Pioneer is all over plasma TV, and it looks like it’s going to launch its 8th-gen plasmas at an event in Rome this May. Pioneer kept going on and on at CES about how it wanted to make plasma the premier TV technology and this announcement should finally reveal what it’s been up to. It used to be that I was sorta down on plasma, but companies like Pioneer and Panasonic, which showed off its new line of plasmas yesterday here in New York, have improved the technology to the point where I would buy one. That is, if I had any money to do so. (Plasma is still on the expensive side, you see.) Incoming: 8th-gen Pioneer plasma TV [Tech.co.uk] → Read More
If we had one of these as a kid, we would have had an easier time staying in school and off the hard drugs. It’s the Plasma Light Bulb, a scaled-down version of that freaky sci-fi plasma globe that your rich, smarter friend’s dad had in his den. You know, the room you guys weren’t allowed into with the liquor and porn. And plasma globes. We’re guessing these things don’t give out much light, but are awesome to the touch, thanks to the electric field around the device that responds to any electro-conductive object that is brought nearby. The ionized gasses (that look like lightning) are drawn to the points of contact, though the high-voltage device is perfectly safe. That’s all techno-babble that, when broken down, means that your stoned friend from high school who drops by every couple months unannounced will love this thing. And at $10, you could outfit your lab with style. Plasma Bulb [Scientifics, via Red Ferret] → Read More
LG announced LCD and Plasma HDTVs in Korea that include dual HD tuners and an integrated hard drive. Consumers can either watch two HD channels simultaneously or can watch one HD channel while recording another. The TVs will feature a built-in 160GB hard drive and a USB 2.0 port. The suggested price in Korea will be between $2,667 and $5,000—depending on the screen size. LG Electronics to unveil 3-generation time machine TV [Gadget Road via Digg] → Read More
LG has announced their limited-edition run of the 60PT1 wrapped in wood instead of the sleek and lighter cases most modern boob tubes have today. The 60 inch plasma TV is set to launch the beginning of Q2 in SK with a 1,000 unit limited-edition run. No word on pricing yet but I imagine it setting you back quite a bit. I guess it’s cool to have your modern TV look like it was made back in the 80s? Right? Got Wood? [Ubergizmo via Akihabara News] → Read More
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3430/398041514ces_plasma_video.swf?playerPath=http://www.pioneerelectronics.com&videoFilePath=/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3430/39811323201_future.flv Seriously, if you’ve never seen Pioneer’s Elite series of plasma TVs in person, they really do have incredible pictures (though they come with some pretty incredible price tags to match). The company is excited for you to know about its new plasma HDTV technology. So excited in fact that it produced six short videos to school you about it. (It’s all about the black levels, baby!) Anyway, if you’re not familiar with what plans Pioneer has for plasma TV this year, the first video (above) gives you a sufficient rundown of things to come. The other five videos go a little deeper into the things mentioned in the first video. Hit the link below to see those. Not surprisingly (considering these videos are essentially marketing materials) Pioneer says the best way to enjoy HD content is on a plasma. Of course, that’s all the company makes in the TV arena, so that would be the grain of salt you’ll want to take these videos with. Oh yeah, go to the last video to hear why HD DVD is wrong wrong wrong. Pioneer Plasma TVs: The Future of Plasma → Read More
, does include 9 new HDTVs with all but two being LCDs. At resolutions of 720p, HP will have 32-, 37- and 42-inch LCDs as well as two 1080p panels at 42 and 47 inches. Two plasmas with resolutions around 720p will come in 42- and 50-inch sizes. And while DLPs have been ousted, the company is keeping MediaSmart LCD models in the lineup. These panels feature 1080p support along with built-in wireless media streaming, so you can access digital content off your PC or network storage device. If you’ve never seen them in action, they’re pretty great and worth the extra coin if you can afford it. → Read More
While filling up on my five-hours-per-day tube habit, I spotted a commercial that utterly shocked me. This ad wasn’t particularly gory or raunchy — it was the advertiser that caught me off-guard. Vizio, one of those off-brand flat screen TV-makers whose native habitat is in the aisles of Sam’s Club and Costco, was actually advertising on TV. From everything I’ve seen, the picture quality on a Vizio, while maybe not as sharp as a Panasonic, is good enough that the average person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. And its prices are certainly cut-rate — something consumers have apparently responded to, as the upstart company is now one of the top ten TV sellers in North America. Not bad for a company that didn’t exist five years ago. So are LG and Sharp freaking out? Do companies like Vizio, Maxent, and Sceptre have the big guys running scared? Hardly. In fact, these upstarts could turn into the best thing to happen to the mega-manufacturers since cable. → Read More
Pioneer has released two more PDP high definition plasmas in Japan. The two new models include the PDP-607HX (pictured here) and the PDP-427HXD. The plasmas use a new technology Pioneer has labeled “New P.U.R.E. Black Panel” and “New P.U.R.E. Drive II”. The black panel can recreate industry-leading levels of color and the Drive II has a new digital signal processor that enhances the plasma’s performance. The 60-inch PDP-607HX will go for $6,770 and the 42-inch PDP-427HXD doesn’t have a price yet. No word yet if the U.S. is going to get this pair, but with that price tag, we probably wouldn’t purchase them anyway. Pioneer PDP HD Plasmas [Gizmodo] → Read More
Samsung has announced that it will soon be offering in South Korea the SPD-50P7HDT. What sets this 50″ high definition plasma screen apart from similar displays is its fully wireless peripheral connectivity. The setup allows users to avoid cable clutter with a new technology that connects DVD players, VCRs and other devices via a newly developed wireless technology. It will sell for an estimated 4000 euros, but it is not, unfortunately, availabe stateside at this time. Samsung SPD-50P7HDT wireless TV [ubergizmo] → Read More
We’re hearing a lot of talk about gigantic-screen TVs, some of them costing upwards of $50,000, but if you’re using a projector, you can have a humongous-sized screen at a tenth of that price. This 100-inch selectively-reflective Xscreen from Planar has a built-in optical filter, reflecting light from the projector while absorbing room light. Perhaps its most appealing attribute is its uncanny similarity to a 100-inch plasma display. The idea solves one of the few drawbacks to using a front projector: the room must be darkened in order to enjoy a bright and contrasty picture. Now all you have to do is hope no one notices that projector hanging from the ceiling or sitting on the shelf on the back wall. A slight drawback to this shrewd scheme is the Xscreen’s price, $4871, but that’s still considerably cheaper than that 100-inch plasma display. Plana’s TV-like 100-inch screen [AVing.net] → Read More
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