85 Inch Panasonic Plasma TV, Coming Fall 2009. Panasonic has just announced an 85-inch Full HD Plasma TV at the InfoComm 09 event July 17th-19th 2009. This news is just in time for Father’s Day. I guess they can put it on Lay away for now. It features 1080p resolution, 16:9 Aspect Ration, contrast ratio of 40,000:1(max. upto 2,000,000:1) which Panasonic claims to be world’s highest and effective viewing area of 1,889 mm (W) x 1,062 mm (H).

No one knows how much this bad boy will cost. We all know it will be too expensive though, but how much fun would life be if we could have everything we wanted.

85-inch Full HD Plasma Display (left) and 42-inch Full HD Plasma Display (current model) Specifications*

Screen size (Diagonal)            85 inches ?i2,167 mm?j
Aspect ratio                      16:9
Effective Viewing Area (W x H)    1,889 x 1,062 mm
Number of Pixels (H x V)          1,920 x 1,080 pixels
Moving Picture Resolution(3)      1,080 lines
Contrast(4)                       40,000?F1
Dimensions (W x H x D)            2,015 x 1,195 x 99 mm
Weight Approx.                    130 kg

*Specifications may change at the time of shipment.
Hat Tip Japan Corp.

AQUOS DX LCD TV from Sharp, Includes A Blu-ray Recorder. This bad boy will be hitting Japan in June for around $1,580. You can record anything you want to Blu-ray or DVD. It is only 20 inches in size. (available in either black and white)

It has a 1500:1 contrast ratio, a 450cd/m2 brightness, a standrad HD Ready resolution of 1366×768, and digital TV tuner.

Hat tip Akihabara News.

The problem with this line of thinking is that nothing will ever be enough. There will always be someone with a bigger better TV/whatever it is that you want. If you ever get the biggest TV, then someone will get the same model with Ambilight, or all of the sudden a small TV will be cool.

The easy thing to do is to be content. Buy what you can afford, and leave it at that. If a 42″ screen seemed huge a few years ago, then you should still be happy with it. If you are never happy with your TV, then maybe the problem is deeper.

By the way, this has been “Ethan’s Soap Box”. I am just sick and tired of everyone talking about having the biggest and best, and being jealous when they see someone’s TV. This may sound shocking coming from the guy that owns WWW.Plasma BigScreenTV.com , but it is just a TV.

This is one of the best Plasma TV’s on the market today. Check out these reviews.

Sound and Videos Mag
HDTV looks just like its 42-inch sibling, which we reviewed in our May 2006 issue. Like the P42, it has a built-in tuner for pulling in over-the-air digital TV broadcasts, and there’s also Faroudja DCDi for deinterlacing duties. A relatively sturdy (for a 50-inch model) plastic stand comes with the TV, and you can order Vizio’s optional $90 stationary wall-mount, or a tilting version for only 10 bucks more — a good deal either way you slice it.

Inputs on the P50HDTV include not one but two HDMI jacks (the standard on new bigscreen HDTVs these days, but still surprising on a budget model), a VGA connection for hooking up a computer, and component-, composite-, and S-video jacks. There’s no CableCARD slot for tuning in encrypted premium-cable channels without a separate cable box, but you can receive both regular analog and unencrypted digital cable by plugging into the set’s antenna input.

Vizio’s remote control is sturdy and has a clean button layout. The buttons are small, however, and there’s no backlighting, making it hard to locate a specific control when the lights are dimmed. Picture-in-Picture, Freeze, and Zoom controls are grouped at the remote’s bottom, and directly above them is a set of five direct-input keys for switching sources quickly — a useful feature. The Wide button lets you toggle between the TV’s Normal (4:3), Full (16:9), Zoom, and Panoramic display modes, all of which can be selected for both standard and high-def signals (except Panoramic, which is available only for 480i programs).

AVrev Forum
One of the most impressive, important TVs I have seen to date.

The picture is better than it should be. Great customer service (needed with all of the HDMI issues that AREN’T Vizio’s problem but are yours) etc..

They REALLY benefit from a professional calibration. A Digital Video Essentials disc helps. An ISF calibration by a professional is better.

The question is: should you save the money buying a Vizio and buy a Blu-ray and HD DVD player instead. I say - that ain’t a 1/2 bad idea!!!!

PCMAG
LCD TVs outsell all other flat-panel HDTV sets by a huge margin, but the image quality from the new Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD ($4,000 list) plasma may just give the competition a run for its money. The 50-inch set delivers the best picture contrast of any HDTV currently available, and its range of color reproduction and consistent color accuracy are a perfect match for today’s highest-quality HD video material. It also incorporates some of the most comprehensive multimedia file support that I’ve ever seen in any HDTV, and given that it’s also Pioneer’s least expensive 1080p plasma, it’s a shoo-in for our Editors’ Choice award.

CNET

The good: Produces the deepest shade of black of any big-screen display we’ve tested; accurate color decoding; dejudder processing option; 72Hz mode for 1080p/24 sources works well; superb antireflective screen; streams photo, music, and video files over home network; fine connectivity with four HDMI and one PC input.

The bad: Expensive; inaccurate primary colors; lacks advanced picture controls; frame causes minor reflections.

The bottom line: Best-in-class black levels and excellent all-around performance places the Pioneer PDP-5020FD near the top of the picture quality heap, but it will cost you.

Specifications: Product type: Plasma TV ; Diagonal size: 50 in ; Resolution: 1920 x 1080 ;

TrustedReviews reviews the Philips 50PF9631D 50? Plasma HDTV (rating: 8/10) and writes;

“Finally putting the 50PF9631D to work on a few of our favourite sources, we have to admit we felt a touch disappointed with the way its pictures turn out. The main over-riding problem is that there are sometimes quite considerable amounts of noise in the picture…Ultimately the 50PF9631D’s picture flaws suggest that Philips’ core plasma panel technology is perhaps not quite as up to partnering Pixel Plus technology as the company’s LCD technology. But the overall image quality is still solid, and a huge feature count makes sure the set looks fair value at under £2000.”

NewsFactorMag reviews the Philips 50PF9631D 50? Plasma HDTV (rating: 4/5 and writes;

“We were very pleased with the overall display quality from the 1,366 x 768 Pixel Resolution. Plasma is known for high-contrast images with stunning color reproduction, and this model keeps that reputation intact. Audio from this Philips model was very solid. Two built-in 12-watt speakers have digital signal processing, dynamic bass enhancement, and the virtual Dolby Digital sound system. An Auto Volume Leveler and graphic equalizer contribute to a very pleasing audio experience. “