Posts Tagged ‘Panasonic’

Panasonic has already increased its 3D television production by 30 per cent, being encouraged by the general public, after US demand for 3D sets exceeded its expectations when they went on sale in March.

The Panasonic plasma panel factory works at full capacity and they increased 3D panel production by 30 per cent compared to our original plan. Panasonic is hoping that business will embrace the technology as well as the entertainment industry.

The major television manufacturers have been quick to embrace the new technology – seizing on a prime opportunity to push a new generation of television sets to a public still coming to terms with HD. TV makers hope to ride the wave of interest in 3D initiated by the box office success of James Cameron's Avatar. They are not alone, with entertainment content producers like movie studios and, particularly in the UK, Sky television racing to produce enough content to fulfil demand.

3D TV along with Apple's new iPad, is forming a hot trend in consumer electronics. However in these early days consumers might want to wait for the technology to mature before making a purchase decision.

Every major TV maker from Samsung to LG to Sony to Panasonic promised to launch their new 3D capable TV sets in the first half of 2010, it was featured at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in Las Vegas. The 3D feature is hoped to help achieve new sales of TVs.

New 3D ready content is being created and presented almost every week, like the Masters golf tournament, produced by the Augusta National Golf Club. Everyone knows about James Cameron's 3D blockbuster "Avatar," which has opened the growing era for 3D TV.

Problem 1
Despite the available limited 3D content, experts agree that 3D TV is still in its infant phase. Some technical improvements on the TVs will need to be implemented in this respect. Those consumers who recently bought a new HD TV set do not need to rush to get a new 3D enabled one before everything (technology and content wise) falls into place.

Problem 2
Prices have come down dramatically on TVs. And it makes manufacturers now look for something new to offer to keep consumers paying a premium for new products. Some manufacturers started offering Internet features in their TV sets. 3D could become the next feature to boost premium sales. Watching a movie or sporting event broadcast in 3D requires viewers to have a new 3D-capable TV. Current offering on the market have hefty price tags.

The success of "Avatar" has also grabbed Hollywood's attention. Now movie studios are staring to produce new 3D movies and retrofitting older ones with 3D. Even recently released movies are getting the 3D treatment post-production, such as the new "Clash of the Titans" remake in theaters now.

New Blu-Ray players that can play 3D movies for the new 3D TVs have been offered on the market, and movie studios are promising at least 70 titles of Blu-Ray 3D movies by the end of the year. "Avatar" will be one of them.

Problem 3
Similar to what happened with HD television, sports programs in 3D should be popular with viewers. ESPN will be broadcasting some content in 3D this summer with a World Cup soccer match, not to mention the Summer X Games, NBA games, and college basketball and football in 3D. However we sould remember that HDTV, though developed in the 1970s, didn't get widely popular due to cost of parts and processes until the late 1990s. People are still not buying HDTV at the rate of regular color TVs in the past.

The emerging 3D technology is ideal for showing events, while news broadcasting will be hardly something that people would want to see in 3D.

Problem 4
The most obvious hurdle is the fact that viewers still need to wear glasses when they watch 3D TV. TV manufacturers are working on technology for no-glass 3D viewing. However, it's still years away from showing up in consumer TVs.

Simply getting people to even wear special glasses isn't the biggest problem. The real issue is that the glasses that work with the current version of "active" 3D TVs require crystal shutter glasses, which work by very quickly blocking each eye in sequence. The glasses, in addition to the liquid-crystal lenses, contain electronics and batteries, typically good for 80 or more hours, that sync to the TV via an infrared or Bluetooth signal. These glasses cost about $150 a pop. And to make matters worse, glasses made for one manufacturer's TV won't work with a competitor's TV, even though it uses the same "active" 3D technology.

A more advanced version of the 3D TV technology called "passive" 3D doesn't require battery powered glasses. Viewers can wear cheap glasses that many people are already wearing in theaters for 3D movies. Instead of spending $150, these glasses cost only about $1 to $1.50 a piece. That said, the passive 3D TVs are likely to be more expensive. Exactly, how much more expensive is unclear. Some experts estimate that these TVs will be $500 to $1,000 more expensive than the active 3D TVs.

Another issue is that the "3D effect" of a 3D picture is different for different people. For example, animated films actually have less of a 3D effect because they are designed for children, whose eyes are set closer together than adults. Some TVs, such as the Samsung 3D TV available now, allows consumers to adjust the 3D-ness of the picture. Ideally, the adjustment should be made in the glasses.

Among other uses for 3D technology there are 3D games.

Those who have old TVs (either HD or not) should not fear that they would not be able to watch 3D films or programs on their equipment. Older TV sets without 3D feature will still show the picture in 2D as before, even if all TV channels convert to 3D format.

Problem 5
Another concern that medical experts are researching, is that watching 3D significantly increases the workload on your eyes and brain, which are not designed for 3D at all. Eyes' accommodation mechanism experiences a huge stress and some people already do get headache while watching 3D movies. It is said to depend on the distance to the screen. If you can choose a back row seat in a cinema, it is more difficult to do at home in front of your 3d TV.

So there are more questions than answers at this moment.

Let's compare two 3D TVs that are available on the market right now: a plasma from Panasonic and an LCD from Samsung. We want to examine their strong and weak points.

Two HDTVs were tested, they both use the new Full HD 3D standard: the $2900 Samsung UN55C7000 (a 55-inch LCD, on the left in the photo) and the $2500 Panasonic TC-P50VT20, a 50-inch plasma on the right. We tested them with the requisite 3D glasses and a Panasonic BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player playing both a 3D movie (Monsters Vs Aliens) and a disc of sample footage that came with the Blu-ray player.

The Glasses

Both displays require you to wear a pair of 3D glasses. That is what really creates the 3D effect: the glasses contain LCD shutters that turn on and off to show each eye a separate image 60 times a second. Without the glasses, you see a confusing mess of two images slightly offset. With them, you see the 3D effect, but this means that you need a pair for every person watching, and they cost $150 each.

The Panasonic 3D glasses are arguably less dorky looking, although they aren't going to win any design prizes. The Samsung 3D glasses are larger, heavier and somewhat more nose-ache-inducing; the weight sits right on the bridge of the nose and feels like you have a slight head cold. The Panasonic glasses are also more adjustable, coming with 3 different nose bridges and a neck strap. You can't adjust Samsung's glasses at all.

In use, we found that both HDTVs produced a decent 3D effect, with a good sense of depth to the images. However this experience was far from perfect; the 3D effect often broke down when the camera panned around or moved too quickly. That's because the 3D effect relies on the brain detecting the differences between the two images, and that doesn't work when it can't figure out the difference between one blurry mess and another.

The Samsung displayed an annoying issue with a ghost image that showed up around the edges of objects, caused by some of the left frame getting into the right eye and vice versa (the technical term is crosstalk). The Panasonic actually had the same issue, but to a much lesser degree. It isn't yet clear if this phenomenon is caused by a slight overlap between the timing of the frames on the screen and the shutters on the glasses, or by a lag in the response time of the LCD screen that the Samsung uses. Plasma displays like the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 can react much faster than an LCD, so the screen can show the two images with much less interference between the two. Whatever the cause, it is very irritating and distracting. Samsung's choice of LCD technology gives vivid (if not perfectly accurate) colours, lower power consumption and a bright picture in bright rooms. These features are a very real advantage for most buyers. However, Getprice continues that LCD is "not inherently the best fit for 3D TV.

Watching a movie, we found that the Panasonic was better for extended viewing; although the glasses are heavier, the 3D effect felt more comfortable over time, and the crosstalk between the frames was less annoying. But while the Panasonic HDTV produced the more pleasing 3D effect overall, neither 3D TV was as convincing as seeing the movie on the big screen: the image didn't pop out of the screen on either TV in the way that the adverts imply, even when the filmmakers used tricks like objects flying into the screen. Those didn't really work in the 1950s, and they don't work now. Panasonic's choice of plasma technology is the cheapest and best way to get a huge flatscreen that's free of motion-blur and has excellent black levels. The quality is hard to beat. Getprice review reminds us "Since 3D works by flickering between right and left eyes' viewpoints, plasma's excellent responsiveness is an advantage in ensuring that each eye gets a truly different picture. Plasma's only disadvantages are its high power consumption, the heat it gives off and the (now much reduced) threat of burn-in"

Size has a lot to do with this. Even at 55 inches, the physics of 3D are against home theater enthusiasts. So you'll still want to glue your face to the screen to maximize the 3D effect.

As well as the cost of the TV itself, don't forget to include the cost of the glasses ($150 a pop: you get one set with the Panasonic and none with the Samsung) and $400 for the 3D Blu ray player, because your existing one won't play 3D Blu ray discs (though the PS3 will receive an update this summer). Total that all up for a family of 4 and you are laying out a hefty $3700 for the Samsung or about $3350 for the Panasonic.

And don't forget that you'll need to find something to watch—the only option right now is the execrable animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens, which gets old pretty quickly. At the moment, that's the only 3D Blu-ray available, so you'd be better off getting your 3D kicks from going to see Avatar again and saving your cash until the price of the glasses for these 3D HDTVs falls.

But if you are dead set on being the first one on the block to have a 3D HDTV, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is the better pick right now. The Panasonic produces the stronger and more convincing 3D feel, and comes with one pair of glasses. The Samsung is a bigger, brighter and perhaps better overall HDTV, but the 3D is still a little glitchy and you don't get any glasses with it. Plasma technology selected by Panasonic appears to have more advantages in terms of quality of viewing and 3D imaging available; it appears to be slightly more expensive and is less energy efficient, but receives better reviews thus far in terms of quality of image.

Major electronics brands have announced plans for 3D TV, including Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. Some have already launched new 3D TV sets. They hope to capitalize on the huge 3D theatrical success of James Cameron's Avatar.

The technology retail giant Best Buy said its Full HD 3D Home Theater System will be available at Best Buy stores' Magnolia Home Theater division for $2899.99. The system comprises a 50-inch Panasonic VIERA television for $2,499.95, with a pair of 3D glasses, and a Blu-ray disc player for $399.95. Extra glasses will cost $149.95 each.

Best Buy intends to establish and maintain leadership in the new television technology. That's one way it differentiates from Wal-Mart and other competitors. Younger consumers express great interest in 3-D TV, although the popularity of 3D technology is just beginning. Television successfully moving from black and white, to color, to high-definition, now reached the final frontier delivering immersive, totally realistic 3D imagery. Among the problems are limited 3D content on TV channels and the hefty price tags for the 3D TVs. Some experts believe that these factors may slow down sales.

3D HD televisions have launched at CES 2010. But are general public and home consumers ready for 3D TV? Despite recent success of Avatar in cinemas all over the world, it is doubtful that people in mass will be willing to shell out for a new pricy TV sets and compatible glasses.

However, vendors like Panasonic, LG, Samsung and Sony are already exploring this technology. They were all showing off new 3d sets at CES 2010.

Panasonic’s VT25 series TVs is supplied with only one pair of their cool-looking glasses included for free. Sharp concentrated more on improving colour rather than 3D. Samsung C9000 comes with what has to be the coolest remote ever (with a mini TV on your remote).

Product demo of the new Sony Bravia LX900 3D at CES 2010: