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Panasonic links with Best Buy for 3D TV launch

Panasonic Corp. will work with U.S. electronics provider Best Buy for its launch of 3D televisions in the United States. The official launch of Panasonic's 3D ventures in the U.S. will be on Wednesday, and Best Buy will be the main promoter of the products in the market.

Best Buy will setup viewing areas at its retail outlets across the country, where consumers can try out the Panasonic 3D products. Panasonic is aiming to sell half a million 3D televisions in the United States in their first year on the market, and expects a 50-inch Viera model to retail in the region for $2,500.



Consumer interest in 3D has been on the rise due to high-profile theatrical releases of 3D titles, such as James Cameron's Avatar or Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Panasonic is in 4th place in the global market for flat-panel televisions (behind Samsung, LG Electronics and Sony).

It has high hopes for 3D products to make its TV business profitable in the financial year starting April.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 8 Mar 2010 20:10

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• KillerBug

  "Panasonic is aiming to sell half a million 3D televisions in the United States in their first year on the market, and expects a 50-inch Viera model to retail in the region for $2,500."
  -If it is the same Viera 50-inch plasma they have now, then Amazon already dropped it to $1300, and it isn't a 3D TV, it is a "3D ready" TV...no different from hundreds of other models of TVs and monitors that have been on the market for years. You still need the glasses. The only difference is that it does it in Plasma, for a larger (but lower quality) image.
  
  As long as you need glasses for 3D, it will be nothing but a gimick for suckers. Of course, having a selection of more than 2 movies might help too...

  8.3.2010 23:46 #1

• mike.m

  I have the Pioneer VSX72TXV + Mirage Nanosat 5.1 which cost over $1700 when I got it a couple of years ago, the Samsung PN50B850 which cost almost $2000 on sale 2 months ago, and the Panasonic BD55 which cost over $250 at least.
  
  I don't mind applying a firmware update and buying cheap glasses, but if I have to replace ANY of these just to watch a 3D movie, then FORGET IT. Supposedly current BD players will receive a firmware update...so they say. So if I want to upgrade to 3D, I have to replace $3700+ worth of electronics, and will probably have to spend even more, because it's obviously going to cost a lot more just to have a 3D logo. Not worth it, count me out on this one.

  9.3.2010 00:27 #2

• KillerBug

  Somehow I doubt that all BD players are going to get an update for 3D...a lot of the BD players sold already don't even have internet capabilities or USB. Thankfully, I know that my BD player (a PS3) will get the update...not that I would be very worried anyway...by the time there are more than a handfull of 3D movies, I will probably have a PS4.
  
  All my screens are "3D Ready" even though they were not sold as such. This was not an accident; it was my choice to avoid screens with refresh times over 8MS. Sure, I could save $20 by getting a 10MS screen instead of a 2MS screen...but I would not do it.
  

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  9.3.2010 03:34 #3

• mike.m

  Originally posted by KillerBug: Somehow I doubt that all BD players are going to get an update for 3D...a lot of the BD players sold already don't even have internet capabilities or USB. Thankfully, I know that my BD player (a PS3) will get the update...not that I would be very worried anyway...by the time there are more than a handfull of 3D movies, I will probably have a PS4.
  
  All my screens are "3D Ready" even though they were not sold as such. This was not an accident; it was my choice to avoid screens with refresh times over 8MS. Sure, I could save $20 by getting a 10MS screen instead of a 2MS screen...but I would not do it.I have the Samsung PN50B850. It has 0.001ms Response Time, and 600Hz Subfield Motion. Will 3D work with this? I know my receiver probably will not. So I'm guessing if this does work, I'll have to run an HDMI cable from Blu-ray player to TV, then a separate cable (digital optical or others) to receiver? I wonder if there will be any syncing problems with the audio though..,

  10.3.2010 01:18 #4

• error5

  It's not just the response time that's important here.
  
  Most of the new 3D displays will use active shutter technology. Others will use polarized glasses. Future 3D Blu-ray releases will take advantage of these new displays.
  
  This is not your grandfathers anaglyph (red-blue)3D.
  
  The new 3D will have 2 1080p frames - one for each eye.
  
  With active shutter sets an IR transmitter on the TV sends a signal to the glasses. Each lens can be blacked out very very quickly to synchronize with a frame displayed on the HDTV. This way a different 1920 x 1080 progressive image can be shown to each eye.
  
  
  
  
  Quote:Separate images for the left and right eyes are recorded with 1920 X 1080 full-HD quality and alternately played at high speed. By watching these images through special LCD glasses that are timed to open and close the right and left lenses in synchronization with the alternating images, the viewer is treated to exciting 3D realism.

  10.3.2010 08:57 #5

• apeterson

  I am bit skeptical about the success of the 3d TV,of curse its is hottest gadget topic to discuss on thanks to the exit of ipad from news stories and video online reviews so some one can talk about this new 3d TV technology and some one can give some serious recommendation of this 3D TV.
  
  But apart from the trendy marketing gimmicks the concrete fact is do we desperartley want the 3D TV,recently while browsing some facts on 3d TV on sites like http://www.dozenvideo.com i realize this might not the case with every one so the how many people really gona afford this what we say the 3D TV...?
  
  

  na

  9.7.2010 08:33 #6