Forget LCD's And Plasma's, Telescopic Pixel Displays May Be The Future
Forget LCD and plasma displays--the real future of display technology may lay with "telescopic pixels". A report in Nature Photonics, compiled by researchers from Microsoft and the University of Washington, says that telescopic pixel displays can outperform today's popular display technologies, especially in smaller display sizes used for mobile devices and laptops.
Telescopic pixels use a design known as the optical telescope. This type design uses two opposing mirrors per pixel. The primary mirror can actually change into a parabolic shape when the pixel is on, focusing light on the secondary mirror, which in turn reflects the light back through a hole in the primary display and onto the display screen. When the pixel is off, the mirrors are parallel and reflect any light back to the light source.
Not only is the manufacturing method used to produce telescopic pixels low cost, but it's also compatible with LCD infrastructure. And while LCD's only move 5-10% of the total backlight to the user and use up to 30% of a laptop's battery, telescopic displays move 36% of the backlight to the user reaching 56% with some design mods, efficient enough to add 45 minutes to a 5 hour laptop battery.
Telescopic pixel displays also have a lightning-quick response time, measured at only 0.625ms. This allows for sequential color processing, improved gray scales and color shading. The one major problem right now is contrast. Experiments have it sitting at only 20:1, a far cry from the 800:1 contrast ratio needed to put telescopic pixel displays on par with LCD's. Remember though, this is a prototype design. Major improvements will be made in the future.
The real question is whether telescopic pixel displays have any chance against up-and-coming OLED's. Right now we'd have to say no.
Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD 50-Inch Plasma Gets An HD Guru Review
Pioneer's 8th-generation Kuro plasma line was touted as the best plasma sets of 2007. But are the 9th-generation 2008 models as good? HD Guru Gary Merson put the Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD 50-inch plasma to the test to find out and in terms of performance the answer is a definite yes. Not only does the PRO-111FD have the deepest black levels of any plasma Merson has ever tested, it was "simply the best" HDTV he's ever had the pleasure of putting through the ringer. Fair enough, but at $5000 you'll pay a premium for its superb features, and another recent review by the Guru of Panasonic's TH-50PZ850U places its features not to far behind and priced $1500 cheaper, you'll have to make a decision between price and ultimate quality.
Vizio's 32-Inch VP322, 42-Inch VP422 Plasma's For The Budget Conscious
In addition to Vizio's new XVT line of LCD and plasma sets, they've also announced a couple of new plasma sets that bring the HDTV price barrier down to a new level. The 42-inch VP422 and the 32-inch VP322 plasma TV's will be sold at all 3400 US Wal-mart's, part of Vizio's strategy to penetrate the US HDTV market with low-price models. The two 720p displays offer 30000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, picture optimization controls, and a 60000 hour half-life. Despite being entry-level plasma's, the VP422 and VP322 also have an impressive variety of inputs allowing virtually any high-def home theater device to be attached. On the back you'll find a component video port, RGB PC connectivity and a couple of HDMI slots. Look on the side and you'll find an additional HDMI input, part of the HD Game port, and easy access connection panel for gamers. The two Vizio sets are already available in US Wal-mart stores and online for $799 (VP422) and $599 (VP322).
Vizio HD LCD And Plasma Sets Coming In July: 42-Inch SV420XVT, 47-Inch SV470XVT, And 50-Inch VP505XVT
Vizio will continue its mission to offer feature-packed HDTV's at aggressive prices to the US next month with the release of a trio of LCD and plasma displays--the 42-inch SV420XVT, 47-inch SV470XVT, and the 50-inch VP505XVT. The first three models of the XVT line all boast 1080p resolution, 120 Hz processing and a sleek, industrial design minimizing the bezel.
In addition to 1080p resolution and 120 Hz Smooth Motion technology, the SV420XVT and SV470XVT both feature a 6500:1 contrast ratio, picture presets for different content types, SRS Labs' TruSurround XT audio processing, compatibility with the Vizio SV5.1 upgrade kit for adding 5.1-channel surround sound, side access HD Game ports including a couple of HDMI v1.3 inputs in addition to another couple on the back. Both sets include the VUR8 Universal Learning Remote with picture-in-picture keys and will be sold from the likes of Circuit City, Sears, Sam's Club and Costco. The 42- and 47-inch displays are expected to retail for $1499.99 and $1899.99 respectively.
The 50-inch VP505XVT plasma TV features Silicon Optix's REON HQV processing, an integrated, DTV-compliant HD/QAM tuner, a dynamic contrast ratio of 30000:1, and a panel half-life of 100, 000 hours. Like the LCD XVT models, the VP505XVT uses SRS Labs' TruSurround XT audio processing, is upgradeable to 5.1 channels, includes a VUR8 remote, and has all of the usual inputs and outputs include a side access HD Game panel. When Panasonic's 50-inch XVT plasma hits shelves next month, expect to pay about $1699.99.
Panasonic's Sold 3000 103-Inch Plasmas...But Not To Home Theater Fanatics
A couple of years back when Panasonic first announced their 103-inch plasma we had dreams of a world of super-immersive home theaters. While that hasn't quite happened yet, the displays did well enough in their first year of sales to justify an upgraded "10 Series", and now we know why. According to a Panasonic press release, the 103-inch monster plasma display has been installed over 3000 times, pretty well all in commercial settings. Popular spots include casinos and nightclubs; Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Vegas has installed 15 of them, and Jay-Z's 40/40 club also in Vegas has installed a couple as well. Other popular uses include sports playback, educational, and board room use. It's lack of popularity in the home theater sector is understandable though. After all, the giant plasma does cost upwards of $70, 000.
Hitachi's 2008 Plasma Line Availability And Pricing Schedule
If Hitachi's UltraThin LCD TV's don't appeal to you, maybe their 2008 plasma line will. Fully making their way onto US shelves by August, Hitachi's plasma line come in Japan black and crystal frames with the option of manual or remote controlled swivel stands. Available in 42- and 50-inch screen sizes, the plasma line makes use of a bunch of proprietary Hitachi technologies--UltraBlack Panels use a boxed cell structure to produce deeper blacks, improved phospor formulations produce richer colors, a PictureMaster VI digital video processor and Reel60Hz result in a smooth picture, and Cinema48, which works with 24p HDMI inputs to produce the same visual timing as films would playback in a movie theater. All of Hitachi's 2008 plasmas are Energy Star-certified, have an ambient light sensor, deep black stripe filters, an anti-reflective panel, game mode, and a TV Guide On Screen interactive program guide. Check out the pricing and availability below:
42-inch A-Series (model P42A402): $1,399 in July
50-inch A-Series (model P50A202): $1,799 currently available
50-inch A-Series (model P50A402): $1,899 currently available
50-inch S-Series (model P50S602): $2,699 currently available
50-inch V-Series (model P50V702): $3,199 in August
50-inch X-Series (model P50X902): $3,699 in August
LG's 50PG60 THX-Certified Plasma Set Gets Reviewed
The prolific CNET reviewers are at it again, this time taking a look at the LG 50PG60 plasma TV. The 50-inch plasma set is a 1080p, 33000:1 contrast ratio beauty that's THX-certified. However that certification lies at the root of all of the sets drawbacks. While the THX mode does result in highly accurate primary color reproduction, it actually reduces the accuracy of color decoding and grayscale when compared to using the set without the THX enabled. The one thing everything looks for in plasmas as a measure of quality is the black level, and the 50PG60 doesn't quite measure up, projecting lighter blacks than the best plasmas on the market. It does, however, feature some solid video processing, tons of opportunities to tweek the picture, 4 HDMI slots, and a sweet design. So, while the THX certification actually takes away from the review, the LG 50PG60 is actually a decent buy with a good picture and an overall 7.6 out of 10 score from CNET.
The LG 50PG60 is available from Amazon, with several special offers.
Pioneer's KRP-600M 60-Inch KURO Plasma Hits Japan This Month
Pioneer's 60-inch KRP-600M 9th generation KURO plasma TV is set for a Japanese release this month. With a 64 mm thin body and sleek black design, the KRP-600M only gets more impressive once you look inside. The KRP-600M KURO plasma features 1080p resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, a variety of inputs including a couple of HDMI, one component, on PC, and an ethernet slot, noise reduction features, a built-in ambient light sensor, and KURO Link. You'll pay dearly for this KURO though: when it goes on sale later this month it'll cost 850, 000 Yen, the equivalent of $8500 US. Pioneer also plans on releasing a 50-inch KRP-500M KURO model later this year.
Panasonic TH-50PZ800U Plasma May's Top TV According To CNET
Panasonic's TH-50PZ800U plasma TV has received CNET's Editor's Choice Award for May. Officially released May 1, the TH-50PZ800U sports a 50-inch display and with a mighty 1000000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, displays black levels that near those of Pioneer's popular PDP-5080HD. Compared to the previous generation Panasonic plasmas, color and video processing is much improved with the added THX Mode, although this is the main reason behind the added dollars you'll pay. The TH-50PZ800U is a "worthy competitor to the Kuro, and in many ways, it performs even better" according to David Katzmaier, the reviewer. Quite the compliment. Head over to CNET for the full review.
Panasonic's PZ850 Viera Cast Internet-Enabled Plasma Line Hitting North America Mid-June
Panasonic's Viera Cast PZ850 Plasma Series, first announced for the North American market at the end of March will officially be hitting shelves mid-June. Panasonic's proprietary Viera Cast technology provides access to all kinds of popular web content including YouTube, Google's Picasa photo platform and Bloomberg News, all viewable directly on the plasma screen.
The Viera PZ850 line will feature 4 new models-the 46-inch TH-46PZ850, 50-inch TH-50PZ850, 58-inch 58PZ850, and the 65-inch TH-65PZ850. All four models features 1080p resolution in 16:9 widescreen format, 30000:1 native contrast ratio/1000000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 24p native reproduction and a whack of connections include 4 HDMI slots, a PC-input and an SD card slot on-screen picture viewing.
Aside from the exciting Viera Cast technology, the PZ850 series has a bunch of other cool features including:
H.264 codec compatibility allows HD camcorder video to be viewed on the plasma set using an SD card
a Pro Setting Menu, providing access to all the tools needed to calibrate the set to its optimum picture quality
Digital Cinema Color Remastering for accurate movie color reproduction
Studio Reference Mode which displays the most subtle colors intended by the film makers
a Game Mode which reduces screen time lag during play
Viera Link providing multiple home theater device control using one remote
Like the entire Panasonic Viera line, the PZ850 series panels contain no lead or mercury and boast a half-life of 100000 hours. Don't expect to get this kind of TV technology for cheap though. When the line-up hits shelves in June, you'll pay $3099.95, $3499.95, $4299.95, and $7999.95 for the 46-, 50-, 58-, and 65-inch models respectively.
Panasonic 150-Inch Monster Plasma Could Hit Stores As Early As June 2009
Remember back to CES 2008 back in January and you're sure to have a particular 150-inch Panasonic plasma monster somewhere in the forefront of your memories. Panasonic has completed a test run of the Neo Plasma at its P5 plant currently being built in Amagasaki, Japan and is rumored to be hitting shelves as early June 2009. Of course by shelves, we mean ones in Japan.
The Panasonic Neo plasma features 4096x2160 resolution, four times that of 1080p, and FX/Double Efficiency which uses half the energy to maintain the same level of brightness available on current plasma models. The Neo line also includes a tiny sibling (by comparison of course), a 50-inch, 24.7 mm thin plasma model.
Via Crave Asia
Shinodo Plasma Producing 150-Inch Curved Plasma Displays This Fall
If you happen to be in the Las Vegas area in June, drop by the InfoComm 2008 conference and check out Shinoda Plasma's 125-inch curved plasma display. Flexible and only 1 mm thin, the Shinoda plasma tube array display consists of 3 integrated 1x1 meter squares, features a resolution of 960x360 pixels and only weighs 8 pounds. Built for digital signage and advertising applications, the 125-inch prototype is just a preview of the 150-inch curved displays Shinoda Plasma expects to begin producing on a small-scale this fall.
With all of the restructuring happening in the plasma TV industry lately, from Pioneer right down to Philips now, we're wondering again if 2008 really is the beginning of the end of plasma. Last year Philips started to cut down on its plasma TV shipments and moved out of China altogether, and with plasmas shipping roughly 10% the volume of LCD TV shipments this year, Funai, the company behind the Philips brand has stated no new models will be released post-2008. Although they'll still ship about 500, 000 sets this year, no new models next year is a pretty good indication that Philips will pack it in and quit entirely.
LG's PG7000 Plasma Set For July Release, Features Infinite Blacks (The Latest HDTV Buzzword?)
If you've been looking for an "infinite contrast" HDTV lately, your choices have been limited to Pioneer and Dolby, both still working with prototype models. But LG is the latest TV maker to jump on the infinite black bandwagon with their upcoming July release--the LG7000 plasma HDTV. Infinite blacks have been tough to achieve as plasma cells tend to emit light even when they're not in use. Any leaked light and so much for your perfect black. But at CES earlier this year, Pioneer showed off a prototype plasma that leaked no light at all. Now it seems "infinite contrast ratio" will be the next big TV buzzword, and we're guessing by next year all the big manufacturers will have infinite contrast HDTV's on the market. Whether or not LG uses the same technology as Pioneer isn't known, but irregardless we're looking forward to this model's release.
Forget LCD's And Plasma's, Telescopic Pixel Displays May Be The Future
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