As expected, Panasonic introduced new 1080p plasma displays at CEDIA this past week. Models include the more affordable TH-42PZ77 and the TH-50PZ77.
Scheduled to ship this month, the new 42-inch and 50-inch class plasma HDTVs have SRPs of $1799.95 and $2799.95 respectively. The differences between the 77 series and the higher end 1080p models are: 2 HDMI inputs, full range speakers, with less power output ( versus separate woofers and tweeters) and an anti-glare screen coating versus anti-reflective coating. The 10th generation plasma panels are identical to the ones found in the Panasonic PZ700 series
Anti-glare screens have a dull finish that diffuses the reflection of bright objects in the room such as windows and lamps. Anti-reflective screen coatings are shiny, and filter specific frequencies of light, diminishing reflections. The shiny finish improves picture contrast, while the dull anti-glare coating, by comparison tends to slightly lower image contrast. Most LCD HDTVs have a similar dull anti-glare coating.
The thinking behind the new coating is that some potential buyers feel that LCD has an advantage regarding reflections of room lights and windows and the inclusion of anti-glare provides the same amount of reflection protection as the most LCD HDTVs.
Interestingly, Samsung has introduced its “Super Clear†shiny anti-reflective coating on some of its LCD models, to improve contrast, in place of the dull anti-glare finish on most of its LCD HDTVs.
Panasonic also displayed the 65†TH-65PZ700 ($8999) with a release of October, according to a Panasonic spokesperson
Copyright ©2007 Gary Merson/HD Guru™. All rights reserved. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.
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