THE FRONT LINE: MARCH 2009
Panasonic 2009 Line Show
For those folks who think plasma technology is on the way out, Panasonic has an answer for you: NOT!
On March 12, Panasonic unveiled its 2009 lineup of HDTVs and related products at an out-of-the-way loft halfway down 49th Street in New York City. It wasn’t an easy location to find, but well worth the trip as the intimate surroundings were more conducive to checking out many of the products previously announced at CES.
Since January, Pioneer has announced it will be forced to throw in the towel on plasma TV manufacturing and sales, apparently creating the impression among many pundits that plasma display technology has entered its inevitable decline.
Horsefeathers! Pioneer’s problems were largely due to bad financial and marketing decisions, a costly investment in unneeded PDP fab capacity, plus a small and ever-shrinking market share in plasma TV sales.
Panasonic, on the other hand, is the acknowledged leader in volume shipments and sales of plasma TVs, and has invested in six different fabs to make them. Not long ago, the company forecast production at over 11 million panels annually by the end of 2009, and while that forecast may be tempered by the current economic slowdown, there’s still plenty of PDP glass coming out of Osaka.
Figure 1. Greg from Panasonic shows how the new VIERA Cast works.
Figure 2. These are just a handful of the new plasma TV models,
which jump in four-inch
glass sizes from 42 inches to 54 inches.
PLASMA HDTVS
For 2009, Panasonic has a total of 22 different plasma TV models, which may be a record for them. Sitting atop the line is the super-skinny Z1 ($5,995), which is a real eye-catcher. This 54-inch set uses the latest Neo PDP technology, capable of lower power consumption and a panel thickness of about 25 millimeters (about an inch).
It’s also equipped with VIERA Link™ for total system control, VIERA Cast for accessing content from YouTube and Amazon UnBox, and VIERA Image Viewer which can play back AVCHD videos and show JPEGs from SD memory cards. (Question: Why doesn’t Panasonic hire Meredith Viera as a spokesperson?
Stepping down one level, you’ll find the V10-series plasmas, with four different screen sizes available – 50, 54, 58, and 65 inches. Like the Z1, V10s also use Neo PDP glass and have 1080p resolution, come with the three VIERA options, include four HDMI inputs, and are THX-certified (yep, another logo to be stuck on the front of your TV). No prices have been announced on the 65 and 58-inch models, but the 54-incher will tag at $2,700 and the 50-inch at $2,300.
Figure 3a-b. The ultra-thin 54Z1 (top) makes quite a style statement,
and uses an umbilical
cord to connect to its electronics (bottom).
The G10 series covers four screen sizes from 42 inches to 54 inches and drops one of the
HDMI inputs while retaining the VIERA Cast/Link/Image Viewer options. A Game preset mode is
added, and Neo 1080p glass is found here as well. Prices range from $1,400 for the 42-inch
offering to $2,400 for the 54-inch version.
Yet another lineup, the S1 series, drops VIERA Cast and THX certification, but keeps the image viewer and VIERA link functions and includes the Game mode and three HDMI inputs. Prices range from $1,200 for the 42-inch S1 to $2,200 for the 54-incher, with pricing still to come on the 58 and 65-inch offerings.
Apparently Panasonic still thinks there’s a market for 720p (1366x768) plasma, as they’ve kept two of those “hole cards” in the 2009 lineup. The TC-50PX1 will set you back just $1,100 and comes with VIERA Image Viewer and Link functions, three HDMI inputs, and the previously-mentioned Game mode. A 42-inch version will retail for $900.
Figure 4. Panasonic also showed a wireless HDMI demo.
Look for this product category to
take off in 2009.
The first question that came to mind was this: Why so many incremental screen sizes? Obviously, the 54-inch PDP cut is in response to LCD manufacturer’s 52-inch cuts, which were a response to plasma manufacturer’s 50-inch cuts…anyway, it’s more of the “mine’s bigger than yours!” game that’s been going on for the past few years.
I asked Panasonic if there was really a need for a 46-inch plasma TV, given the small price spread between 42-inch and 50-inch glass, and they responded that 46-inch hadn’t turned out to be a very big seller as marketing and sales data showed consumers were indeed jumping right to 50-inch HDTVs from 42s.
The 54-inch glass size is really splitting hairs, but apparently it can be cut quite easily from one of several PDP motherglass sizes that Panasonic is currently fabbing – and without wasting extra glass. Given how few 55-inch LCD sets are being sold these days, a 54-inch plasma screen would seem to have a leg up at big box stores.
Figure 5. Panasonic’s LCD HDTVs take care of smaller screen sizes,
and several of them support
direct playback from iPods.
LCD HDTVS
Yes, there are LCD TVs in Panasonic’s 2009 line, and in an unusual twist, all of them are equipped with proprietary iPod docking stations (sorry, not for plasma sets!). The lines are based on three sizes – 26, 32, and 37 inches — and break down into three categories.
The G1 series are at the top of the line, and all offer 1080p resolution, 120Hz Motion Picture Pro3, VIERA Image Viewer and Link, game mode, and three HDMI inputs. More importantly, Panasonic is implementing In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCD alignment technology, the same alignment system that LG and Hitachi use in their TV offerings. The TC-L37G1 will be tagged at $1100, while the 32-inch version goes for $800.
One step down, the $900 TC-L37S1 combines 1080p resolution, Motion Focus technology, Intelligent Scene Controller (ambient light management), and three HDMI inputs for $900, while the TC-32LS1 has an SRP of $850 — an amazingly small price spread. Panasonic is also keeping 720p (1366x768) resolution in the 2009 line, with 37-inch, 32-inch, and 26-inch X1-series TVs priced at $800, $650, and $600, respectively.
Figure 6. Yes, you read that correctly — a combination Blu-ray and VHS player.
Talk about
keeping one leg firmly planted in the 20th century…
BLU-RAY
For 2009, there are three new Blu-ray players, none of which costs more than $400 – a key to wider adoption of BD technology. The DMP-BD60 will be this year’s “entry level” player. It’s ticked at $300 and includes inboard decoding of 7.1 channel audio formats including Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential.
The step-up models include the DMP-BD80 ($400) and a real oddity — the combination DMP-BD70V, an “all in one” chassis that also includes a VHS recorder/player and provides 1080p upconverted output from VHS tapes and red laser DVDs. (Really, a VHS player? You’ve got to be kidding…)
All three players use Panasonic’s proprietary PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus, which apparently manages transitions between colors and fine detail better than other video processors. The result is less color smearing while fine detail is preserved. (Just keep in mind that Blu-ray discs are limited to eight-bit video encoding, so there’s a lot of upsampling going on inside the player.)
To top things off, each Blu-ray player comes with Web connectivity through VIERA Cast and can access video content from Amazon, YouTube, and Bloomberg Business. How more connected can you be? (How about these: VIERA Snooze, for automatic power-on and shut-down of TVs at programmed times, and VIERA Concierge, for making restaurant reservations, buying theater tickets, booking appointments, and generally managing your day-to-day schedules…)
