Android set from those companies won’t happen for now. It’s sad given the decent but not extraordinary nature of the ‘widgets’ on HDTVs right now, that could be improved in terms of speed and flexibility by a system like Android.

We’ll keep an eye out for this as it develops.

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!

Portable HDTV: Updates and Tragedies

Portable HDTV in general is a decent idea, but it never really caught on in the States for some reason. Maybe price, features, lack of channels, whatever the reason. It also seems to discourage companies from bringing newer HDTVs you can take with you stateside, needless to say.

so we’re left wishing for new offerings like the Panasonic DMP-HV100 and DMP-BV200, recently announced and ready to roll soon. Both are 10.1-inch HD sets that have 1024 x 600 resolutions (great for carrying along in the car with you) and, while either can tune DTV OTA, they can also connect wirelessly (with an WiFi dongle connected) to a Panasonic DVR and stream content to the screen.

The 200 model can also act as a sort of large PMP, playing back a variety of media formats from an SD card, so it has several uses, which we always like. No release date or prices announced, but sadly, for now no US release is planned. It’s sad indeed we may never see models like this in a US store, so let companies know if you want to see things like this here!

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!

3D Shootout: Panasonic vs. Samsung, via Consumer Reports

Both Samsung and Panasonic started selling 3DTVs (as you may have heard if you have read this blog in the past two weeks or so, as we’ve covered it extensively) this week, and the reliable folks at Consumer Reports bought both and started testing them, comparing and contrasting the two companies offerings.

Initial impressions seem to confirm the overall feeling and tenor of other reviews we’ve covered in that Panasonic’s 3D has the edge in delivering the best HD 3D experience. Their words: “in the 3D mode, its (Panasonic’s 50-inch VT-20 series) lack of crosstalk and great black levels really made three-dimensional images pop.”

It seems plasma tends to deliver better overall experience with 3D related apps, due to its contrast and black levels, and we agree with the overall community in proclaiming (so far anyway) that Panny is the king of the hill with home 3D right now.

First Review: The Panasonic 3D HDTV

We always look forward to the very first reviews of a new model or technology, and even more so with a tech we’ve sorta been leery about anyway. The very first reviews of the new Panasonic 3D HDTV models are out, and here’s the scoop.

While the rest of us wait to see if its worth the trouble, Gary Merson and HD Guru took a trip to Panasonic’s NJ headquarters to see what they could see.

Here’s a little snippet of his impressions:

The good news is that the 2D picture quality was better than last year’s model and in fact the black level reading was one-half of the V10’s out of the box performance. So as if getting a better HD picture for less money wasn’t enough, Gary says the the 3D image (is) outstanding with considerably more brightness and pop than the motion picture theater 3D movie experience.

So it appears early impressions are quite positive. How excited it makes you depends on where you fall in the 3D viewpoint, but hey, it sounds like a good start in terms of bringing theater quality 3D home.

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.

Sunday’s Sweet HDTV Deals

Two more great deals for your perusal this Sunday (we last brought you great HDTV deals on a Sunday as well):

TigerDirect.com – Now readers of ours know of our great respect for LG stuff, and this is quite a deal: The LG 37LH20 37” 720p LCD HDTV – Glossy Black for an eye-popping $479.99 – with free shipping. These are sturdy TVs with great pics, and Tiger has been around a long time now, so they’re as reliable as it gets. Grab this one up!

6ave.com – Sometimes this vendor offers some really great prices, and this is one of them: the Panasonic TCP42G10 42” 1080p VIERA HD Plasma TV for $798.00 (use the ‘See price in cart’ thing) – and we include a 6% off code “BONUSBUY” you can use which brings your total to $750.12 with free shipping too. Great deal!

Feel free to visit us for more great HDTV deals in the future.

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.

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!

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