Scott Wilkinson

LCDs aren't the only TVs slimming down this year. Panasonic unveiled the TC-P54Z1 54-inch plasma that's only 1 inch thick. Using the company's new Neo PDP plasma panel, the Z1 achieves a claimed <I>native</I> (not dynamic) contrast ratio of 40,000:1. It's also twice as bright as last year's panels while consuming the same amount of power, or looked at the other way, it produces the same brightness with half the power consumption. Not only that, the Z1 has wireless HD capability. It should be available in April or May.

In addition to many TVs, LG also introduced two new Blu-ray players, the BD370 and BD390 (pictured here). Both are BD-Live ready (the BD390 has 1GB of internal memory), and both can stream content from Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube via Ethernet as well as access content on networked DLNA servers. The BD390 can also stream via WiFi, and it has 7.1 analog outputs.

The big message at Panasonic's press conference was 3D with "full HD" resolution (i.e., 1080p)&#151;many current 3D systems cut the effective resolution in half to accommodate two eyes separately. The company is spearheading a drive to develop a standard for 3D HD content production, mastering, and display this year, with products appearing in 2010. Director James Cameron is on board, and Panasonic Hollywood Labs, Panasonic's R&D arm, is working with studios and manufacturers to achieve these goals. I've never found 3D all that compelling, and it sometimes gives me a slight headache after a while, so I welcome any substantive progress toward a standardized improvement.

Among nine new models of LCD TVs on display at Sharp's press conference, the company introduced the world's first models with an integrated Blu-ray player, including the LC-46BD80U pictured here. In addition to the side-mounted, slot-loading player, members of the BD80 line offer Pure Mode, which senses the content format and automatically sets the TV's aspect ratio and other parameters. Three screen sizes will be available in February: 52" ($2600), 46" ($2300), and 42" ($1900). LCD/DVD combos have been around for quite a while, so I've been wondering who would be first to market with an LCD/BD combo; now I&#151;and you&#151;know.