Are you a Panasonic LCD HDTV owner who’s a bit jealous of fellow Panasonic HD plasma owners who have the Plasma Concierge free customer support program? Well there’s no longer a need to be jealous! Panasonic has announced that they’ve extended the free Concierge program to both Panasonic Plasma and LCD HDTV owners and have as such renamed the program the Panasonic VIERA Concierge program.

The VIERA program includes a toll-free customer support line, provides Panasonic HDTV owners with quick access to technical support via the web, phone, or in-home service as well as access to Panasonic’s HDTV loaner program. The HDTV loaner program provides HDTV loaners at no charge to customers who have their plasma or LCD in for repair (a bit like car loaners)

Once you become part of the VIERA Concierge program, you’ll receive a Concierge Benefits Card which provides a customer ID and a dedicated toll-free telephone number.

This move makes complete sense in the big picture as more and more Panasonic customers opt for LCD HDTV sets and not Plasma based sets.

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Technorati Tags: Panasonic LCD, Plasma HDTV, VIERA Concierge Program

VIZIO also announced two new plasma display at incredible prices - the 32 inch model VP322 for $599 and the 42 inch model VP422 for a mere $799. Both models offer 720p resolutions, 30,000:1 contrast ratio, multiple color temperature settings, independent red/green/blue adjustments, component input, PC input, and three HDMI inputs. To top things off, both models also come with a built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner for over-the-air reception. The new models are available now in Wal-Mart locations nationwide.

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Technorati Tags: VIZIO, VP422, VP322, Plasma Display, HDTV

VIZIO updated their flat panel lineup yesterday with the introduction of a new product line called the XVT Series. Three new HDTV sets were introduced as part of this new series - two new LCD panels and one new Plasma panel.  On the LCD front, there’s the new SV420XVT and the SV47XVT, both of which feature a new black/grey lava look as well as 120Hz processing. On the plasma front, there’s the new VP505XVT which comes with 1080p resolutions and HQV processing. Let’s get into some of the details.

For the VIZIO SV470XVT and SV420XVT LCDs:

• VIZIO Smooth Motion technology (120Hz rates)
• 1080p resolution
• 6500:1 contrast ratio
• SRS Labs TruSurround XT audio processing
• Compatible with VIZIO SV5.1 Upgrade Kit
• Brushed aluminum trimmed VUR8 Universal Learning Remote with PIP keys
• Four HDMI inputs (2 on side and 2 in rear)
• The SV420XVT has an MSRP of $1499.99 while the SV470XVT has an MSRP of $1899.99
• Available in July

For the VIZIO VP505XVT:

• Silicon Optix REON HQV
• 1080p support
• Integrated HD/QAM tuner
• 30,000:1 contrast ratio
• 60,000 to 100,000 hours to half original brightness
• SRS Labs TruSurround XT
• Compatible with VIZIO SV5.1 Upgrade Kit
• New Brandy Wine colored speaker grill
• Four HDMI inputs (2 side and 2 rear)
• Includes 6 foot HDMI cable
• Available in July for $1699.99

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Technorati Tags: VIZIO SV470XVT, SV420XVT, VP505XVT, HDTV, LCD TV, Plasma TV

Panasonic announced today that their web-enabled PZ850 series of VIERA plasma HDTVs would be available around mid-June. The PZ850 was introduced back at CES 2008 and features Panasonic’s new VIERA CAST functionality which brings popular web content to the television set. With a PZ850 HDTV set, you’ll be able to receiver online content from sources such as YouTube, Google’s Picasa Web Album, and Bloomberg. The PZ850 series will feature enhancements such as enhanced contrast ratios, deeper blacks, faster response times, and better overall picture qualities.

Four new models will initially be available for the PZ850 lineup - the 6-inch class TH-46PZ850, the 50-inch class TH-50PZ850 (pictured above) , the 58-inch class TH-58PZ850 and the 65-inch class TH-65PZ850.

Other features of the PZ850 lineup include:

• SD memory card support
• Display digital still images or H.264 encoded videos
• Pro Setting Menu for videophiles
• 30,000:1 contrast ratio
• Dynamic ratio of 1,000,000:1
• 24p native reproduction
• Digital Cinema Color Re-Mastering
• Studio Reference Mode
• Game Mode which minimizes the time lag for gaming sequences
• Four HDMI connections and PC input
• Support for Panasonic’s VIERA Link allowing you to control multiple AV devices with a single remote

Here’s the model breakdowns:

TH-65PZ850 will be available in the fall of 2008 for $7999.95

TH-58PZ850 will be available in the fall of 2008 for $4299.95

TH-50PZ850 will be available this summer for $3499.95

TH-46PZ850U will be available this summer for $3099.95

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Technorati Tags: Panasonic, VIERA PZ850, VIERA CAST, TH-46PZ850, TH-50PZ850, TH-58PZ850, TH-65PZ850

Looking to service the custom installation market, Pioneer is introducing the new Signature Series of Elite KURO monitors as well as new Elite KURO HDTV sets. These displays are designed to be flexible and extremely configurable - necessary features for the custom install market. Why build monitors tailored for this market? Money of course! According to Pioneer, the custom installation market is expected to grow to 226,000 installations in 2012 with more than $23,000 spent on average per installation!

Features of the Signature Series of Elite KURO monitors include:

• Many parts and components are hand selected and hand assembled
• Comes with certificate confirming the superior level of panel performance
• Optimum Mode feature for the Elite KURO HD televisions - adjusts audio and video settings based on sound, picture, and room light conditions
• Elite KURO HD TVs also feature six picture and sound pre-set modes and exclusive Home Media Gallery home networking functionality

The four new models are as follows:

Pioneer Elite KRUO HDTV:

• PRO-111FD - 50 inch, 1080p panel coming out in June for $5000
• PRO-151FD - 60 inch, 1080p panel coming out in June for $6500

Pioneer Elite Signature Series Monitor:

• PRO-101FD - 50 inch 1080p panel coming out in October
• PRO-141FD - 60 inch, 1080p panel coming out in August

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Technorati Tags: Pioneer, Custom Install, HDTV, Signature Seres Elite KURO, Elite KURO

Looking for the deepest blacks in flat panel television sets? You’ll probably want to check out the new additions that Pioneer made to their KURO lineup of plasma televisions. The new PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD feature black levels that are five times deeper than the previous KURO sets which were already amazing in rendering deep blacks. Other features found in the new KURO models include:

• New automatic adjustment feature called Optimum Mode that simultaneously monitors video and room light conditions and then adjusts picture and sound settings
• Six pre-set modes which include standard, movie, sports, performance, game, and dynamic
• Each mode has unique sound settings associated to them
• 3.7 inches thick
• New remote control
• Redesigned graphic user interface
• Networked Home Media Gallery for playback of digital content from a PC or via USB
• DLNA compatible and Windows PlaysForSure compatible
• 1080p resolution

The Pioneer PDP-5020FD (50 inch model) will be coming out in June for a suggested price of $4000. The Pioneer PDP-6020FD will also be coming out in June for a suggested price of $5500.

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Technorati Tags: Pioneer, PDP-5020FD, PDP-6020FD, KURO

Samsung edged out Sony for the lead in North American LCD shipments during Q1 of this year with 12.8 percent. However, the lead is precarious at best as Sony had 12.7 percent of LCD shipments and Vizio had 12.5 percent.

On the plasma front, Panasonic had the top spot at 33 percent which is down from 38 percent during Q4 of last year. Following Panasonic is LG with a little over 19.2 percent and Samsung with 18.4 percent.

Samsung continued to lead the overall flat panel market (plasma + LCD TVs) with 13.5 percent of the market. Vizio is the surprising runner up with 12.2 percent, edging out Sony who had 11.3 percent.

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Technorati Tags: Samsung, Sony, LG, Vizio, DisplaySearch, Q1 2008

As expected by many, Pioneer announced last week that they would be ending their in-house production of plasma display panels as a way to streamline their business and shift focus from money-losing businesses to growth oriented business such as car electronics and Blu-ray products. Pioneer will continue to sell plasma displays but will now procure the panels from third party manufacturers. Pioneer is also looking into how it can procure panels that include some of their own plasma display technologies.

Pioneer also announced that they would be partnering with Sharp Corporation - with Sharp providing LCD panels for upcoming Pioneer LCD HDTV systems. The two companies would also be developing acoustic systems for ultra-thin flat panel TVs.

In the meantime, Pioneer will focus on internally developing Blu-ray disc players which it expects to grow as a business worldwide as more consumers adopt Blu-ray. On the Blu-ray recorder front, Pioneer will continue to use joint developing and outsourcing in creating new products (also working with Sharp on this front).

You can read more about the business restructuring at Pioneer here in their press release.

[Check it out via Digital Trends]

Technorati Tags: Pioneer, Sharp, LCD, Plasma, Blu-ray

With the Super Bowl less than a week away, it’s probably a good time to consider getting a new large screen HDTV set. However, if you’re not sure where to start, then you might be interested in checking out this list of HDTV sets over at PC Magazine.

Keep one thing in mind if you’re planning to get an HDTV this week for the Super Bowl. The HDTV might make it to your home before the game but will you have a high definition signal for the game itself? If you don’t already subscribe to HD over cable, you might want to see if you can schedule an appointment to get it hooked up now. The other option would be to see if you can access OTA (over-the-air) HD content but unless you live on the top floor of your building, chances are your reception might be a tad poor.

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Technorati Tags: Super Bowl, HDTV, PC Magazine

If you happen to be here in Southern California, make sure to drop on by the West Los Angeles location of Ken Crane’s where the new Panasonic 103 inch plasma TV is on display. The 103 inch Panasonic TH-103PF9UK has nearly 4500 square inches of display area, a 1080p full HD resolution screen, and smooth motion during high speed action.

Features of the 103 inch Panasonic plasma include:

• Full HD pixel resolution of 1,920 horizontal x 1,080 vertical
• Industry’s leading 16-bit processing to produces 4,096 steps of gradation
• Contrast ratio of up to 4,000:1 to reproduce exceptionally deep, rich blacks
• Effective display area is approximately 89″ wide by 50″ high
• Supports 1080/60p/50p, 1080/60i/50i/24p/24sF/25p/30p, 1080/50i, 720/60p/50p, 480/60i/p, and 575/50i/p video signals
• Advanced Dual Picture mode to overlay a video image onto a full-screen PC image
• Expanded configurations for multi-screen displays and the ability to enlarge an image up to 4X vertically and horizontally
• Three interchangeable slots and comes standard with the TY-FB9DD DVI board (compatible with UXGA input), TY-42TM6A analog component board, an integrated D-sub15 PC input, and an integrated D-sub9 RS-232C interface
• Plug-in architecture allows the addition of multi-function terminal boards for added connectivity and functionality

The Panasonic TH-103PF9UK retails for $70,000 plus delivery and installation.

Technorati Tags: Panasonic TH-103PF9UK, Ken Cranes