plasma

Want a TV now-ish? Get the Panasonic ST50 rather than waiting on the ST60

I can't tell you how many times last year I told people, "Just get the Panasonic ST50 plasma." A lot. More times than I shaved, surely.

Turns out I'll be saying it a lot at the beginning of this year, too, at least until the TV sells out.

One of the most important products announced at CES 2013, at least as far as I'm concerned, was its direct successor, the Panasonic ST60 series. So with the ST50 still available for sale and the ST60 launching in March or April, the natural question is whether to … Read more

The 2013 TVs of CES are bigger and smarter, but what about the picture?

Will flat-panel TV picture quality get even better in 2013?

I'm guessing "Yes" in the case of the Best of CES nominee Panasonic TC-PZT60 and the re-engineered Samsung UNF8500, very likely the two best-performing TVs of 2013 under $10,000.

But those two are hardly the TV hardware poster children of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, where all the headlines touted expensive 4K and OLED sets -- still stupid and chronically under-delivered, respectively -- as well as new gadgetry of questionable usefulness. Finger-gesture control, anyone?

I got a chance to see both the Panasonic and the Samsung … Read more

Will Panasonic ST60 outdo our favorite 2012 TV?

LAS VEGAS -- Last year, if someone asked for a recommendation on which TV to buy the discussion usually started and ended with the excellent Panasonic ST50. This year the ST60 again looks like that TV.

Panasonic reps told me that the ST60 has a few picture quality improvements over the ST50, namely a slightly better screen filter, but I took that to mean the two would perform basically the same. That's not a bad thing; the ST50 was one of the best-performing TVs of the year, despite a modest price.

Speaking of price, Panasonic is already taking pre-orders … Read more

Panasonic Web site reveals preorder pricing on some 2013 TVs

LAS VEGAS--Pricing information is usually hard to come by at CES in January. Manufacturers have just debuted their newest products, and final suggested retail prices are usually subject to some jockeying before the products launch over the next few months.

That's why I was surprised when my colleague Matthew Moskovciak sent me a message saying that Panasonic's official site, shop.panasonic.com, was showing pricing and other details for TVs the company had just announced this morning.

Most of the company's TV series are listed on the site now, with the exception of the lowest-end X60 and … Read more

Panasonic sticks with plasma-heavy TV lineup

LAS VEGAS--There are still going to be three makers of plasma TVs in 2013 -- LG, Samsung, and Panasonic -- but the only one going all-out for the display technology is Panasonic.

The company has announced five full series of plasma TVs, and here they are in a nutshell.

TC-PZT60 series (65 and 60 inches) Panasonic's 2013 flagship promises "Beyond the Reference" picture quality, with an all-new Studio Master panel that has the thinnest gas layer yet, which the company says will remove dim and double images. There's a newly developed red phosphor, faster switching than … Read more

LG's 2013 televisions promise natural voice search and all-LED backlights

LG has unveiled its 2013 television range in advance of CES 2013. It builds on the superslim design ethos of the previous year, with LED backlights now standard across its entire LCD range. The company will no longer make TVs with fluorescent (CCFL) backlights

The range comprises just under 20 different series, not including the possibly newly announced 55EM9700 OLED. Just three series are plasma, and more than two-thirds of models now feature Internet connectivity.

Smart TV add-ons LG's big features for 2013 are an upgraded Magic Motion remote with "natural" voice recognition; dual-core processors; a camera … Read more

You have a new TV. Now what?

A new TV is a great thing. A new TV, right after it's taken out of the box, is not. To get the most out of your TV you need to adjust the settings, use the right cables, adjust your sources (like your cable box) and more.

Compiled here is a directory of everything you'll need to get your TV looking its best. Instead of one long article describing it all, it's broken down into sections so you can find just what you're looking for.… Read more

Buy a TV now or wait?

Most new TV models are announced at the Consumer Electronics Show, held every January. It's usually a few months before they ship, arriving in stores sometime in the spring.

So with new models imminent, should you wait to buy a new TV? We break down what we expect to see, and figure out when is the best time to buy.… Read more

Don't mount a TV above a fireplace

Mounting a TV up and out of the way above a fireplace seems logical, convenient, and undeniably cool. However, there are serious issues with such placement.

If you're planning on watching the TV only occasionally, that's one thing. But if this is your main TV and you're going to be watching it more than a few minutes at a time, beware.

What is 'Game mode'?

If you've bought a TV in the last few years, it's likely that TV has a "Game mode." As you've discovered (or will discover, now that you're looking for it), this is not some supersecret hiding place for Angry Birds. That's a different section.

If you're a gamer, Game mode might improve your gaming experience, but it comes at a cost. … Read more