Panasonic 50in 3D TV Unveiled

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Having been somewhat beaten to the 3D punch at IFA this year by Sony, which showed off its first 'commercial' 3D screens, Panasonic has quickly got its 3D mojo back by revealing at the CEATEC 2009 show in Japan its own debut commercial 3D screen.

Set to launch at some point in 2010 - probably in line with the launch of Panasonic's 3D Blu-ray players, whenever that might be - Panasonic's debut 3D screen will be a 50in model using plasma technology, and boasting a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, in keeping with Panasonic's promise that its 3D system can deliver Full HD resolutions.

As well as being able to handle the sequential frame 3D delivery system Panasonic has developed - and which it hopes will soon be formally ratified as an industry standard - the 50in 3D TV will boast a new high speed display system that reduces the 'afterglow' of the phosphors in plasma cells, to boost picture response times without sacrificing brightness.

The 50in 3D screen additionally features a new crosstalk reduction technology, designed to tackle the ghosting phenomenon that can occur when left and right-eye images are displayed alternately.

Although Panasonic has yet to finalise pricing on the 50in 3D screen, it seems likely that it will cost under £3,000, and will ship with at least one pair of 3D glasses included.

Other pairs of glasses are likely to be purchasable separately for somewhere between £30 and £40 each - not actually a bad price considering that they're really quite high tech items. After all, as well as active left and right shuttering to respond to the sequential frame 3D approach delivered by the screen, Panasonic's glasses feature a new shutter timing control system designed to mesh better with the illumination timing of the plasma panel, thus blocking out more unwanted light.

While questions still remain in our minds over whether the world is really ready for/bothered about 3D in its living rooms, having had the chance to do one-after-another comparisons between four different 3D systems on show at CEATEC, one thing is certain: thanks to its new panel and glasses developments, Panasonic's 3D performance is currently considerably ahead of the pack. So let's just get this official 3D format ratification business sorted out ASAP so we can reduce worries over a potential 3D format war and start to get our hands on some products!

Links:
Panasonic
Panasonic's Full HD 3D Roadshow

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