Panasonic

Panasonic announced today that they will start shipping two 3D TVs on April 23rd.  The 50" model (P50VT2) will cost ¥430,000 ($4,800) and the 54" model (P54VT2) priced at ¥530,000 ($5,932). These plasma TVs feature 120Hz, 1080p, 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, Wi-Fi, Skype and come with a pair of 3D active-shutter glasses (an extra pair will cost about $110).

Via Engadget

DirectTV has teamed up with Panasonic and will offer three 3D channels  in June 2010 (PPV, DirecTV On Demand and a free 3D sample demo). These channels will be offered to all DiercTV HD customers (who'll need a software upgrade).  Additional content partners include AEG/AEG Digital Media, CBS, Fox Sports/FSN, Golden Boy Promotions, HDNet, MTV, NBC Universal and Turner Broadcasting System.

Via Engadget 

Mitsubishi has released a new adapter (the 3DC-1000) for their 82" projection TVs users. The adapter will be required for 3D images. 

The adapter should be available in the spring (and will be 'affordable').

Via Engadget

Panasonic has developed a 152" 4K x 2K Full-HD 3D plasma display, which they say is the world's largest. The panel uses new technology including crosstalk reduction for the 3D images. Here's a nice photo from Engadget showing how big this TV is:

We do not know when and if such TVs will be made available.

Mitsubishi is showing 3D laser-TVs at CES 2010, with sizes ranging from 62" to 82". In fact Mitsubishi say that their 82" 3D-ready TV is the largest 3D display available today.

The company also announced a new 3D adapter (the 3DC-1000) which will provide Mitsubishi 3D-ready Home Theater TV owners with an easy and affordable solution to display 3D from a 3D Blu-Ray player.

Panasonic's new Amagasaki plant will begin operation next month - it will make 120,000 plasmas a month (and Panasonic plans to invest around $2.3 billion more by 2012, to increase the output to 1 million monthly units). Some of these TV sets will be 50" 3D plasmas. Panasonic plans to be the first Japanese maker with a 3D TV product on the market early next year. 

The plasma panels use new fluorescent materials and a new display method that reduces afterglow. They will also "minimize the optical crosstalk" - they say that the 3D plasmas will be better than 3D LCD TVs.

Via Trading Markets

Panasonic has developed a new 50" Full-HD 3D plasma TV, and also new high-precision active shutter glasses. They say that the new TV enables "theater-quality true-to-life 3D images". It uses their new 3D drive technology that enables rapid illumination of pixels while maintaining brightness. The panel also incorporates a crosstalk reduction technology allowing for minimizing double-image (ghosting) that occurs when left- and right-eye images are alternately displayed. The high-precision active shutter glasses incorporate Panasonic's technology that precisely controls the active shutters with the left- and right-eye images shown on the PDP.

This TV is the new generation of the 103" Plasma that Panasonic had in 2008. Obviously a 50" will be more popular than a 103" one. 

Panasonic will display prototypes at CEATEC Japan 2009 (October 6th), and they want to release it in 2010 in Japan, Europe and US.

To reproduce 3D images, Panasonic uses the Full HD x 2 frame sequential method that displays time sequential images, alternately reproducing discrete 1920 x 1080 pixel images for the left and right eyes on the display frame by frame. The frame sequential method is widely used in showing Hollywood 3D movies in theaters.

The high-precision active shutter glasses employ Panasonic's technology that precisely controls the timing of opening and closing the shutter in synchronization with the left- and right-eye images alternately shown on the PDP. This technology enables significant reduction of crosstalk that degrades the image resolution in 3D display. The glasses are designed to fit for a wide range of users from children to the elderly.