Panasonic sells one-third of all plasmas sold in the United States. I didn’t know that. But it was a cool little tidbit of information that I read in Ultimate AV’s review of the Panasonic TH-50PX600U plasma HDTV.

This 50″ plasma HDTV retails for $3,299, and has a resolution of 1366 x 768. (There’s that resolution again, Mole!) It has two HDMI inputs and a VGA input too if you want to hook it up to your PC.

So Ultimate AV put this plasma through its paces and found that it has its share of problems that can’t really be glossed over. (See the review for full details.) But for a street price of less than $3000, it does a lot for that money.

Panasonic TH-50PX600U High-definition Plasma TV

Pioneer is boasting that its new plasma technology gives a better contrast ratio than the upcoming SED displays from Toshiba and Canon. Remember that SED gives CRT-like image quality because the technology is so similar.

The new [plasma] technology premieres a completely re-engineered display infrastructure, including a new panel, filter and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

IGN got a chance to look at one such Pioneer plasma at the CES show, and they liked what they saw. “In comparison to what is generally though of as best-of-breed image quality, Pioneer’s new plasma display was astounding. The demo began with both screens in idle-black. That is, the new plasma display looked black; Pioneer’s current plasma looked shockingly gray and over-lit.”

I hope that this kind of technology trickles down to their whole plasma line. I’ve never been a big fan of flat panels because of the cost and burn-in (for plasma), and this new tech won’t help matters. But it’s good for companies like Pioneer to push the envelope and force other manufacturers to do one better. Great stuff.

CES 2007: Impressions of Pioneer’s “SED Killing” Plasma
Pioneer Launches Breakthrough Display Technology

DigitTimes has a small article about the cost of a rear-projection HDTV versus the cost of an equivalent-sized LCD or plasma display. It makes for interesting reading.

The stats are for a 52″ 1080p television, and they are:

All component costs:

LCD $1621
plasma $1749
DLP $807

In other words, it costs twice as much to hang your 1080p 52″ television on your wall instead of placing it on your floor. Frankly, I’m surprised. I thought it was more than that.

DLP RPTV half as costly as LCD/PDP for 52-inch TVs

Panasonic has announced the Viera TH58PZ600K 58″ plasma television. It’s a 1920 x 1080 affair, which is a rare breed among plasma displays.

It’s a piano-black special edition that has a 4000:1 contrast ratio and includes 3 HDMI inputs, 2 i.LINK (Firewire) inputs, and will be available for order in Japan come November 10th. It’ll cost a pretty penny too - the equivalent of about $16,000.

Special Edition Panasonic TH-58PZ600K 58 inch Full HD Plasma HDTV

If you want to buy a plasma and be assured you’re getting one of the best, you’ll be looking at getting a Panasonic or a Pioneer. Ultimate AV recently took a sneak peak at Pioneer’s Elite PRO-FHD1 plasma monitor. This particular plasma is a unique one in the history of plasma displays, because it’s the first one that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. It costs $8000, is 50″ in size, and has two HDMI inputs.

This display is strictly a monitor - no tuners on board. But it makes up for that fact with a smashing image. The image is crisp, natural, and “un-digital”, according to Mr. Buettner. because this is a sneak peak, and not a full review, there aren’t as many details about the set as otherwise. But Ultimate AV’s sneak peaks are as long as some other publication’s full reviews, so if you’re at interested in plasmas, check it out.

Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 Plasma HDTV Monitor

Kevin Miller got a chance to take a look at the lovely Panasonic TH-50PHD9UK 50-inch Plasma HDTV, and he was kind enough to write up a little piece on the plasma. This is actually a professional series display, so it doesn’t come with attached speakers. Me, I wouldn’t care. I never use my TV’s speakers anyway. As well, the display includes no tuner. Again, that wouldn’t affect me because I use my two-tuner PVR anyway.

The display only has a few inputs, but you can add a mini-card to the display to get another input, like DVI or HDMI. That’s weird.

As to picture quality, this plasma does have a few display quality quirks. See the review for full details. But what it really comes down to is the fact that this display only goes for $3500 to $4000, and at that price, for this picture quality, it’s a steal.

Panasonic TH-50PHD9UK 50-inch Plasma HDTV Review

Seems that plasma prices in the 42″ variety have dropped 10% in just the last 60 days. Things are looking up for some pretty good deal on HDTV’s this Christmas.

Stay Tuned….

Plasma HDTV Prices Drop 10 Percent In 60 Days