Is plasma dead yet? Not if Panasonic can help it.
(Credit: Panasonic)The television category is a perennial CES staple and this year was no different. For some reason nobody showed a TV bigger than Panasonic's 150-inch plasma from last year (have we maxed out in flat-panel screen size?), but most of the other trends I discussed in the preview were borne out in the show's extensive announcements. Here's my take on what CES 2009 bodes for HDTV this year.
Plasma ain't dead yet.
I get more than my share of e-mails, and have seen plenty of blog comments and forum posts that are quick to claim the demise of plasma at the hands of LCD. Judging from CES announcements by companies that comprise the "big three" of plasma--Panasonic, LG and Samsung--those big glass flat panels have a brighter future than Detroit, at least.
Panasonic, by far the biggest and most-committed of the group, bragged about its newest plasma factory (No. 5) coming online, and showed its largest plasma lineup ever, with five new series and a new 54-inch screen size. I'm really excited to review the company's new "NEO PDP" panels, the first of which, members of the S1 series, will ship in March. They boast significantly improved black-level performance and contrast ratios, according to the company, yet manage to cut power consumption in half. If the latter claim proves true, LCD will lose perhaps its biggest arrow in the antiplasma quiver (at least among consumers who care about the planet and are savvy enough to ignore the nonissues).
Absent any announcements by Pioneer (which will come in late spring, most likely), Panasonic's G10 series is probably the surest bet for Editors' Choice of any TV I saw at the show. That's why I awarded it Best of CES in the TV category. In case you're wondering, however, all of the Neo PDP panels, including the least-expensive S1, share the same basic picture-quality specs.... Read more
(Credit:
LG)
Nestled squarely between the LHB954 and LHB979 in LG's 2009 home theater system line-up is the LHB977. While the midrange package lacks the bundled wireless rear-speaker option and champagne-glass design of the 979, it's still loaded with features: 5.1 speaker array with funky front tallboy speakers; built-in Blu-ray player with Profile 2.0/BD-Live capability and Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio decoding; support for streaming online Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube video; and two extra HDMI inputs, useful for connecting game consoles and DVRs. Look for the LHB977 in the spring of 2009 (price TBD).
On Sale Now:
$549.98
- $699.99
View the latest prices for LG LHB977
The LG BD370 Blu-ray player
(Credit: LG)In 2008, LG's BD300 set itself apart from other Blu-ray players by becoming the first one to include compatibility with the Netflix's "Watch Instantly" streaming service. Unfortunately, the uniqueness of the feature was short-lived: within weeks, Netflix support was added to the Xbox 360, TiVo HD DVRs, and a pair of rival Blu-ray decks from Samsung. Now, LG's back with its second take on the Blu-ray/Netflix player, the BD370, which will also include the ability to stream online content from CinemaNow (pay-per-view) and YouTube (free).
Aside from those two new online content providers, the feature set of the BD370 appears little changed from the BD300 model (DVD upscaling, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio, BD-Live/Profile 2.0 support). However, the step-up BD390 model will offer a host of nice upgrades over the 370: built-in Wi-Fi (so you're not limited to wired Ethernet), 1GB of onboard memory (no need for a USB stick to access BD-Live features), and 7.1-channel analog outputs (maximum compatibility with older, non-HDMI AV receivers). Each of those improvements address the major issues we had with the BD300, making the 390 the one to watch.
Look for the BD370 and BD390 network Blu-ray players to hit stores in the spring of 2009 (prices TBD).
On Sale Now:
$159.99
- $249.95
View the latest prices for LG BD370
The LH50 series of LG LCDs brings beefy broadband.
(Credit: LG)LG and Netflix have already announced that select TVs produced by the Korean electronics company will be the first to stream Netflix's Watch Now video service without the need for an additional set-top box. Today LG fleshed out details on specific models.
The company will put Netflix and a host of other broadband content options into one series of LCD TVs, the LH50 models detailed here, as well as the PS80 series of plasmas. The LH50 series will come in two sizes: the 47-inch 47LH50 and the 42-inch 42LH50. Pricing was not announced at the show, but the LCDs will ship in late spring.
In addition to Netflix streaming, the sets will be able to access YouTube videos, utilize Yahoo widgets--on-screen applications with real-time info like weather, stock tickers, financial news, Yahoo! Video, Flickr images, etc--and connect to a networked PC or USB device via a port on the TV to access photos and music (but not video). They utilize an Ethernet connection for all this broadband content; the company does not offer a specific wireless option, although third-party wireless bridges should work.
Additional features include a 120Hz refresh rate with dejudder processing, four HDMI inputs, and a room lighting sensor to help cut down on power consumption.
Like most LG HDTVs, the LH50 models also boast extensive picture controls, including the same 10-point IRE system and full color-management controls we liked on the company's 2008 models. A new "picture wizard" is available as well, which employs a series of on-screen test patterns to ease user calibration.
LG LH50 models
On Sale Now:
$999.00
- $1,499.95
View the latest prices for LG 47LH50
On Sale Now:
$831.49
- $1,169.95
View the latest prices for LG 42LH50
LG's higher-end PS80 plasmas will be the first to stream Netflix.
(Credit: LG)LG and Netflix have already announced that select TVs produced by the Korean electronics company will be the first to stream Netflix's Watch Now video service without the need for an additional set-top box. Today LG fleshed out details on specific models, including two plasmas with THX display certification.
The company will put Netflix and a host of other broadband content options into a pair of plasma TVs, the PS80 models detailed here, as well as the LH50 series of LCDs. The two sizes in the PS80 series include the 50-inch 50PS80 and the 60-inch 60PS80. Both are available in June, and prices were not disclosed.
Like the PG60 series we reviewed last year, the PS80 models also offer THX display certification. If the 2008 sets are any indication, that certification will lead to improved color accuracy.
In addition to Netflix streaming, the PS80 plasmas will be able to access YouTube videos, utilize Yahoo widgets--onscreen applications with real-time info like weather, stock tickers, financial news, Yahoo! Video, Flickr images, etc--and connect to a networked PC or USB device via a port on the TV to access photos and music (but not video). They utilize an Ethernet connection for all this broadband content; the company does not offer a specific wireless option, although third-party wireless bridges should work.
In case you're not happy with THX mode, the PS80 models also boast extensive picture controls, including the same 10-point IRE system and full color management controls we liked on the company's 2008 models. A new "picture wizard" is available as well, which employs a series of onscreen test patterns to ease user calibration.
On Sale Now:
$1,199.00
- $1,699.95
View the latest prices for LG 50PS80
On Sale Now:
$1,938.00
- $2,699.95
View the latest prices for LG 60PS80
This the card used for the photo version of Eye-Fi, but the video version will likely look similar.
For the last year or so Eye-Fi SD cards have allowed users to wirelessly upload photos straight from their digital cameras to their hard drives and photo sharing services like Flickr and Webshots. Now Eye-Fi is applying its technology to videos and YouTube.
At CES this week, Eye-Fi, inc. announced that it is developing a way for users to wirelessly upload their videos straight from their digital cameras to YouTube. There will be no need to dock your camera or even turn on a computer before millions of users are watching a video you probably had no intention of showing to anyone except the person you filmed it with. Well that's my fear anyway. Not that I shoot inappropriate videos...I'm just looking out for all you folks that do.
The company plans to implement the feature the same way it has for photos: through an SD card. Eye-Fi says it is designing the service to fully support HD video, which YouTube now also supports.
Eye-Fi, Inc will be demoing the feature this week at CES.
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