CES 2007

Hitachi's 50-inch '1080' HDTV, the P50H401

(Credit: Hitachi)

Hitachi's main television-related introduction at CES 2007 might engender a certain amount of confusion about an already-confusing topic to many HDTV buyers. The company is marketing its new plasma TV, the P50H401 (February, $2,500), as the world's first "50-inch 1080 HDTV flat panel for under $2,500." If you're paying close attention (and really, who is?), you'll notice "p" is a big deal, however--the panel's pixel array is 1,280x1,080, not the 1,920x1,080 that qualifies for 1080p native resolution. But the price is definitely better than that of true 1080p, 50-inch plasma TVs, such as the Panasonic TH-50PF9UK and the Pioneer PRO-FHD1.

The P50H401 utilizes "a new method of energizing pixels on a panel," a method the company's rep told me is no longer being called ALiS. We reviewed a 42-inch set last year, the Hitachi 42HDS69, that also had a vertical resolution of 1080 lines, and we found the picture plenty sharp although without the same depth of black as the best plasma sets we've tested. Needless to say, we're anxious to check out the 50-inch model, especially for that price.

Hitachi's booth also contained a few other new televisions, none of which the company is willing to price at the moment. Along with the 50-inch model, the company showed the 42-inch P42H401 (April, 1,024x1,080 resolution) and the 55-inch P55H401 (July, 1,366x768 resolution). All three are glossy black with hidden speakers, three SimplayHD-certified HDMI inputs, and Hitachi's characteristically excellent range of picture adjustments with three independent memories per input. A second lineup dubbed "CineForm T501" offers the same three sizes, all-black styling, and a few stepped-up features such as card slots and a swivel stand. Finally, the booth did have a range of "full 1080" (aka true 1080p) plasmas on display, from 50 inches and up, but the company rep told me Hitachi wouldn't have any details on those models until its April line show.

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

Pioneer shows new plasma tech in booth demo

On Sunday at CES, a couple of CNET staffers and I attended a demonstration of Pioneer's newest plasma technology, and judging from the brief demo, the company has made some significant advancements. Pioneer had lined up five 50-something-inch displays, four plasmas, and an LCD; one of the plasmas utilized the new technology, which is designed to increase black level and reject ambient light reflections. After watching a variety of high-def feeds, I was convinced that the new plasma evinced some of the deepest blacks I'd seen yet in a flat-panel technology. I don't want to say more on the basis of one controlled demo of a preproduction technology, but suffice it to say I'm pretty excited to get my hands on a review sample of Pioneer's new plasmas. The company also is demonstrating the technology in a side-by-side comparison at its booth (pictured).

Pioneer has yet to dub the technology with a special name, but its press release claims that it delivers "immeasurable" black levels. When I asked Pioneer's rep about that particular adjective, he explained that light meters available today are incapable of accurately measuring the light output of the darkest areas produced by the new plasmas. The deep blacks have the added benefit of making colors appear richer in dark scenes. Pioneer also is employing a new filter that reduces ambient light reflections on the screen, an effect that was evident in the demo. We also were treated to a look at the company's new de-interlacing technology, which did appear to improve upon the video processing of comparable displays at the demo.

Update: I'd originally written here that the rep had told me the new Pioneer plasmas used a 60 Hz refresh rate, as opposed to the 72 Hz by models like the the PRO-FHD1 and the Editors' Choice PDP-5070HD, which can introduce additional judder on certain material. To clarify, those current panels support both 60 Hz and 72 Hz, and selecting 72 Hz when watching 1080i/60 or 1080p/30 material can indeed cause more judder, but the selecting the standard 60 Hz rate does not. As for the refresh rate used in the new generation of anels, were trying to confirm that the company has indeed dropped 72 Hz support, and will update this section when we hear one way or the other.

Pioneer will release the new plasmas this summer. I asked whether they would cost the same as the company's current models, whether there would be more than two plasma lines, and what exact sizes would be available, but the company's spokesman didn't specify. I suspect they'll release 42-inch, 50-inch, and 60-inch versions, since those were on display at the private demo and on the show floor; of the preproduction models I saw, only the 60-inch had 1080p resolution. The company's rep didn't think Pioneer would incorporate the new technology into its 1080p 50-inch model this year.

LG announced three new series of plasma TVs at their press conference at CES 2007 yesterday: the PC5D series, the PB4D series, and the PY3D series. The press release lacks specifics and availability, but we were able to get a good outline of their upcoming plasma TV product lines.

The PY3D series is LG's 1080p line of plasma TVs, and consists of both a 50- and a 60-inch model. Along with their 1,920x1,080 native resolution, this series also has three HDMI inputs as well as a USB port. Models in the PY3D series--and all other LG plasma series--feature a built-in ATSC tuner. No pricing or availability was announced for this series.

The LG PB4D series

(Credit: LG)

LG also introduced the PB4D series, which includes a built-in HD digital video recorder. We've seen this feature previously from LG on the LG 42LB1DR, which we looked at in October and felt was a little lacking. The built-in DVR has a 160GB hard drive, which can handle 14 hours of HD programming or 63 hours of standard-definition programming. Although it doesn't state it explicitly, the press release implies that the sets have a built-in EPG, which might be the TV Guide EPG that was on the 42LB1DR. The PB4D series also offers the ability to display from external high-definition sources via component video inputs, but only in 480p. Unfortunately there's no indication that they've fixed our major beef with these integrated DVRs--it's only possible to record one show in HD at once. The PB4D series consists of three sets: the 42-inch 42PB4D, the 50-inch 50PB4D, and the 60-inch 60PB4D.

The PC5D series

(Credit: LG)

The PC5D series features two new models, the 42-inch 42PC5D and the 50-inch 50PC5D. Although the press release didn't specify the native resolution, we imagine this series will have a native resolution of 1,366x768 because it wasn't listed as a 1080p TV.

Along with these series, LG rolled out its flagship 71-inch plasma monitor, the 71PY1M. Of course, the big screen costs big bucks. The 71PY1M will retail for $15,000.

No, no wires here.

Thousands of people pay thousands of dollars to have flat-panel HDTVs mounted on the wall with no visible wires. Samsung's FP-T5894W, the first mainstream large-screen "wireless" TV that I've seen, aims to make those wireless-looking installations a lot cheaper and easier. Like most "wireless" A/V gear, it does require one cord--to supply AC power--but that's it. The rack full of A/V equipment that accompanies any self-respecting plasma installation connects to the FP-T5894W's "wireless A/V center," which the company claims can sit up to 300 feet away from the panel itself. The panel and the included wireless center communicate using the 802.11n wireless standard at bit rates up to 150Mbps--plenty for 1080p video, for example. I'm looking forward to testing its capabilities with more than one video source (picture-in-picture) and at the extreme range of its signal.

The FP-T5894W is a 58-inch plasma display with 1080p (1,920x1,080) native resolution. (Note: Our video and images are of a 50-inch prototype on display at the company's CES 2007 booth; for now, Samsung is talking about only a 58-inch version being available for sale this year.) The screen deploys Samsung's FilterBright2 Plus technology, which the company is pushing again this year as a solution for reducing glare and improving the picture quality in bright light (a historical weakness of those big panes of glass). Samsung also touts a ludicrous 10,000:1 contrast ratio. These last two claims deserve a healthy helping of salt. The A/V center sports 3 HDMI 1.3 inputs among its many connections, although there's no mention of a PC input on its preliminary spec sheet.

Available in September, the wireless FP-T5894W will list for $5,799, a couple grand more than a wired Panasonic TH-58PX600U, for example. The company also announced two other high-end plasmas at the show, both also available in September: the 50-inch HP-T5084 ($4,199 MSRP) and the 58-inch HP-T5884 ($5,199 MSRP). Aside from wireless connectivity, they have essentially the same specs as the FP-T5894W (yes, the 50-inch model is also 1080p, and both models have HDMI 1.3). If you compare just the two Samsung 58-inchers, the cost of going wireless is about $600. There are a couple of other wireless solutions available, such as Gefen's $500 Wireless HDMI Extender, but this Samsung is the first big-screen integrated wireless TV I've seen.

Philips' big plasma TV has a relatively small price tag.

(Credit: Philips)

Vizio is making news at CES 2007 with a $3,000 60-inch plasma TV, but Philips has a big-screen plasma model of its own that it's going to price very aggressively at $3,500 (MSRP) when it arrives in stores in June. At 63 inches, the Philips 63PFP7422D is actually bigger and features 1080p resolution, USB connectivity for displaying digital photo slide shows and MP3 playback, and a motorized swiveling stand. That $3,500 is a suggested retail price, so we expect the real price to be even lower, possibly closer to $3,000. Of course, the Vizio will probably be nearer to $2,500 when it's released, but still, with prices for large-screen plasmas coming down quickly, the demise of the rear-projection TV seems more inevitable.

It's worth mentioning that with this set, Philips is also touting a new picture settings set-up wizard that seems pretty promising. You'll be guided through six preferences, including contrast, sharpness, and color saturation. We've been asking for this sort of wizard in sets for a while, so we're eager to see if it's a gimmick or a simple way for people to calibrate their sets right out of the box, without any help from pricey calibrators.

(Credit: Vizio)

Vizio is at it again. The price-busting flat-panel TV specialist has set its sights on the huge-screen category with a 60-inch plasma TV, the VM60P HDTV, that will retail for $2,999 when it hits stores in February. That price is the best I've seen for any flat-panel TV larger than 50 inches, and it helps people shopping for a massive picture consider something other than rear-projection sets. The closest comparable HDTV I can think of, Panasonic's 58-inch TH-58PX600U, costs more and has a smaller screen, although if Panasonic's excellent track record is any indication, its picture may outclass the Vizio's. We won't know for sure until we get our hands on a VM60P review unit.

But the Vizio VM60P's spec sheet dominates the competition in one important area. It has four HDMI inputs, more than any other HDTV we've seen, regardless of price. That excellent connectivity is complemented by its standard native resolution (1366x768)--sorry folks, no 1080p at this size for three grand--along with the usual array of analog inputs and an HDTV tuner. The set can accept 1080p sources, although it naturally scales them down to the native resolution. Vizio's representative described a "bronze" color (he assured me it looks darker in person than in the picture here) along with a bottom-mounted, clear plastic "reflector" that casts the sound from the hidden speakers into the room that owners can remove if they like. Other highlights include Faroudja video processing and color temperature adjustments.

One final highlight? Knowing Vizio, that sale price will likely be discounted by the time the VM60P arrives in stores.