Panasonic Viera TC-P50X1 Review
The Panasonic Viera TC-P50X1
Often, the price of an HDTV is an indication of its quality. The more expensive an HDTV is, the more features it has and the better picture quality it offers. This isn’t exactly the case for the Panasonic Viera TC-P50X1, though, which is an affordable HDTV but still offers good picture quality among other things.
Skype Now Live On Panasonic And Samsung HDTVs
True to their promise, select Panasonic and Samsung HDTVs are now Skype-enabled, allowing users to make voice and video calls using their HDTV.
As of this month, viewers can now enjoy Skype on Panasonic VT25, VT20, G25 and G20 plasma models as part of the Viera Cast interactive suite. The VT25 and VT20 Viera models offer full 3D capability and WiFi access while the G25 and G20 series offer 1080p resolution and a THX certified display.
On Samsung, Skype is being offered on the C7000 and C8000 series – both LED TVs, though the C8000 offers local dimming and the C7000 is edge-lit. The C8000 series is also 3D-ready and comes with Samsung’s new innovative touchscreen remote control.
In order to avail of the service, though, users will have to buy a special webcam. The one for Panasonic is available from its official site and US retail stores for a price of $170 while the one for Samsung, made by Freetalk, can be bought at the Skype Shop for $150.
Panasonic was the first to partner up with Skype, making the announcement back in January during the CES, while Samsung promised its HDTVs would be embedded with the same feature in February.
LG also announced the Skype feature last January and is said to offer it in 26 LCD and plasma models later this year.
Roundtable Concepts Launches Street Fighter IV HDTV
Are you tired of HDTVs with the usual glossy black frame, or perhaps a fan of the Street Fighter IV video game? If you are, you’re in for the treat as Roundtable Concepts recently announced that it is due to roll out is Street Fighter IV-themed LED HDTVs very soon.
The Street Fighter IV LED HDTVs will be available in four screen sizes – 46, 42, 40 and 32 inches. Each will have either a Street Fighter IV character embellished on the bottom corners of the frame or the game logo at the bottom centre. The set prices and other specifications were not yet disclosed.
Aside from the design, all the sets will also display the Street Fighter IV image while powering on for eight seconds.
In the past, Roundtable Concepts has launched Marvel-themed HDTVs in various colors and character designs, as well as LCD and LED sets with official collegiate logos. The sets offered 1080p resolution and a 3,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio which can be an indication of what to expect from the company’s newest products.
Seon King, the Senior Director of Licensing at Capcom, is said to be pleased with the project, calling it a perfect fit because of the “natural partnership between video games and consumer electronics”.
Street Fighter IV was one of the top video games for 2009, selling over three million copies worldwide.
Sharp Jumps Into 3D HDTV Market
Japanese electronics corporation, Sharp, has recently announced that it is preparing to launch its own 3D LCD HDTV sets, joining a market where Panasonic, Samsung and Sony currently prevail.
Indeed, Panasonic was the first to release 3D HDTVs followed by Samsung while Sony promises to deliver its first 3D Bravia, the HX803, in time for the World Cup.
Sharp will be introducing its 3D HDTVs in Japan this summer, followed by a December release in the United States, Europe and China.
The models, sizes and prices of the Aquos 3D sets are yet to be announced. What Sharp did disclose, though, was that its 3D HDTVs would have an Advanced Display, that is to say its display will use not just the three standard primary colors or RGB technology, but four – red, green, blue and yellow, for sharper and more vivid images – a first in the industry.
Sharp also said its 3D HDTVs will have a higher response speed so as to eliminate the problem of ‘crosstalk’ or ghost images.
Although new to the 3D HDTV market, Sharp is by no means new to 3D technology. In fact, it released the first 3D notebook back in 2003 and has also just released the world’s first 3D HD camera for mobile devices.
Sharp also unveiled a three-inch touchscreen 3D display last month and is working on 3D displays for mobile devices that do not need 3D glasses, which are perfect for the next generations of smartphones and possibly for the Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming console.
Newest Quad HDTV Introduced
While the rest of the HDTV companies are busy producing and marketing their 3D HDTV sets, TVLogic has a new product to introduce – the 56-inch LUM-460W which is the world’s newest Quad HDTV.
Like every other Quad or 4K HDTV, the LUM-460W has a resolution of 3840×2160, which is way higher than 1080p (1920×1080) resolution for more breathtaking images arranged in the 16:9 aspect ratio.
It also has a 10-bit display with a 1.07 million color spectrum, its own color calibration utility, a 1500:1 contrast ratio and excellent connectivity – four HDMI inputs, four SDI inputs and four DVI inputs, each with their own modes and hot keys, as well as a USB port through which firmware updates can be downloaded.
The price of the LUM-460W and its release date have not yet been announced, but if the price of other Quad HDTVs are any indication, it’s not going to come cheap.
TVLogic is the latest company to join the Quad HDTV bandwagon. In CES 2007, Westinghouse showed off one of the first Quad HDTV models. In 2008, Samsung introduced the its 82-inch Quad HDTV, the largest so far while Philips launched its full 3D Quad HDTV. Last year, Toshiba jumped into the market with its Regza Cell and Sony, too, introduced its own Trimaster 4K model.
Just last week, TVLogic released its 15-inch 3D AMOLED HDTV, another breakthrough. What comes next? We’ll just have to watch out.
