Skip to Content

Are you prepared for Wrath of the Lich King? WoW Insider has you covered!
AOL Tech

Posts with tag plasma

Engadget HD

Salespeople Push LCD TVs More Than Plasmas, Study Finds

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 12:25PM



For some strange reason, we can't say we're surprised by the latest J.D. Power and Associates report. Maybe it's how LCD HDTVs seem to be highlighted in most retail locations, or maybe it's just because the negative burn-in stigma attached to earlier PDPs has yet to wear off.

Whatever the case, said research firm has just produced an article claiming that "retail electronics salespersons are recommending LCD TVs instead of plasma TVs at a rate of more than three to one." The research focused on shoppers looking for sets 40-inches and up over the past six months, though it didn't specifically mention where it went undercover to source such data.

Really though, it's not shocking to hear that B&M salespeople aren't totally adept at explaining pros and cons -- after all, we'd recommend doing your own independent research and ordering online -- but hopefully this will beat the message home to those who've been blindly believing anything they hear when shopping for a new set. [Image courtesy of Exceptional Innovation]
  • Read
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 2 Comments

Pioneer to Stop Making Plasma TVs

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 7th 2008 at 8:51AM

Pioneer Stops Producing Plasma Panels

In the battle for thin-panel television supremacy, the plasma display for many years has been the superior choice, relying on individual pockets of excitable gas to produce bright colors and rich blacks. But ever since the upstart LCD panel display came into the HDTV market, it's been gradually nipping at plasma's heels, and, after years of refinements, has finally started to offer similar visual performance at lower price and in a much lighter package. This has meant bad news for the plasma industry, with the latest blow being word that Pioneer, one of the leading plasma manufacturers, will stop making plasma panels.

Pioneer will still sell its well-respected Kuro series plasma displays, known for being some of the best on the market. But it will no longer actually manufacture the panels used inside of those sets, instead turning to a third-party (in this case, Panasonic). What this means for the cost and quality of these sets remains to be seen. If Panasonic makes the panels but adds Pioneer's excellent video processing and other technologies, perhaps the Pioneer that many videophiles (including us) know and love will live on. Or maybe Pioneer will figure out some way to give us in LCDs what we loved in its plasmas, since the company plants to start releasing Kuro-branded LCDs televisions this Fall.

So, sorry plasma lovers. It's quite possible that your format of choice is going the way of HD-DVD. With any luck, though, the new crop of Organic Light Emitting Diode or OLED televisions, which deliver even brighter colors and deeper blacks than plasmas, will be inexpensive enough to fill the void in a few years.

From Engadget

Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 3 Comments

Pioneer Unveils Super-Thin, High-Contrast Plasma TVs

by Alon Avdi, posted Jan 6th 2008 at 3:12PM



Today, Pioneer showed off two significant concept models for its flat-panel plasma TV product line. Under the banner of Project KURO, a sci-fi-sounding internal anthem for change, Pioneer unveiled both the thinnest flat panel TV and a flat panel that boasts an unparalleled contrast ratio.

To give you a better perspective, one TV has a screen frame 9mm thick (thinner than the iPhone!), as opposed to contemporaries that are 3.5 inches thick. The other, in techno babble, eliminates all idling luminance – or, if you prefer an example in English, the screen would not be visible in a dark room when displaying a black screen.

The latter, dubbed the Extreme Contrast Concept Model, adheres to the golden rule of the plasma TV viewing experience: Black is the most important color on a display, controlling where an image starts and the shadows it projects. By developing a screen that gives off no ambient light, the black is the blackest, to put it simply.

The 9mm flat panel, on the other hand, creates a new form factor for 50-inch screens, getting rid of the bulky frames that characterize current models. While the concept models exhibited at CES do not combine the two innovations, Pioneer plans to integrate them when this next generation of flat panels becomes available to the public at some indeterminate point in the future.

In case you hadn't noticed, we're pretty psyched about this announcement. Not only will we get to that holy grail of picture clarity, but the TV will seem to blend into the wall upon which it is attached. And, hey, we're not excitable folk – unless it comes to technology that really matters to you.

Gallery: Pioneer's Super-Thin and High-Contrast Plasma Screen TVs



From Pioneer

Related Links:

  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 5 Comments

World's Largest TV Measures 150 Inches

by Tim Stevens, posted Dec 27th 2007 at 8:20AM

Giant Panasonic Plasma
Right now it seems Sony is the only television manufacturer interested in making things smaller and thinner than the competition, releasing their super-skinny OLED set as a preview of things to come. Just about everyone else is focused on the "bigger is better" wars, and they're heating things up again with the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show right around the corner, where Panasonic will leap ahead with a giant new plasma television.

Panasonic previously held the "World's Largest TV" crown when it debuted a 103-inch plasma HDTV at the 2006 CES. However, this past January Sharp showed off a 108-inch LCD HDTV, snagging the crown by a measly five inches. Now Panasonic is set to return at the 2008 CES next month with a plasma HDTV that will measure a whopping 150-inches diagonally. If you do the math, that makes this TV 138-inches wide by 79-inches tall. That's nearly twelve feet wide and over six feet tall! No details on resolution, brightness, cost, but when you get to a set that large we're more curious about the non-technical details, like how much will the thing weigh and how will you keep the heat that will radiate off of the thing from burning your house down?

From Gizmo Watch

Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 37 Comments

Our Best TV Pick: Pioneer Kuro Elite 50-Inch Plasma HDTV

by Switched Staff, posted Dec 21st 2007 at 11:10AM


For the videophile who's been really, really good this year, there's no better way to say "I love, but I'd like you to stop talking so much" than by giving the top-of-the-line Pioneer Kuro Elite 50-inch PDP-5010FD. With picture quality so pristine that, from 3.5-feet you can see the film grain -- but not the pixels -- this TV will leave anyone speachless.
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 2 Comments

Just Tell Me What to Get: Home Theater

by Tom Conlon, posted Oct 6th 2007 at 7:00AM

For the buyer with a little more to spend:
Samsung HP-T5064 50-inch Plasma TV

Samsung HP-T5064 50-inch Plasma TV
First, let's exchange those extra bucks of yours for a couple of more inches of screen real estate. Samsung's 50-inch beauty looks great on any wall. It features a glare-reducing screen for nice picture even in bright light, plus its ability to display blacks and dark colors is one of the in the business. Besides three HDMI inputs for your various video sources, this monster boasts a DVI input for connecting a computer and a USB slot for playing photos and MP3s directly off of a thumb drive. For $1,300, you max out at a 720p resolution, so go with Samsung's similarly equipped FPT5084 model for $2,300 if you think you need 1080p.

 Sony PlayStation 3 Sony PlayStation 3
Why not make Sony's gaming console the center of your home theater? Besides blistering your thumbs with its catalog of shooters, sword-slingers. sports titles and other adventures, the PS3 is also a CD, DVD and Blu-ray player. It can also be used as your home media server, or it can stream movies, music and photos from your computer. Oh, and it has an Internet browser. Right now, the cheapest PS3 you can get is listed at $499, but it's starting to look like those whispers of a $399 model are more than just rumors.

Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector
Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector
These Digital Sound Projectors are some of the coolest products we've seen in a while. This single $899 unit replaces the amp, speakers and subwoofer of a conventional sound system by "beaming" different sound channels in different directions to simulate surround sound. It actually detects the walls of your room and uses them to bounce sound at you and even behind you. And since the whole package is contained in this single minimalist piece, it's the perfect compliment to a slick flat screen. Mount it on the wall below your TV or rest it on a shelf or optional ear-high stand.

TOTAL: $2,600 to $3,600 Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 2 Comments

Just Tell Me What to Get: Home Theater

by Tom Conlon, posted Oct 6th 2007 at 7:00AM

We're asked all the time what constitutes a great, but affordable home theater package. Unfortunately, 'affordable' can mean very different things to different people. So, we've put together two excellent home theater set-ups for two different budgets, both of which are still firmly planted in the realm of reality. In other words, you probably won't need a winning lottery ticket to afford the payments on them.

For the budget-conscious buyer:
VIZIO VX37L 37-inch LCD TV

VIZIO VX37L 37-inch LCD TV
At just $799 for a top-notch LCD, you really can't beat VIZIO. Though you might not be familiar with the name, the company has been making some noise lately for offering high-quality sets priced with real people in mind. On this LCD, you get two HDMI inputs for connecting video sources with just one cable for picture and sound -- a nice feature at such a low price. The resolution tops out at 720p, but at this size that's all you'll need for HDTV broadcasts, DVDs and gaming. (More on 720p versus 1080p here.)

Panasonic SC-PT950 Wireless Home Theater

Panasonic SC-PT950 Wireless Home Theater
When putting together a home theater, hardcore audiophiles will tell you to handpick your components and speakers separately. But, that quickly gets expensive and time-consuming. All-in-one systems, or HTIBs (Home Theater In a Box), on the other hand, give you everything you need in one convenient package – like this Panasonic kit, which includes a receiver, amplifier, five-disc DVD changer and speakers. In addition to an included iPod dock and the ability to up-convert DVDs to true 1080p resolution, the $440 system also boasts the convenience and easy setup of a wireless back speaker.

TOTAL: $1,240
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 5 Comments

Projector Down the Pants

by Evan Shamoon, posted May 9th 2007 at 8:31AM



While we're in no way condoning shoplifting, you've got to give this guy some credit . . . if only for sheer persistence. This surveillance video shows a young Australian man trying to stuff a gargantuan TV projector down his shorts -- eventually even getting on his knees to complete the deed -- and waltzing out of the store unnoticed with his accomplice. Details on the tape are next to none, so we have no idea if he got away with the theft or not. We just got such a laugh out of this, we had to share it with you. Maybe next time he'll go for plasma.

From LiveLeak
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Pottery Barn Snobbifies Your TV

by Tom Conlon, posted May 3rd 2007 at 7:58AM

Pottery Barn Snobbifies Your TV

James Lipton of 'Inside the Actors Studio' can go on and on all he wants about the "art" of movie making, but he clearly hasn't ever had a good look at your DVD collection (or Blu-Ray or HD-DVD or Betamax or whatever). The only way 'Big Momma's House 2' is going to come anywhere close to being artsy is if you own Pottery Barn's Chadwick Flat-Panel TV Frame. The museum-like frames can gussy up most TVs measuring 37, 42 and 50 inches and cost $399, $499 and $599 respectively. Unfortunately, unless you're handy with a can of spray paint, the frame is available only in Pottery Barn's "Espresso" color.

From Uncrate

Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

How to Clean Your Flat-Panel TV

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 30th 2007 at 11:24AM



If you're like most people, you're a little unsure of how to best clean that new high-definition flat-panel display you just dropped a couple grand on. Whatever you do, don't use Windex: That all-purpose cleaner can make your LCD panel look foggy. And paper towels? Fuggedaboutit. Those household staples can leave scratches on your plasma. In addition, LCD and plasma screens have special coatings that can be damaged by too much wiping.

Sadly, modern sets require more modern cleaning techniques than your old tube-based TV. For those who absolutely must have the best, or at least the most expensive, Frontgate offers this $30 flat screen care kit. It includes a "specially formulated gel" plus a micro-fiber cleaning cloth, all packaged into a lovely wooden case that would look perfect sitting atop one of those giant '80s-era paneled big-screen television sets.

If $30 seems a bit much (or the wood grain is not for your tastes), you can always go the cheaper route: a slightly damp (with water) cotton cloth and gentle strokes.

From The Red Ferret Journal

Related Links:

  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Sony Unveils Its LCD Killer

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 12th 2007 at 4:30PM

Sony OLED TV
If you're the type of person who likes to stay on top of the latest and greatest at all times, then by now you're definitely aware of the hype surrounding OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays. If you aren't, OLEDs use organic compounds to produce light similar to the way fireflies spark themselves up. It's widely believed the technology will in a few years supplant LCD, offering better color, wider viewing angles, higher contrast ratios, thinner form factors, lower power usage, and, theoretically, lower production costs.

Though resolution limits and shorter display lives have thus far relegated OLED to phones, media players, and cameras, Sony has stepped up and announced that it will be releasing an OLED TV to the public later this year. But before you get too excited, the set will measure only 11 inches and won't be HD (1024 x 600). And along with that stunted lifespan, it'll also likely come with a very high price tag.

From Engadget
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments


    AOL Tech Network



    Latest Reviews from CNET.com

    CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

    Top Product Reviews

    Weblogs, Inc. Network

    AOL News

    Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

    Joystiq
    Download Squad
    The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
    BloggingStocks
    Xbox 360 Fanboy
    Autoblog
    Big Download Blog
    Fanhouse Backporch