Panasonic has revealed an 85-inch full HD 1080p plasma display today at the Infocomm show in Florida that is based on the company’s NeoPDP technology.
The display is meant for use as an electronic billboard or for business presentations as it lacks TV tuners. The static contrast ratio is 40,000:1 and the dynamic contrast ratio is a large 2,000,000:1.
The panel is 3.9 inches thick and weighs 287 pounds.
Inputs and outputs include DVI, Ethernet, and dual-link HD-SDI.
Although unconfirmed, rumor has it Panasonic is developing a 150-inch plasma display as well, one that will include TV tuners.
There was no word on price but expect it to top $50,000 USD.
Result for: plasma display
According to a Digitimes report, flat-panel TVs such as LCD and Plasma displays will drop in price by over 20 percent in 2009.
The price gap between mid-sized and large-sized TVs will also decrease, says the report.
The average price for a 37-inch LCD HDTV will drop to $500 USD by the end of the year, from $670 USD at the end of 2008. Lower end 32-inch models will drop in average price to under $400.
Entry-level 42-inch models will see their prices frop to $580 USD by the end of the year, and sources say the steep price declines for the model will turn the 42-inch segment into the market mainstream by 2012.
Result for: plasma display
According to the daily Japanese Nikkei paper, it appears Pioneer is on the verge of completely exiting the TV market.
Back in March the company said it would halt Plasma production to focus on LCD production. “We have judged that maintaining the cost competitiveness of plasma display panels, or PDPs, at projected sales volumes will be difficult going forward,” Pioneer said at the time.
Despite the great commercial success of its Kuro plasma line, the company has been losing money for a few quarters now on TV sales. If the report holds true, then Pioneer will cut their losses and move completely out of the market, instead joining forces with Sharp to make a stronger move into the DVD and Blu-ray standalone business.
Pioneer declined comment on the report but did note that they have been “actively evaluating” the company’s TV business since at least last March when it decided to cut out PDP production.
