Just Posted At HDGURU3D.com- Our 3D HDTV Primer (1/2/10)

(January 2, 2010) 2010 marks the beginning of the 3D home video era. While in many ways it is similar to the introduction of HDTV in late 1998-1999,  in others it’s quite different.

In 1998 and early 1999 TV makers introduced their first HDTVs. The set makers generally limited the initial offerings to one model per company. The changes needed to make a display high definition were huge, requiring modifications to picture tubes, far wider bandwidth circuitry, the incorporation of up-conversion technology and other expenses. Prices ranged from $9000 for a 34″ Sony direct view model to $10,000 for a Philips 64″ rear projector. Programming was limited to a handful of network shows in 1999 and most of 2000. The first full time HD channel, HD Net launched Sept 6, 2001.

The cost delta to enable 3D capability within a HDTV will be small, especially when compared to the standard to high definition switch. 3D requires a high refresh rate (generally 120 Hz for plasma and 240 Hz for LED and LCD), the display’s ability to send a sync signal to 3D glasses, and additional signal processing.

On to the predictions.

3D Full HDTV Prices Will Be Low

1. HG Guru predicts 3D ready versions of flat panels will sell for around the same as their 2D 2009 counterparts, with initial street prices beginning around $1299 for a 40″ 3D ready 240 Hz edge lit LED LCD. By comparison, a 2009 Samsung 40″ 120 Hz Edge Lit LED Samsung sells today on Amazon for $1249.99.

Nearly 50 3D HDTVs To Be Available

2. HD Guru predicts vendors will offer multiple Full HD 3D models in their 2010 lines with an industry total of 40-50 different models using plasma, LCD, LED LCD, DLP and front projection by year’s end.

3D Programming and Content Will Arrive Quickly

3. 3D programming will arrive much faster in 2010 than HDTV did back in the late nineties and early 2000s with dozens of Blu-ray discs, Playstation 3D games, and a full time 3D DirecTV channel. HD Guru predicts one or more cable providers will have a 3D channel before the end of 2010. In addition to movies and games, 3D broadcasts of sporting events will commence.

Low Cost 3D Blu-ray Players

4. HD Guru predicts 3D Blu-ray players will be available from every 3D TV maker, priced about $100-$150 higher their 2D counterparts.

LED HDTVs To Get Local Dimming

5. New thin, edge lit LED LCD HDTVs will arrive from virtually all big screen LED TV makers. New designs will provide edge lit “local dimming” for the first time, for better blacks and better contrast, along with other picture enhancements.

Thin LED HDTVs in 60″ and Above Screen  Sizes

6. TV Vendors will begin to sell thin LED edge-lit models in 60″ and larger screen sizes.

3D Compatible Surround Sound Receivers

7.  All major audio companies will introduce 3D compatible surround sound receivers in 2010. Consumers will learn their pre-2010 models will not be able to handle HDMI 3D signals, requiring the use of external switching and legacy sound formats such as Dolby Digital (instead of  Dolby TrueHD) or the purchase of a new SS receiver.

Mobile Digital TV Arrives Within Portable Devices

8. Mobile Digital TVs will finally arrive with a number of 21st century Watchman-type products as well as inclusion within other screened portable devices.

Home 3D HDTV Will Succeed

9. 3D HDTV will be declared a success with faster consumer adoption than HDTV in year one.

Glasses Free 3D  Will Arrive

10. Our final prediction, a glasses-free Full HD 3D consumer computer monitor and/or laptop computer will be announced before year’s end, though it will be designed for a single viewer.

HD Guru Wishes Our Readers a Happy New Year

Just Posted At HDGURU3D.com- Our 3D HDTV Primer

To learn more about choosing an HDTV please click this link.

For a list of the Best HDTVs under $1000 please click this link.

For a list of the 10 Best HDTVs please click this link

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Edited by Michael Fremer

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Copyright ©2010 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

HD Guru’s list of last minute gift items will help you pick outstanding products for the video and audio enthusiasts in your family. HD Guru or a staff member tested every product and each one is highly rated. To make shopping easy, we’ve included links to Amazon.

Spears and Munsil Blu-ray Test Disc $25

This Blu-ray disc contains all the test signals you’ll need to properly set the main user controls on any HDTV. Among other useful tests is the moving wedge HDGuru used for 120Hz/240Hz LCD evaluations. This disc, our least expensive suggestion, will be a welcome addition to any HDTV owner’s Blu-ray collection.

Moxi DVR MR 1500-T3 $499

HD Guru sampled Motorola and Cisco HD DVRs provided by cable providers and Verizon’s FIOS  and the Moxi significantly outperformed all of them thanks to better graphics, improved functionality and far greater storage capacity—a built-in 500GB hard drive stores 75 hours of HD— plus the ability to add a large external hard drive (up to 6TB) for 1000 hours of HD content.

Moxi also brings to your HDTV Internet content from Hulu, Netflix YouTube and web servicess. Best of all, there is no monthly box fee. You’ll only pay for an M CableCard rental (typically about $2 a month from your cable provider) to supply its built-in twin tuners.  HD Guru gives the Moxi its highest ♥♥♥♥♥ rating (a full review will be coming soon).

Monsoon HAVA Titanium HD WIFI $149.95

The Monsoon HAVA Titanium HD WIFI extends your HD content throughout your home and anywhere in the world using a broadband internet connection and PC or laptop. You can view your live or DVR recorded content where and when you desire. The HAVA accepts any HD video source and wirelessly streams it throughout your home in DVD-quality video. You can also watch and control programming on a mobile phone with a broadband Internet connection.  Makes a great gift for anyone who’s on spends a lot of time “on the road.” Hammacher Schlemmer via Amazon

Panasonic Real Pro Ultra Massage Chair 30007KX $3446.81

The 30007KX is Panasonic’s best massage chair with 7 different techniques (Swedish, Kneading, Junetsu, Percussion, Compression, Tapping, Shiatsu and Rolling). It has 36 air bags covering 460 sq. inches for your feet, calves, arm/hand, waist, shoulder and your butt!  The back area rollers provide 200 sq. inches of heavenly massage. This chair also features auto body scanning to customize the massage to your body. We love ours. Disclaimer: we purchased it. Gizmos for life via Amazon

Tripp Lite AVR900U Surge Protector/Uninterrupted Power Supply $99.65 (Free Shipping)

Don’t fall victim to salesmen spouting benefits of a power line conditioner, claiming it will give you a sharper picture or richer color. It’s nonsense. All you’ll really need is protection against power surges and blackouts ( the latter if your system uses a hard drive such as a DVR or Vudu). Tripp Lite`s AVR900U line-interactive UPS provides surge protection for home theaters in an ultra-compact housing. Its battery-supported AC output will supply continuous power during short blackouts, while its automatic voltage regulation corrects for brownouts (low voltage)  and over voltages. The AVR900A includes 12 output receptacles, 4 of which are widely spaced to accommodate large transformer blocks without obstructing adjacent outlets. 6 outlets feature full battery support and surge suppression. The remaining 6 supply surge suppression for components such as a cable box or surround sound receiver. Single-line telephone suppression jacks protect equipment with a DSL or standard dialup RJ-11 phone line connection such as a TiVo or a DirecTV receiver.  Amazon

Sony  MDR500NC Noise Cancelling  Headphones $271.99

The  Sony MDR-NC500D headphones use digital technology  to reduce up to 99% of the noise from planes, trains and buses, while providing high-quality audio. Its built-in lithium-ion rechargable battery provided over 15 hours of noise cancellation in our tests. The MDR500NC fit snugly yet comfortably without any of the ear pressure discomfort of the Bose noise cancelling headphones (as reported by CNET and NY Time’s David Pogue). The 500s come with hard case and adapters for twin miniature plugs found in many planes and a battery backup (in case you forgot to recharge). The HD Guru gives it our highest recommendation. The price has just been reduced (for the first time) to below $300 Buy.com via Amazon.

Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Player $127.99

If you have not seen a Blu-ray movie on your 1080p HDTV, you have never seen how good high def can appear. Broadcast, cable and satellite HDTV is far more compressed than Blu-ray movies, resulting in noise or artifacts that are not present on Blu-ray. The Panasonic Blu-ray player uses proprietary chips to create superb Blu-ray playback and excellent functionality.

Vudu Movie Streaming Player $149.99 and up

The Vudu system offers “on demand” viewing of movies in standard and high def versions with a library of over 10,000 titles. Why Vudu instead of Amazon on demand, Netflix (on-line) or other services? Because it has the best picture quality of any provider we’ve tested to date. It’s also simple to operate and has a fantastic user interface. Vudu is available as a free standing box or embedded within the LG BD390 Blu-ray player. Best Buy has the lowest price on each at $149.99 for the BX100 free standing box and $279.99 for the  LG BD390 (currently in store pickup only).

To learn more about choosing an HDTV please click this link.

For a list of the Best HDTVs under $1000 please click this link.

For a list of the 10 Best HDTVs please click this link.

Edited By Michael Fremer. If you’re looking for great music to play on your home theater/audio system, check out Michael’s website (link)

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Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

The HD Guru scoured the web to find the hottest post-Cyber Monday deals on the best HDTVs. All these HDTVs have free shipping. Use the links below to check out the deals. (Note: These prices are correct as of publication. However, stores tend to raise prices as supplies diminish.)

Updated 3:00pm 12/3/09

Updated 7:30pm 12/3/09

Updated 9:30 am 12/4/09

Updated 10:30 am 12/4/09

Updated 1:00 pm 12/4/09

Updated 5:15 pm 12/5/09

Updated 8:15 pm 12/6/09

Cyber Week Blu-ray Movies under $10

Panasonic DMP-BD60 $118.99 Andychc

Samsung UN-55B7000 55-Inch 1080p LED LCD $2549.13 Amazon

Panasonic X1 Series TC-L37X1 37-Inch 720p LCD $469.99 Buy.com Sold out

Panasonic TC-P50S1 50-Inch 1080p Plasma $1095.99 Buy.com (under buying choice on right side after link jump)

Samsung LN40B500 40-Inch 1080p LCD $609.00 6 Ave raised to $678.00 DataVision $609 Sold out

Panasonic TC-P46G15 46-Inch 1080p Plasma with Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray play $1179.96 6 Ave

Samsung LN46B500 46-Inch 1080p LCD $799.00 Sold out

Panasonic TC-P50G10 50-Inch 1080p Plasma $1248.85 raised to $1255.00 Amazon

Panasonic TC-P42S1 42-Inch 1080p Plasma $784.99 Amazon

Toshiba 55ZV650U Regza 55″ Class Clearscan 240 Hz LCD HDTV and Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-Ray Player With BD Live Bundle$1699.98 Tiger Direct

Panasonic X1 Series TC-P50X1 50-Inch 720p Plasma $639.59 raised to $784 lowered to $689.98 raised to $859 Lowered to $799.98 Vanns

To learn more about choosing an HDTV please click this link.

For a list of the Best HDTVs under $1000 please click this link.

For a list of the 10 Best HDTVs please click this link.

Edited By Michael Fremer. If you’re looking for great music to play on your home theater/audio system, check out Michael’s website (link)

Have a question for the HD Guru?
HD GURU|Email

Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

The HD Guru scoured Amazon’s “Cyber Monday” deals to give you a head start on the best HDTV and Blu-ray disc bargains.  Scoop up these hot deals today (Sunday) before they’re sold out.

Learn more about the HDTVs listed below at LINK

We plan to update the listings when additional “hot deals” are revealed.

Best Buy Just Added

Samsung UN55B7000 Just Added

Cyber Monday Blu-ray Movies under $10

Panasonic X1 Series TC-P50X1 50-Inch 720p Plasma $639.59 Electronics Expo

Samsung UN-55B7000 55-Inch 1080p LED LCD $2368.13 Amazon

Panasonic X1 Series TC-L37X1 37-Inch 720p LCD$549.99 J&R

Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P42S1 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV $784.99 Amazon

Samsung LN52B530P7F 52″ 5 series LCD-$1197.99  Best Buy

LG 42LH30 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV $729.99 Tiger Direct via Amazon link. On the right hand side after the link jump.

LG 47LH30 47-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV $849.99 Amazon via link

Panasonic TC-P50S1 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV$1095.99 Buy.com on right side after Amazon link jump

Panasonic TC-P50S1 1080p Plasma $897.99 Best Buy

Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV$1499.99 via Amazon link Free Shipping

Panasonic Viera TC-P58S1 Plasma $1479.99 Best Buy

LG 42LH50 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz Broadband LCD HDTV $796.10 (6 Ave.) (Note: the price will show as $886.53. Call 877.684.2831 and mention coupon code afl5 as stated above to get price protection adjustment to $796.10)

To learn more about choosing an HDTV please click this link.

Edited By Michael Fremer. If you’re looking for great music to play on your home theater/audio system, check out Michael’s website (link)

Have a question for the HD Guru?
HD GURU|Email

Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

Everyone Dons 3D Shutter Glasses For Panasonic’s Latest 3D HDTV Demonstration At CEATEC 2009

Panasonic’s 103″ 4K Resolution (3840×2160) HDTV Prototype

Panasonic Recommends Viewing At 1.5 Times Screen Size For Its 4K HDTV

Screen Close-up of Panasonic’s 4K 103″ Plasma Prototype

Panasonic’s 1 Inch Thin Z1 Plasma Series (Right Side Row)

Are Available In 46″, 50″ and 54″ Screen Sizes In Japan

The Latest Version Of Panasonic’s 3D (Shutter Type) Eyeware

3D Guy Al Caudullo Shooting Sony’s Chief 3D Camera Engineer Yoshiko Kuriko in 3D

Sony’s 240 Hz Single Lens Camera (Bottom Photo Shows Light Path From Lens To Image Sensors)

Panasonic Chart Predicts Blu-ray Revenue Will Overtake DVD By 2011

Mitsubishi Reveals Its HDTV Red and Green Lasers At CEATEC 2009

Have a question for the HD Guru? HD GURU|Email

Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. Data within is subject to change. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions

So you’ve seen the demos in the store, read the reviews, found the best price.  You are the proud owner of a brand new High Def video camera. You’ve even shot some video of the wife and kids and watched it on your Panasonic TC-50G10 50” Plasma that was recommended by the HDGURU. It looks great, amazing almost like 3D! Wow, you can’t wait to send a video to Mom & Dad. They bought an HDTV, so they will be able to see just how great the video looks. But, how do you send them the video? They don’t have an HD Video Camera, you both bought a Blu-ray disc player, but how do you make a Blu-ray disk? Well, the answer is here, Adobe has released the Adobe CS3 Production Premium bundle. This amazing complete package includes everything you need to shoot, import footage, edit it, and add special effects, music, graphics, and titles! Everything that you need to create your masterpiece.  Add to that an LG GGW-H20L Blu-ray Disc burner and HD DVD-ROM reader, so that you can not only burn Blu-ray disks, but also watch both Blu-rays , HD-DVD’s, even regular DVD’s and CD’s on your HTPC (Home Theater PC). The only other ingredient that you need for this High Def recipe is 25GB Blu-ray blank disks.

Let me take you through the creation process of your first Blu-ray.  Let’s start. Adobe CS3 Production Premium comes with a fantastic group of programs that include Adobe OnLocation, Adobe Ultra, Adobe After Effects® CS3 Professional, Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3, Adobe Encore® CS3, Adobe Photoshop® CS3 Extended, Adobe Illustrator® CS3, Adobe Flash® CS3 Professional, and Adobe® Soundbooth™ CS3. The install is not for the faint of heart and can take about an hour to complete. The package requires at least 32GB of hard drive space, a 32-bit video card and a 1280×1024 or higher resolution monitor.

With the package installed and your masterpiece shot with your HD Video camera, the real fun begins. Now, Adobe is not for those without some computer knowledge. If you are a little more advanced then you will want to load Adobe OnLocation®CS3 on to your laptop. This program allows you to capture directly to both your videotape and your computer hard drive. It also comes with an impressive array of very professional tools to make sure that your images are recorded perfectly. You can even have some fun with stop-motion animation. At the very least you can immediately review your shots to see if they came out the way that you expected. If you don’t want to get in that deep then you would use Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 to capture the footage from your camera to your hard drive. At this point you have several options, you might want to use Adobe Photoshop® CS3 Extended or Adobe Illustrator® CS3 to create custom graphics to use in your video or use Adobe After Effects® CS3 Professional, a long standing industry standard to create some amazing special effects.  The great thing about it is that is all up to you and your imagination. You can make a simple video with very little trimmings or perhaps your own personal Star Wars epic! One of the more spectacular new additions to Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 is the ability to make web ready flash movies directly from the timeline with Adobe Flash® CS3 Professional without having to go through all the hassles that you might have to with other programs.  Adobe Flash® CS3 allows you to create excellent quality videos in a very small file size. But your choices don’t stop there, you can just as easily export for standard DVD, the web, and mobile devices. Another cool feature is the ability to create dramatic slow- and fast-motion effects right on the timeline, you can slow things down without compromising quality.

Adobe® Soundbooth™ CS3 allows you to orchestrate your video or just clean up your audio. One of the nicest features is the interactivity of the Suite of programs. If you are working on the timeline in Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 then you can right click on any audio file and choose to “Edit in Adobe Soundbooth.” Once your editing is done Adobe is still there for you with Adobe Encore® CS3.

Adobe Encore® CS3 enables you to take your completed masterpiece and burn it to Blu-ray. This is where your LG GGW-H20L Blu-ray Disc burner and HD DVD-ROM reader comes into play. Even though Blu-ray has won the format war, there are still a lot of bargains to be had in HD-DVD disks. Buy ‘em up and watch them with this versatile recorder/player. With Adobe Encore® CS3 you don’t even need a separate burning software, Encore allows you to burn directly to your Maxell 25GB Blu-ray blank disks. I tested both the BD–R (which allow you to record once) and on the BD-RE( the re-writeable version). Both performed spectacularly. They yielded perfect copies that played back glitch free. The time for the burn process depends greatly on the length of your content, but remember HD creates big files to get that great picture. It took me about 30 minutes to get a 10 minute Blu-ray burned.

Now keep in mind that Adobe Production Premium CS3® has many more features and it would take an e-book to tell you about all of them. I will be featuring more in depth technical articles on http://www.wemakehd.com as well as videos made with this package on http://www.exploreworldtv.com. So visit those sites for more info. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will try to answer as best as I can.

Have a question for the HD Guru?
HD GURU|Email

Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc.  All rights reserved.  HDGURU is a registered trademark.  The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.  The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable.  Data within is subject to change.  HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

Unable to find a buyer for its money losing chain of stores, by order of the bankruptcy court, today (Jan. 17, 2009) Circuit City began the liquidation of all of its merchandise in the 567 remaining Circuit City stores in  the US. The HD Guru® visited the local Circuit City store in Hicksville, NY.  Here are the details.

All merchandise in the store is 10% off the yesterday’s prices (except DVDs, Blu-ray discs and CDs which are 20% off).  Unlike the previous liquidation Circuit City held in November 2008 when it closed 155 if its stores, today they did not jack up the prices and redo the price tags, the original price tags are still on all the merchandise.  There are two points to note, besides the 10% discount when considering buying anything at this liquidation sale.  All sales are “Final” and all merchandise is As-Is.  This means, if you purchase an HDTV (or any other item) and you find out it is damaged or it does not function properly when you get it home, it is your problem (no exchanges or refunds are permitted).  If the problem is a manufacturer’s defect, you can get it repaired under the manufacturer’s warranty.  If you discover the HDTV is physically damaged, you are probably out of luck, you’ll have no recourse with Circuit City because of its no returns or no exchanges liquidation policy.

Below is a comparison of Circuit City’s old price, the 10% off liquidation price and the HD Guru’s Pricegrabber price (here is the link ).  Of course, most Pricegrabber merchants have exchange policies for defective merchandise and many have return policies, check with the individual Pricegrabber merchant for details.  (Key Pan=Panasonic;Sam=Samsung; Son=Sony) Pricegrabber pricing listed is subject to change.

Make/Model         CC Old Price   10% Off            Pricegrabber

LG/42LG50            $999.99            $899.99            $849.95
Pan/TH42PZ80U    $949.99            $854.99            $869.00
Pan /TH42PZ85U   $1099.99          $989.99            $929.99
Pan/TH42PX80U    $799.99            $719.99            $709.00
Son/KDL46V4100  $1599.99          $1439.99          $1323.80
Pan/TC32LX85       $699.99            $629.99            $525.00
Son/KDL46XBR6   $2799.99          $2519.99          $1975.00
Sam/ HL67A750     $2199.99          $1979.99          $1646.00
Sam/ PN50A650     $1699.99          $1529.99          $1495.95
Son/KDL40S4100   $999.99            $899.99           $888.32
Sam/LN52A650      $2399.99           $2159.99        $1649.95
Sam/ LN46A650     $1799.99           $1619.99        $1477.00

Conclusion- No Deal!  Go with an on-line or a brick and mortar (B&M) dealer.  Inventories are still very high.  Pick the HDTV you want, shop on-line and if you want to deal with your local, regional dealer or Best Buy, make them an offer below the tag price.  In these bad economic times, the consumer is in the driver’s seat.

Copyright ©2009 Gary Merson/HD Guru® All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

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(Photo above is a copy of an invitation emailed to CES registered press to see Panasonics’s 3D HDTV system)

3D HDTV

The digital transition will be completed in February, ending an industry journey that began with the introduction of HDTV displays and broadcasts in 1998. The manufacturers have laid out plans to take HDTV to the next level with 3D HDTV.

2009 will be the first year of a multi-year push to upgrade HDTV to 3D (stereoscopic) television. Panasonic, Sony and other major HDTV makers will demo 3D televisions with a live satellite broadcast of the BCS National Championship game at the International CES next week and at least one HDTV manufacturer will announce plans for production in 2009 of the first Full HD 3D compatible displays. Expect other major players to commit to early 2010 delivery. HD Guru predicts these 3D HDTVs will be supported by at least two movie studios in 2009, with the first products shipping date to coincide with the introduction of 3D Blu-ray players and discs.

Rumors persist Sony will introduce a 3D upgrade to its PS3 Playstation, turning it into PS3D. 3D gaming will be part of a long-term three part 3D strategy by the major HDTV makers that will include console video games, Blu-ray HD movies and (eventually) regular live HD 3D sports broadcasts.

Currently only Mitsubishi and Samsung make 3D capable DLP HDTVs. Samsung also produces two 3D capable plasma TVs, though neither are “Full HD” 1080p.

HDTV Pricing

An oversupply of LCD panels will force HDTV prices to continue to drop during the first quarter of 2009, followed by relative price stability.

Currently LCD panel makers, due to the oversupply, are selling their inventory to TV makers, at or below actual cost. This situation will probably last another eight or so weeks as panel makers cut back production to meet lower demand and attempt to raise prices later in the year.

The overall year-to-year savings for HDTV in 2009 will see prices drop an additional 15%- 20% down from the 26%-30% savings we have seen in year to year for the past several years. Why?  Component cost reductions on the smaller screen HDTVs, are nearly maxed out with current technology.

Wireless HDTV

The long awaited change over from HDMI cables to wireless HD video and audio will finally arrive in 2009, (a year after my 2008 prediction) allowing consumers to hang a flat panel on the wall connected only to an AC power cable. Wireless will be built-in step up feature for top of the line HDTVs. Wireless upgrade kits will be available as well. The net result, reduced consumer demand for long (relatively) expensive HDMI cables and easier TV installations.

HDTV Goes Green

Plasma HDTV makers will attempt to capture a larger big screen market share by citing lower power consumption with increased brightness and high motion resolution besting their LCD competitors. Expect a wider selection of plasma models from the core producers (Panasonic, Samsung and LG) as well as Hitachi and Pioneer, which will now be sourcing their plasma panels from Panasonic. The mix will include very thin plasma monitors and HDTVs.

Thin HDTVs Will Rule

Expect every major LCD and Plasma flat panel maker to introduce a line thinner flat panel HDTVs in a variety of sizes. They will carry a price premium over thicker displays, leaving the big question: how large of a price premium will the masses be willing to pay for a thinner form factor?

The Motion Resolution Race Continues

Just a few years ago, when all LCD HDTV refreshed at the HD standard of 60 Hz, set makers never talked about “motion blur”, which is a measure of how much resolution a given display can produce when motion is introduced (such as in football when a receiver is running or a camera panning). Then came 120 Hz LCDs claiming to significantly improve motion resolution (HD Guru’s tests confirmed motion resolution increased from around 330 lines with 60 Hz displays to around 600 lines of resolution for the 120 Hz models).  Last Sept., Sony announced a 240 Hz HDTV with delivery expected sometime this year.

For 2009, LG has just announced LCD with a claimed refresh rate of 480 Hz. Expect other vendors to introduce a variety of new 240 Hz (or higher) HDTVs in 2009.

Blu-ray

With street prices dropping below the $200 this past December, you should anticipate a $149 Blu-ray player by year’s end. The big news will come from the content providers. With a significant installed base of players now in consumers hands, HD Guru predicts many Blu-ray movie disc titles will drop to within $5 of DVD standard def version in the first half of 2009. This should result in a spike in Blu-ray disc sales.

Streaming and Widgets

The major TV makers will add many new models with specialized Internet connectivity to provide movie-streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon. Expect new companies to pop up and announce new movie streaming or download services in the first quarter of 2009, all offered as an alternative to DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

In addition, an expansion of Internet services such as photos, weather forecasts and sports and some new ones will appear as another HDTV feature as the top TV makers try to differentiate themselves from the competition and the tier three offerings.

Rear Projection Exclusive

Finally, HD Guru predicts Samsung will drop out of the rear projection (RPTV) market leaving Mitsubishi as the sole maker of HD RPTVs. Expect lower prices for this category, which includes LASER HDTVs.

Copyright ©2009 Gary Merson/HD Guru® All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission. The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable. HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

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Although it’s been more than two years since the U.S. introduction of the Blu-ray high definition disc format, until recently, none of the free-standing players have been capable of handling all of the features included in the Blu-ray standard.

Panasonic’s first 3rd generation player, recently introduced, conforms to 2.0, the full Blu-ray specification, including BD Live. Pre-recorded BD-ROM discs (Blu-ray read only memory) mastered with BD Live allow you to download content from the Internet, store it in an external memory device (this player uses a 1GB SD memory card) and play it as added features when using certain Blu-ray titles. A number of movie studios have made public commitments to the feature (including Disney).

Sony’s first freestanding 3rd generation player, the BDP-S350, now shipping, will conform to the profile 2.0 standard through a firmware update available, the company says, “in the near future.”

If you have been holding out for a freestanding high definition disc player capable of performing every feature within the Blu-ray standard, you may want to consider one of these units. Which one? Let’s compare.

The Basics.

Panasonic’s top of the line DMP-BD50 ($599.99 retail) has many of the bells and whistles one has come to expect in a full featured Blu-ray machine including on-board decoding of the two lossless audio formats (to 5.1 channels) Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD allowing connection to any surround sound system with 5.1 analog inputs. In addition, it outputs video at 1080p 60 or 24 HZ (via HDMI) and compared to earlier generation Blu-ray players, it has relatively fast disc loading times. There are other features on the BD50, among them the ability it display AVC HD video or still photos stored on an SD memory card.

The Sony BDP-S350  ($399.99 retail) can only downconvert the lossless digital audio surround formats to stereo via its on-board decoder. It can’t play your photos or AVC HD video stored on external memory. If you want to hear the best sounding “lossless” audio formats (DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD), you will need a current surround receiver that can accept and decode these formats via HDMI.  The BDP-S350 contains a rear mounted, recessed USB flash memory jack, which requires at least 1GB of storage for BD Live operation. Potential buyers beware, the opening around the jack measures about 13/16 inch wide, which was narrower than most of the USB memory drives I had on hand. Fortunately, Sony does make a 1GB USB memory of the properly narrow width.

Both players have video noise reduction circuitry. Sony adds an audio time delay up to 120 milliseconds, useful if your display’s audio is ahead of the video. The Panasonic has a full range of picture modes, including contrast, sharpness, color and gamma as well as two noise reduction controls. For performance evaluations, all controls were left in the factory default positions.

The Sony and the Panasonic connect to the Internet via an Ethernet rear mounted jack using a cable from your router. Both units can update their respective firmware if you have the player connected to the Internet. The Sony will display an on-screen prompt if there is a new firmware version available.  However, the Sony appears to have a defect that required extra effort to allow the player to connect to the Internet. My guess the problem resides in its firmware controlling the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) function. DHCP should automatically assign an IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateway, and other Internet connection parameters to provide Internet connection. The DHCP function did not work, forcing me to manually entering the proper information after retrieving it from my PC. This is unacceptable, as I feel connecting and configuring a Blu-ray player is difficult enough for many prospective purchasers. Once properly configured, the BDP-S350 connected to the Internet, confirmed there was a new firmware update and executed the download by following the on-screen instructions. The Panasonic had no difficulty automatically configuring using DHCP. Once connected to the Internet, it can be set to automatically download any new updates.

With the latest firmware installed on the Sony and the Panasonic, I began testing performance. First up the Sony.

Since the Profile 2.0 update and BD Live functionality is not yet available on the Sony player, I disconnected the internet cable and limited my testing to performance criteria including overall HD picture quality, deinterlacing, time required for boot up and start of a disc and the quality of its upconversion of standard definition DVDs.

The Sony BDP-S350 is a diminutive player measuring a mere 17” W X 8.75” D x 2.375” H. In addition to shrinking the player they also shrank the owner’s manual to about 8.25” x 5.25” with the associated small typeface for difficult reading. What’s next, I pondered, an on-line manual? How about including a magnifying glass?

After hitting the power switch the Sony will boot-up and display a home screen Sony calls the X-Media bar. From there you may perform set-up as well as load and play a disc. There are a normal and quick start modes for the X-Media bar. In quick start mode, the X-Media bar appears in just 6 seconds versus 20 for the normal standby mode. The time it takes from inserting a Blu-ray disc and the movie to begin depends on the specific Blu-ray disc you are using. “Men In Black” required 1 minute 31 seconds for Sony Studio’s logo to appear.

“Reign Over Me” clocked in at 50 seconds to begin displaying the studio logo while Gone Baby Gone took 60 seconds to reach the first trailer (its authored for the studio’s logo to appear later).

To test a number of HD performance criteria I used the Silicon Optix Blu-ray HQV test disc, with the Sony’s video output set to 1080p/60 Hz. The first test is to determine the BDP-S350’s ability to properly deinterlace 1080i HD content. Most movies are digitally transferred from film at 1080p/24Hz; however, many music concerts and scripted TV series appearing on Blu-ray are recorded and mastered at 1080i/30 Hz. The “i” stands for interlaced and alternately outputs 540 odd and even lines of resolution every 1/60 of a second. When set to 1080p/60 a Blu-ray player should combine the odd and even lines into a complete 1080 line image every 1/60 of a second. The BDP-S350 can’t do this and simply doubles the number of scan lines with the same 540 lines of information, thereby displaying only 50% of the detail within the recording.  You can work around this shortcoming if your HDTV properly deinterlaces 1080i, by switching the BDP-350’s output resolution to 1080i allowing the display to take over the deinterlacing task. Good news for those considering a new 1080p HDTV. The vast majority of 2008 HDTVs tested, properly deinterlace 1080i. Which ones? The information will be revealed in soon (Early September 2008) in the HD GURU’s test of 100 2008 HDTVs.

Next the player was checked to see if it properly performs 3:2 conversion with film based 1080p/24 Hz content. The Sony passed, producing a test image that was free of any artifacts or image degradation.

Using the standard DVD Silicon Optix HQV test disc to check out the Sony’s ability to upconvert standard definition content to 1080p revealed a number of issues. The color bar test failed by flickering portions of the test pattern, a symptom indicative of rudimentary motion adaptive circuitry. Other brand Blu-ray players sampled have passed this test. The single rotating bar did a fair job of avoiding jaggies while the three bar jaggie test failed, revealing jagged edges on all three bars. The detail test on the Silicon Optix disc revealed the Sony passed by displaying fine details such as the mortar lines of bricks on a bridge.

If your HDTV does a better job upconverting standard definition content (480i) by producing fewer artifacts, you’re in luck. The Sony’s output via HDMI can be changed 480i allowing your display to perform the  upconversion chores. By switching the player back and forth from 480i to 1080p (via HDMI) in the set up menu you can determine which output mode will produce the best image on your HDTV. The Panasonic can output 480p but not 480i via HDMI.

Blu-ray performance with 1080p/24 Hz content was superb with the player. I rate the BDP-S350 HD performance excellent when viewing 1080p/24 content (movies). With native 1080i content the BDP-S350 performed poorly due to its inability to properly deinterlace and displaying only 50% of the detail at any time. SD DVD upconversion quality is “fair”.

The Panasonic DMP-BD50

It’s compact, but about 3.75 inches deeper than the Sony player and includes a full size owner’s manual normal size fonts.

The Panasonic took longer to “boot up”, a reasonable twenty seconds. Load times were slower than the Sony but not by much. In the same tests “Men In Black” required eleven more seconds until the Sony Pictures logo appears, “Reign on Me” took three more seconds for the Sony Pictures logo to appear and “Gone Baby Gone” was two seconds slower to the trailer, compared to the Sony player. The winner, by a nose (and a few seconds), the Sony making it the “fastest to play” freestanding Blu-ray machine tested to date.

In the HD performance tests the Panasonic passed both the 1080i deinterlace test and the 3:2 pulldown test.

Using the HQV standard definition test disc, the Panasonic passed the color bar test, but failed the single bar and three bar test, producing jaggies on all bars. The Panasonic also passed the detail test.

Blu-ray performance with 1080p/24 Hz movie content was excellent on the Panasonic. I spent about an hour trying to find any sign that one player was performing better than the other, but they both had identical, outstanding HD Blu-ray movie playback performance.

The BD Live function worked fine when using the DMP-BD50 with the Lionsgate Blu-ray disc Saw IV. Unfortunately, BD Live would not properly connect to the studio’s server with any of Sony titles sampled including Men In Black. Confirming it’s the Sony disc/Panasonic player issue, I tried the BD Live Sony Blu-ray discs using a Sony Playstation 3 as the Blu-ray player (its the only other machine on the market today that plays Blu-ray discs and is profile 2.0 compatible). Sony Pictures is aware of the BD live issue with its discs and the Panasonic DMP-BD50 and has been working hard to resolve it soon.

So, which player wins the showdown? For video performance, if you are only going to play 1080p movies that are film based, it’s a toss up. They both provide the best HDTV images I have seen on any player.  If you plan to play DVDs and 1080i videos and programs, the overall edge goes to the Panasonic.

The audio side raises another issue. If you have an older 5.1 surround sound (SS) receiver or pre/processor with analog audio inputs, you’ll want to choose the Panasonic with its 5.1 lossless audio outputs. If you have a recent SS receiver with 1.3 HDMI and Dolby TRUEHD/DTS HD the Sony will provide “lossless” surround sound audio.

Last, if you want a full-featured freestanding Blu-ray player today, the Panasonic is the only one available until Sony’s promised a 2.0 profile firmware upgrade in the “near future”.

Copyright ©2008 Gary Merson/HD Guru®  All rights reserved. HD GURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.

In a startling development, two nights before the HD DVD press conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Warner Bros. announced all its high definition future HD titles would only be in the Blu-ray format, as of the beginning of June 2008.

This action tilts major movie studios’ support clearly in Blu-ray format’s favor and may signal the beginning of the end of the high definition format war. Below is a copy of the Warner Bros. press release.

January 4, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.

“Warner Bros.’ move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want,” said Meyer. “The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers.”

Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008.

“Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices,” said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. “Today’s decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner.”

“A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry,” said Tsujihara. “Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.”

Addendum 9:30 PM -In response to the Warner Annoucement the HD DVD Group has just canceled its Sunday Jan. 6th press event at the International CES in Las Vegas. The press release reads as follows:

“Notice of CES Press Conference Cancellation by North American HD DVD Promotion Group

Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference scheduled for Sunday, January 6th at 8:30 p.m. in the Wynn Hotel. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD’s commitment to quality and affordability – a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD.”

Copyright ©2008 Gary Merson/HD Guru™. All rights reserved. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.