Audio Video News

As we saw at CES in January, Panasonic is bullish on plasma, a point that was driven home at the company's product showcase held last week in New York and this week at the Panasonic Hollywood Labs (PHL) in Los Angeles. The 2009 Viera TV lineup includes no less than 17 new plasmas with screens measuring 42 to 65 inches diagonally and seven new LCDs with screens in the 26- to 37-inch range.

In particular, the plasmas are eagerly anticipated by many who lament Pioneer's exit from the plasma business. Will they be as good as Kuros, especially since Panasonic was all geared up to provide the raw panels for that brand? For the presentation I attended, unfortunately, there were very few of the new models set up in a tiny room, and we were looking mostly at PowerPoint slides, so we had no real opportunity to see how well they performed.

The plasmas are grouped into five lines, most with several different sizes: Z1 (the new top of the heap), V10 (replaces former top-dog PZ850), G10 (replaces PZ800 and PZ85), S1 (replaces PZ80), and X1 (replaces PX80). The X1 line's resolution is 720p, while all other models are 1080p. Like last year, all plasmas are rated with a half-life (time to half brightness) of 100,000 hours.

TC-P50V10

Among the most important developments in the 2009 models is that all but the X1 line incorporate Panasonic's NeoPDP plasma panel. The new panel is said to achieve a native contrast ratio of 40,000:1 (up from 30,000:1 last year) and a dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, leading to the marketing moniker "Infinite Black."

They also claim a moving-picture resolution of 1080 lines, which is better than the 900 lines common in today's high-performance TVs. This is due in large part to a geeky feature known as 600Hz sub-field drive. All plasmas flash each frame on the screen several times as part of their basic operation—in many cases, each frame is flashed on the screen eight times in 1/60 of a second, which equates to 480Hz sub-field drive. The new models flash each frame 10 times in 1/60 of a second for a 600Hz sub-field drive, which improves motion detail and color gradations.

Many features from last year's top of the line have migrated downward into many more models this year. For example, the G10, V10, and Z1 lines are all THX certified for video performance. These three lines also offer Viera Cast IPTV capability, which provides access to various online content providers, including YouTube, Amazon video on demand (new this year), Picasa photo sharing, the Weather Channel, and Bloomberg business news. An SD card slot lets you display digital photos on all models, and the G10, V10, and Z1 add H.264/AVCHD video playback.

TC-P50G10

Finally, all 2009 models are much more eco-conscious than previous generations, using less packaging and consuming much less power. They also offer Viera Link, which is Panasonic's implementation of HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control), which is designed to simplify system control by allowing compatible components to communicate with each other via HDMI.

The flagship TC-P54Z1 deserves special mention. This 54-inch model is the only one in the Z1 line and will list for $6000 when it becomes available in June. Measuring only 1 inch thick, it's the only model in the 2009 lineup with an external input/processor box. Not only that, the box sends its HDMI signal to the TV wirelessly using WiHD, the 60GHz wireless system from the Wireless HD Consortium. In addition, the TV's remote uses RF instead of IR, so the box needn't be in line of sight, though WiHD cannot work if the box is completely hidden.

TC-P54Z1

Here's a rundown of the 2009 plasmas:

Model	Features	Availability	MSRP*
TC-P54Z1	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Wireless HD Connectivity; thin 1” Design Panel and Tuner Box configuration; VIERA CAST; THX Certified Display; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel; 24P Cinematic Playback, 4 HDMI inputs, Swivel Base	Summer 2009	$5999.95
TC-P65V10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Digital Cinema Color; THX Certified Display; VIERA CAST; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field drive; 24P Cinematic Playback, 4 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1Infinite Black Panel	August 2009	TBA
TC-P58V10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Digital Cinema Color; THX Certified Display; VIERA CAST; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; VIERA Link; 600 Hz Sub-field drive; 24P Cinematic Playback, 4 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	August 2009	TBA
TC-P54V10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Digital Cinema Color; THX Certified Display; VIERA CAST; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; 24P Cinematic Playback, 4 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	June 2009	$2699.95
TC-P50V10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Digital Cinema Color; THX Certified Display; VIERA CAST; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; 24P Cinematic Playback, 4 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1 Dynamic 1,000,000:1/Infinite Black Panel, 2” Design with Single-Sheet-of-Glass, Swivel Base.	June 2009	$2299.95
TC-P54G10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; VIERA CAST; Viera Link; THX Certified Display; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	May 2009	$2399.95
TC-P50G10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; VIERA CAST; Viera Link; THX Certified Display; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	March 2009	$1999.95
TC-P46G10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; VIERA CAST; Viera Link; THX Certified Display; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	March 2009	$1699.95
TC-P42G10	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; VIERA CAST; Viera Link; THX Certified Display; VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	March 2009	$1399.95
TC-P65S1	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Full-Time 1080 lines Moving Picture Resolution;; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; AR filter; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	August 2009	TBA
TC-P58S1	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Full-Time 1080 lines Moving Picture Resolution; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; AR filter; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	August 2009	TBA
TC-P54S1	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Full-Time 1080 lines Moving Picture Resolution,; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; AR filter; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	May 2009	$2199.95
TC-P50S1	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Full-Time 1080 lines Moving Picture Resolution; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; AR filter; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	March 2009	$1799.95
TC-P46S1	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Full-Time 1080 lines Moving Picture Resolution; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; AR filter; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	March 2009	$1499.95
TC-P42S1	Neo PDP; 1080p Resolution; Full-Time 1080 lines Moving Picture Resolution; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; AR filter; Game mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Contrast Ratio: Native 40,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	March 2009	$1199.95
TC-P50X1	720p Resolution; Over 900 Lines of Moving Resolution, 600Hz Sub-field Drive; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; AR Filter; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio Native 30,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	February 2009	$1099.95
TC-P42X1	720p Resolution; Over 900 Lines of Moving Resolution, 600Hz Sub-field Drive; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; AR Filter; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs; Contrast Ratio Native 30,000:1/Infinite Black Panel	February 2009	$899.95

The new LCDs are no slouches either, with three lines: G1, S1, and X1. Panasonic is investing heavily in this technology by building the world's second largest LCD plant in Japan. The new models use IPS (in-plane switching) panels to increase the viewing angle and claim a dynamic contrast ratio of up to 20,000:1, thanks in part to a feature called Intelligent Scene Controller, which is a dynamic backlight. (With IPS panels, I suspect that the native black level will be relatively high, since that's the tradeoff for wider viewing angle in that technology.) The G1 line operates with a refresh rate of 120Hz.

Perhaps most interesting is the iPod dock included with the X1 models. Developed in cooperation with Apple, the dock lets you listen to music and watch photos and videos while charging the iPod, and you can control things from the iPod itself or the onscreen GUI using the Panasonic remote.

X1 LCD with iPod dock

Here's the lineup of Panasonic's new LCD TVs:

Model	Features	Availability	MSRP*
TC-L37G1	1080p Resolution; 120Hz Motion Picture Pro3, VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio 20,000:1; IPS Alpha Panel with 178° viewing angle; PC input; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Swivel Base; Narrow Bezel Design, Fine Black Panel	May 2009	$1099.95
TC-L32G1	1080p Resolution; 120Hz Motion Picture Pro3, VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio 20,000:1; IPS Alpha Panel with 178° viewing angle; PC input; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs; Swivel Base; Narrow Bezel Design, Fine Black Panel	May 2009	$799.95
TC-L37S1	1080p Resolution; Motion Focus technology; Intelligent Scene Controller, VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio: 15,000:1 ; IPS Alpha Panel with 178° viewing angle; PC Input; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Fine Black Panel	March 2009	$899.95
TC-L32S1	1080p Resolution; Motion Focus technology; Intelligent Scene Controller, VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio: 15,000:1 ; IPS Alpha Panel with 178° viewing angle; PC Input; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Fine Black Panel	March 2009	$849.95
TC-L37X1	720p Resolution; Entertainment Kit; Intelligent Scene Controller; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio 12,000:1; PC input; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Fine Black Panel	March 2009	$799.95
TC-L32X1	720p Resolution; IPod Entertainment Kit; Intelligent Scene Controller; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio 12,000:1; PC input; Game Mode; 3 HDMI inputs, Fine Black Panel	March 2009	$649.95
TC-L26X1	720p Resolution; IPod Entertainment Kit; Intelligent Scene Controller; VIERA Image Viewer; VIERA Link; Contrast Ratio 12,000:1; PC input; Game Mode; 2 HDMI inputs, Fine Black Panel	May 2009	$599.95

Blu-ray players made a strong showing as well. The DMP-BD60 ($300) replaces the BD35, and the DMP-BD80 ($400) replaces the BD55; both are shipping now. The new models incorporate the latest generation of Panasonic's PHL Reference Chroma Processor and P⁴HD algorithms running on the company's Uniphier chipset, and a side-by-side demo with another unnamed Blu-ray player clearly illustrated the superior deinterlacing capabilities of the Panasonic player.

DMP-BD80

New in the BD-player roster is the DMP-BD70V ($400, May), which can play all those VHS tapes many folks have lying around (no recording) as well as media on SD cards and USB storage devices in addition to Blu-ray, DVD, and CD discs. Another side-by-side demo with a Sony upconverting VHS/DVD recorder again clearly indicated that the Panasonic's playback of VHS was superior with a much sharper and more stable image—though it would never be mistaken for HD or even DVD.

DMP-BD70V

As if that weren't enough, two new Blu-ray-based, 7.1 home-theater-in-a-box systems made their debut: the SC-BT200 ($600, May) and BT300 ($700). Both HTIBs include an iPod dock, wireless-ready rear speakers, 96kHz remastering, and bamboo-cone speakers that are said to widen the frequency range.

SC-BT200

SC-BT300

All 2009 Blu-ray players and HTIBs also include Viera Cast networking capability, providing access to Amazon VOD, YouTube, and all the other online content sources. All in all, Panasonic has an impressive lineup for 2009, and we look forward to bringing you reviews of many of the new products.