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If you’re looking for a standalone Blu-ray player that hits all the checkmarks, make room for the Panasonic DMP-BD50 on your list. After being teased with this unit at CES, only to see it go to European consumers first, it’s finally official in the US of A. BD-Live support gets tops billing in the press release, so rest assured that once the floodgates of internet-enabled additional content are opened, you’ll be ready to surf. Considerably more usable right now, the next-gen Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA audio codecs (also with in-player decoding) are there as well. Good stuff, but the $700 MSRP is little extreme for what amounts to an internet-enabled disc spinner, and won’t exactly be invigorating those struggling Blu-ray player sales.

[Thanks, Mike S]

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Alright, we get it. SED actually is not the wave of the future for televisions, but OLED most probably is. At present, we’ve got Sony, Toshiba, Samsung and LG Display (among others) all vying for your future dollars, and since competition in the HDTV space is so grand for consumers, we won’t be kvetching too much about yet another entrant. DigiTimes has it that Matsushita (parent company of Panasonic) is looking to begin production of OLED displays “in the future.” That’s it. No juicy clues as to when, no inside information about panel sizes — nothing. Just enough to tease you and leave you in a state of panic for the foreseeable future.
[Via OLED Display]

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Pioneer and Matsushita (Panasonic) have finally hammered out the basics of a deal that will allow the latter to supply panels for future Kuro plasma displays, and plasma HDTV fans to breathe easy again. Pending a final agreement in May, dollars and cents remain undisclosed, but we can expect a fusion of Panasonic’s current “Neo PDP” technology from its Viera line when they begin production May 2009 in Amagasaki before hitting shelves in the fall. Kuro will still be maintained as a premium brand (with a premium price) with different image processing, while both companies plan to keep working together on reducing power consumption and the infinite black level plasma. Pioneer still plans future Kuro LCD HDTVs based on panels from Sharp,but it’ll also apparently have access to IPS technology from Panasonic’s tie-up with Canon and Hitachi. See? We told you it’d be okay.
[Via AV Watch]

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Now that you’re already penning a purchase requisition for one of those fancy new P2 HD camcorders, you might as well toss a couple of Panny’s new 64GB P2 cards (model AJ-P2C064) and its AJ-PCD35 ExpressCard adapter on there, too. Yep, Panasonic has chosen NAB Show 2008 to double up on its current 32GB P2 card and to introduce a five-slot P2 memory drive with an ExpressCard interface. Put simply, the latter can hold all five cards from a fully-loaded VariCam 2700 / 3700 camcorder (or any other P2 rig) and give users the ability to upload content on the go with their ExpressCard-equipped laptop. Regrettably, the company didn’t bother doling out dollar figures just yet, but we’d go ahead and file ‘em both under “expensive.”

source:engadget

Panasonic’s AG-HMC150 HD camcorder is fine and dandy if you’re cool with hauling around a couple SDHC cards, but for those with bigger budgets and loftier dreams, the trio of P2 rigs debuting at NAB Show are likely to be entirely more suitable. Starting things up is the VariCam 2700 (model AJ-HPX2700) and VariCam 3700 (model AJ-HPX3700; pictured), which both feature native HD resolutions, five P2 card slots, master-quality 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra 100 recording, variable frame rates in one-frame increments, HD-SDI outputs and a multi-gamma function including Film-Rec. As for the latter, it steps things up to full 1,920 x 1,080 support while boasting a trio of HD-SDI outs (versus two on the VariCam 2700). Lastly, we’ve got the 4.2-pound AG-HPX170, which reflects the HMC150 in a variety of ways but utilizes a pair of P2 slots in order to log those high-def captures. Mum’s the word on pricing for the Fall-bound family, but do yourself a favor and hit the read link for lots more details on each.
source:engadget

We kid you not. Panasonic is working on a new low-voltage (1.5v) plasma technology which it says will rival OLED displays in brightness, thinness, and contrast. Better yet, Panasonic claims that its plasmas can be manufactured for “much less money” than OLEDs. Panny already has plans to include their new plasma displays in cellphones for use with AT&T’s Mobile TV service, gas pumps, ATMs, and on HP printers under a new exclusive two-year deal. Color us impressed if the new displays look anything like the 3.5-inch, 854 x 480 pixel Viera phone instead of that anemic looking phone pictured above which accompanied the press release.

source:engadget

After Sharp was able to integrate its TV technology into their mobile phones, Japanese electronics brand Panasonic is beginning to follow suit with the release of the VIERA 920P, which is available for Softbank mobile subscribers.

The VIERA 920P, named after Panasonic’s line of LCDs and plasma displays, features a large three-inch-wide VGA resolution screen. Its wide-screen format makes it appear like a mini-HDTV, and the phone can be folded two ways to take advantage of such an amazing feature.

It also has a 5.1 megapixel camera with auto focus (as well as a second VGA camera), Bluetooth support, and DMB-TV functions. Users can e-mail, browse through the Internet, and switch between GSM and W-CDMA. This phone is an energy saver, with up to 580-hour stand-by time, and 220-minute talktime.

The Panasonic VIERA TV Phone measures at 106×49×18 millimeters and is available in 5 colors: gold, white, black, light blue, and pink. Date of release is unsure however, as with most Mobile TV phones, it would only be available in Japan.

This hard drive camcorder is getting more appeal from consumers in that they have become a more convenient alternative to their DVD or tape-based equivalents.  Hard drive camcorders may cost a bit more but with a larger storage space to work with, most users would really find it more than enough while doing away with storing videos in DVD’s and tapes.

The Panasonic SDR-H18 has a built-in 30GB hard drive and makes use of a single 1/6 inch 680,000 pixel CCD chip sensor for better image quality for videos as well as stills. It is also equipped with 32x optical zoom lens with the variable zoom lever located ideally atop the camcorder for easier handling. The camcorder’s controls are conveniently located just within reach by the user’s thumb or forefinger although some of them may be harder to reach like the menu button using only the operating hand.

In terms of image quality, this digital camcorder provides quite an accurate color quality on shots despite using a single sub-mega pixel imager. Its auto focus features reacts quite well in trying to maintain focus when zooming. This camcorder also provides both auto and manual controls to get ideal picture quality in different light conditions. The view from the LCD screen is quite clear even in low light conditions.

For those who still consider a slot for a removable storage medium in their camcorders important, the Panasonic SDR-H18 also provides for an SD/SDHC flash memory slot aside from its built-in 30GB storage drive where videos can also be recorded without any difference in image or video quality. This camcorder provides for a good combination of pleasing image quality, video storage convenience as well as affordable price that makes it one of the top mid-range digital camcorder choices.

This MiniDV camcorder is the sole tape-based standard definition 3CCD model from Panasonic. But it also has a lot to offer in terms of features. For one, this camcorder comes with three CCD chips for a more impressive video quality even in fairly low light conditions.It also has a very effective image stabilization feature that allows users to get ideal shots at not so stable conditions. This makes the camcorder ideal for making shots while in a boat at sea and still maintain a stable image result.

What might not work for occasional camcorder users is its more complicated menu features. The Panasonic PV-GS320 contains a number of manual functions that allow advanced users to adjust certain camcorder features to their discriminating preference for better image quality.

Such features are more ideal for users who are used to tinker around with control to capture better image quality. This camcorder is for users who are more adept at using some of its advanced controls to take advantage of better image quality in different conditions.

This is the closest to a high end DVD camcorder that one can get for its price range. This is the most affordable DVD camcorder yet available that provides high definition video quality that usually belongs in high end and more expensive models. From the outside, the Panasonic VDR-D310 doesn’t look any different from other lower-end Panasonic DVD camcorder models in terms of size and shape. The difference lies on the inside.

The Panasonic VDR-D310 offers high definition video quality with its three 800,000 pixel CCD sensors and 10x Leica lens. It is 700x digital zoom capable and makes use of an optical image stabilizer that works quite well when zooming in for closer images and helps reduce shakes and blurs. This camcorder has a 3.1 mega pixel effective still resolution and makes use of miniDVD’s as its storage medium. This camcorder also supports a slot for flash memory Multimedia and SD Memory cards.

This camcorder can provide high quality footage taken both indoors and outdoors. It can provide accurate color captures and sharper details. The Panasonic VDR-D310 has no video light and instead makes use of its MagicPix feature to enhance shots taken indoors or in low light conditions. But this feature may slow down the shutter speed and can sometimes make the footage look choppy in dim lighting.

Its basic shape and simple control make shooting more convenient especially when recording those unexpected moments. It might be prices a couple hundred dollars more in the market, but its extra features are all well worth it.