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plasma

How Louis XIV would hide a plasma TV

Apparently some homeowners think that disguising a wall-mounted plasma with a mirror or painting is for the hoi polloi--hardly suitable for the truly opulent interior. Recognizing such discerning taste, North Carolina-based Tapestries Limited has developed a motorized device that can store a woven work and dramatically descend it over the surface of a flat TV on command, Electronic House says.

It can be lowered on a moment's notice by a remote control, which will come in handy while watching your favorite episode of the Three Stooges when the neighbors drop in unexpectedly. The company, which will also sell the … Read more

Who will buy Panasonic's 150-inch plasmas?

After Panasonic stole the show at CES in Vegas with its ginormous plasma TV last week, we got to thinking: Who buys these things anyway?

One indication may come from the number of sales from the last 100-plus club. Pocket-lint cites a report in the Commercial Times that only 15 of Panasonic's 103-inch plasmas were sold in the last year with prices averaging around $62,500. "Apparently the monster screens have been shipped to Japan, the U.S., and Europe mainly, but one customer in the Middle East bought five," it said.

We're sure the money … Read more

Unmanned aerial vehicles the size of a cigarette

Researchers at Oklahoma State University are working with DARPA to deliver a sophisticated, unmanned aircraft small enough to fit into a soldier's pocket, reports the Daily O'Collegian.

A state-of-the-art propulsion system, one that uses plasma thrusters with no moving parts, could provide power for micro and nano unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV.)This class of airplane can measure anywhere from a foot to less than 6 inches long.

"What we want the infantrymen to be able to do is pull a pack of six or so out of their pocket and have them ready for use," Jamey Jacob, … Read more

Why Americans don't buy DVD players that record

The recording DVD player. These have been popular in Europe and Asia but have fallen flat in the U.S. Most companies don't even bother to put much effort into marketing them in this country.

The same phenomenon will likely hold true for recording Blu-ray and HD DVD players.

Makato Ebata, CEO of the consumer business group at Hitachi, gave us an explanation in a recent interview. Cable TV penetration is far higher in the States than Asia or Europe. With cable, the same show can appear on a channel several times. In Europe and Japan, you need to … Read more

Pioneer gets to absolute black with plasma prototype

LAS VEGAS--Pioneer's latest plasma prototype: you could even say it glows.

The high-end audio and video company is showing off two new Kuro concept TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that push the barriers of thin and light, the company says. The Extreme Contrast TV gets to absolute black, says Pioneer. No light leaks out from the back of the TV.

That's because there is no backlight. Chemicals embedded in the panel emit the light to illuminate the images. Thus, when there is no signal, no light gets generated and absolute black, created by a … Read more

Luxury trip for Panasonic's 150-inch plasma

LAS VEGAS--How do you bring a 150-inch plasma TV from Japan to the U.S.? One plane at a time.

The 150-inch plasma TVs that Panasonic is showing off this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas can only be carried in the storage container in the nose of a 747, said Toshihiro Sakamoto, president of Panasonic AVC Networks company.

Watch the Panasonic TH46PXZ850 video on CNET TV.

And only one TV fits at a time. The TV has to go in the middle of the storage unit. There isn't enough clearance on the edges. Panasonic has … Read more

Panasonic wows with giant 150-inch plasma

One of the most dazzling exhibits at this year's CES conference is Panasonic's ridiculously large 150-inch "Lifescreen" plasma.

The endless quest to produce the biggest and best televisions continues to astound, even if there's barely any practical applications for them.

The Lifescreen, which measures 8 feet by 12 feet and has a resolution of 4K by 2K (four times the resolution of 1080p high definition), might look great on the trade show floor but one would wonder where else it could fit.

Panasonic see a market for it - released by the end of 2008, … Read more

LG splashes on the high design

LG's booth at CES is gigantic, it just goes on and on including every CE gadget under the sun. It's classily decked out with designer furniture and glossy white and black plastic and glass everywhere (kind of like their products actually). They are definitely using design as their ticket into the big leagues (and presumably bigger margins), a great example of using design to pull up a brand.

This is small-d design though, for the most part - very nicely executed styling and materials and finishes, but broadly speaking they are styling treatments of existing form-factors, not real … Read more

Panasonic shows off the Worlds Largest Plasma

Panasonic has once again outdone themselves and unveiled their behemoth 150" plasma. This beast is no ordinary plasma; Designed for commercial and Cinema installations, it's the size of nine 50" TVs so it won't fit in your average living room. Whats more, its native resolution is 4k, 4 times the resolution of that 1080p set you have at home. No word on availability or pricing yet but don't expect this monster to be cheap.