The release reaffirms that LG will continue to support plasma HDTVs for the coming year, and that it's expanding its relationships with retailers to promote plasma screens. According to the release:
"As a founding member of the Plasma Display Coalition, we are committed to the plasma business and we believe plasma TVs are an important segment in the flat panel display sector . . . We have invested heavily to strengthen the LG brand in this segment, and will continue to do so."
It's getting mighty depressing around here for plasma fans. Pioneer is gone, Vizio is gone, and now there are reports that LG is thinking about closing shop on its PDP operation. Of course, nothing is set in stone yet, but the decision is reportedly going to hinge on whether or not they can drive down the cost of the displays while showing growth in sales. So, while there's still a ray of hope, many are not exactly optimistic. From now on, it might be quicker for us just to post a list of all the companies that are still making plasmas.
Unfortunately, starting next year, we won't be seeing any more of them.
Pioneer has announced that it will no longer be in the TV business. By March 2010, Pioneer will cease production on all displays. The company will still produce other home theater equipment, but this is a crushing blow for people who have been holding off on getting a Kuro. Consumers can still get Kuro PRO-111FD's, but there won't be any new models on the way.
So long, Kuro. We hardly knew, yo.
— Will Greenwald
The EU is taking energy conservation rather seriously. Just after putting a ban on incandescent lightbulbs, power-hog plasma TVs might be getting the boot too.
Plasma TVs use about 50% more power than LCDs, and obviously, the bigger the TV, the more power it's most likely to consume.
According to The Independent, a European newspaper, "Energy-guzzling flatscreen plasma televisions will soon be banned as part of the battle against climate change." The EU is working on a new standard, along with compulsory labels to help consumers determine the most energy-efficient models.
At home, California is considering stricter regulations that could require TVs use 50% less energy by 2013.
Are you willing to give up your big beautiful plasma TV to save the planet? --Leslie Shapiro
Even with the global economy on increasingly shaky ground, a new study out of China shows that — not only are plasma sales booming as LCD sales fall — plasma sales are actually hitting historical highs.
While you can debate on which is better/cheaper/blacker/thinner/sexier/brighter, it seems plasma sales are going strong, according to a report from DisplaySearch, a market research firm.
Is it technology-driven, or an effect of the economy?
Hitachi is joining the legions of TV manufacturers making their big screens screens slimmer, thinner, narrower, and measuring significantly less physical depth. At CEDIA 2008, the company revealed details on large-screen models of its UltraThin line of 1.5-inch-thick HDTVs.
The series itself is nothing new; 32-inch, 37-inch, and 42-inch screens have been trickling in since last spring. The 32-inch models offer only 1080i resolution, but every other UltraThin TV offers a 1080p picture.
The big news is Hitachi's new 47-inch and 50-inch HDTVs. The 47-inch LCD stands as the biggest LCD in the line, while the 50-inch UltraThin presents Hitachi's first and only 1.5-inch-thick plasma screen so far. The 47-inch LCD, coming in both Ultra Vision (UT47V702) and the slightly more high-end Director's Series (UT47X902) versions, will ship by the end of the month and retail for $3,499 (Ultra Vision) and $3,699 (Director's Series). The larger screens come at a much heftier price tag than the 42-inch LCDs, which have been available for a few months and retail for about $1,000 less.
Continue reading "CEDIA, Pythonized: New Hitachi HDTVs are onlee wahfair theen. " »
If anyone thought that Panasonic was lagging in the hotly-contested display market, the company moved to dispel the misconception. The 65VX100U plasma display was unveiled, and it is wonderful indeed.
The VX100 is a 65-inch custom-install only plasma monitor. At least according to Panasonic, it outperforms Pioneer's extremely impressive Kuro display. (Note that Pioneer is shutting down panel production and will begin buying panels from Panasonic). The VX100 boasts a 60,000:1 contrast ratio, and 7,160 shades of gradation in dark shadows, and also handles 120% of HDTV color gamut.
I viewed the Panasonic demo as they fearlessly compared the VX100 side by side with the 65DF model in a very dark room. Any photo I post here could not accurately convey the visual differences, so I will simply say that the VX100 was clearly superior with extremely black blacks, excellent shadow detail, and extremely good color. Hands-down, it was just a clearly superior picture....
Trivia question: Where was the plasma display invented? Answer: University of Illinois (1964). Since then, it has grown into a formidable technology, widely used in televisions. It particularly dominated the 40-inches and bigger market. But recently LCD has come on strong, even in the big-screen area.
One reason, according to Robert Perry, senior VP, Panasonic display products, is that, "There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about plasma HDTVs and longevity, and we’re happy to once again set the record straight on the durability of Panasonic plasma." Translation: the rap against plasma is that it doesn't last as long as LCD.
In rebuttal, Panasonic now claims its 2008 lineup of 1080p Viera plasma HDTVs will run 100,000 hours before reaching half the original brightness level. This is based on the U.S. average daily viewing time of 6.5 hours. At that rate, the plasma TVs would take more than 42 years to reach half of their original brightness. According to Robert Perry, "Our plasma TVs are built to last a very long time."
Where does that anti-plasma "misinformation" come from?
It's no secret that LCD TVs are outselling plasma displays, but a new study by J.D. Power and Associates and Market Force Information have unearthed one clue as to why. And, apparently, those online ads for mystery shoppers aren't complete scams. Who knew?
The study sent out 2,000 trained mystery shoppers to measure the knowledge of salespeople and their recommendations about LCD and plasma displays. The findings of these mysterious mystery shoppers isn't really all that mysterious.
Pioneer's four new 1080p plasma Kuro sets are tall, dark, and thin; who could ask for anything more? Two of them come with a really hot separate media receiver — a 4-port HDMI external switcher. The only problem is that they're only scheduled from release right now in Europe, with no mention of a US release. Darn. They're still worth a closer look.
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