Panasonic PT-61LCX70
(Credit: Panasonic)Panasonic's new line of LCD projection TVs are featuring a new technology--called LIFI--that Panasonic is claiming will eliminate the need for lamp replacement. Since today's LCD and DLP projection sets often need to have their bulb replaced after 3-5 years--and the bulbs cost several hundred dollars--LIFI technology could get remove one of the major drawbacks to projection TVs. We have seen ultralong bulb-life from projection TVs on Samsung's HL-S5679W, which was the first DLP HDTV to use an LED light source. The HL-S5679W claimed its bulb lasted for 20,000 hours, which means it virtually never needs to be replaced. The other advantage that Panasonic is claiming for its LIFI technology is faster start-up times--under 10 seconds to get an image on the screen. Unfortunately, they didn't mention how long it takes to get to full brightness, which we feel is a more important metric.
The LIFI technology is used on two new TV series. The LCX70 series features two models: the 56-inch PT-56LCX70 and the 61-inch PT-61LCX70. Both of these models are 720p sets, which means they have a native resolution of 1,280x720 pixels. Its jack pack is highlighted by three HDMI inputs (one front, two rear) and a PC input. There was no pricing announced for the LCX70 series, but they should be available in April.
The LCZ70 series is a step up and also uses the LIFI technology. It consists of three models--the 50-inch PT-50LCZ70, the 56-inch PT-56LCZ70 and the 61-inch PT-61LCZ70--all of which feature glossy black styling. They're also all 1080p TVs, which means they have native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels and can display all the detail of the highest resolution HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs. Their connectivity is highlighted by three HDMI inputs (one front, two rear), as well as a PC input. There was no pricing announced for the LCZ70 series, but they should be available in May. Due to the April release dates, we suspect that neither series will feature HDMI 1.3.
Panasonic's lineup per the press release
The dancing 103's
(Credit: CNET)Panasonic's 2007 press event Sunday at the CES was devoted primarily to extolling the virtues of the company's television cash cow: plasma HDTVs. It featured numerous presentations covering the myths and realities of plasma, plasma picture quality, and the ways plasma TVs can help you "live in high definition." The press event was a snoozer, but just about my favorite thing at CES this year was the amazing display at the Panasonic booth, which consisted of a pair of 103-inch plasmas dancing on articulated mounts that moved up and down and rotated in synch, displaying video that some how stayed straight, regardless of the screens' angles. It was great.
TH-58PX75U
(Credit: Panasonic)Stripped of the glitter and hyperbole, Panasonic's actual plasma announcement lacked one essential detail: price (see chart below). The most notable item it did announce was the presence of a pair of new 1080p (1920x1080) native resolution models, at 50- and 58-inches, to complement the existing 1080p resolution TH-50PF9UK. All of the new sets have SD card slots, and the company's new partnership (details about which were vague) with GalleryPlayer allows customers to download HD-resolution still images--of art, for example--to SD cards for display on the big screen.
TH-50PX77U
(Credit: Panasonic)The company would not confirm one way or the other, but we suspect that the two 700U models, available this summer, will include HDMI 1.3 inputs. People annoyed at the two-tone silver-and-black finish of the 2006 models, like the TH-42PX60U, will be glad to hear that Panasonic has gone with an all-black, glossy finish for the 2007 line. Briefly, the baseline models consist of the 75U series in 42-, 50- and 58-inch sizes, which replaces the current PX60U series. They have 1024x768 (42-inch) and 1366x768 (50- and 58-inch) native resolution and bottom-mounted speakers.
TH-58PZ700U
(Credit: Panasonic)The step-up 77U series has side-mounted speakers and the antiglare coating so popular among plasma makers this year (e.g Samsung and Pioneer), but doesn't have a 58-inch version...yet. The line-topping 700U series, in 50- and 58-inch sizes only, adds "EZ-Synch" HDMI inputs (again, perhaps 1.3), 1080p resolution, and a third design cosmetic.
Finally, the company is carrying over a pair of huge-screen plasmas from 2006, the 65-inch TH-65PX600U and the pimp-my-mansion-worthy TH-103PZ600U.
Panasonic's lineup per the press release
As if heading up a ramp to Noah's ark, the Flash and DVD models move in pairs. Panasonic at least manages to differentiate the models a bit. The DVD-based HDC-DX1, announced this week, and the SD card-based HDC-SD1 (announced in late 2006), are the latest pair of AVCHD cancorders to get on the boat. Both incorporate a trio of 1/4-inch, 580K-pixel CCDs, a 12x zoom, and an optical image stabilizer. The DX1 has dual-layer support, as well as DVD-RAM capability.
The difference? Aside from some design tweaks made necessary by the different media support, the DX1 seems to have some kind of accessory shoe--at least, that what it looks like in the picture.
Both camcorders will ship in March, the HDC-DX1 for $1,399.95 and the HDC-SD1 for $1,499.95 (including a 4GB SD card).
The new DVD camcorders that Panasonic's rolling out for its Spring 2007 line all boast the same 32X zoom lens plus optical stabilizer, SD slots for still capture, and added support for dual-layer DVDs. The top-of-the-line VDR-D310 keeps up Panasonic's 3CCD tradition; the VDR-D210 and D230 have a single unspecified chip. The two lower-end models cost $450 and $500, respectively and are slated to ship in February; the VDR310 won't be out till March, and will cost $700.
Though Panasonic calls them "hybrid" camcorders--being able to record to an SD card or a 30GB hard drive doesn't qualify in my book--the new SDR-H200 and SDR-H20 both have shock-protected 30GB hard drives for about six hours of best-quality recording, optical image stabilization, and prices of $799.95 and $599.95, respectively. Though $800 might not seem low for a hard-drive camcorder, consider that it has 3 CCDs and shoots 3-megapixel stills. The lower-priced SDR-H20 compensates for its lowly single-chip status with the typical 32X stalker lens--at least with the OIS you have a chance of getting a decent shot, though. Plus, it comes with a 512MB SD card. Not too shabby. Unfortunately, the press release was so poorly written it's unclear what's on the inside of the SDR-H20. The two camcorders are slated to ship in April.
- prev
- 1
- next
