We've seen some dark, dark panels in our day, but Panasonic's next-generation IPS-Alpha has us all sorts of hot and bothered. Unlike Pioneer's plasmas of yesteryear, the prototype seen here at CEATEC has wide angle viewing down to an art, and the image quality was simply stunning. Fast moving objects slid in with nary a jagged edge in sight, while the production unit on the left produced a noticable and continual blur. When portraying a pitch black background, it's easy to see just how much darker the IPS-Alpha panel was compared to the next best thing. Have a peek at the video below for a more personal peek, and look forward to us prying out some sort of price and release estimate when the company shows this again at CES. You will have that information at CES, right Panny?
That screen doesn't look like it has any any glare coating at all, I'd bet the actual production models have less glare than the LED backlit LCDs, just like the current plasmas.
The bulk of what we are seeing is the loss of contrast due to the anti-glare coating, while in a room with ambient light. Its the reason why EVERY LCD that is considered to have good black levels, has a glossy/reflective screen. Consumers just have to pick their poison.
Can someone please tell me again why we need OLED. With the progress that plasma and LED LCDs are making, there will be no need for it in the next five years.
My 65" plasma (Panny 10K series) pulls 1500 watts with a 100IRE field up. Plasma sucks huge power. And it can burn in, although not nearly as bad as old units.
That said: does this new panel solve the "plasma edge bleed" artifact issue seen when (for example) you drag windows around on a PC desktop? Or when credits scroll against a black background adjacent to a window with video in it, like the credits at the end of "Cars?"
It looks like the one on the right has a glossy screen, while the one on the left is matte; in the brightly lit room these televisions appear to be presented in, that alone would go a long way in making the tv on the left pale in comparison.
I don't mind the glossy coating. I'd rather have great contrast and control the lighting of my room. I rarely get a chance to watch TV or movies during the day anyway.
1. A Matt finish will cause ambient light to diffuse and will make the TV image look less sharp (lower contrast ratio) 2. A highly reflective finish will not diffuse the ambient light and will make the TV image look sharper (higher contrast ratio)
Therefore, as pointed out earlier, pick your poison: If you want a really nice image, go with a reflective finish in a room where reflections will not be an issue.
I could not tell any other difference between the two, nor could I tell if the new screen is Plasma. (I find it funny that the matte screen has a shiny bezel and the shiny screen has a matte one! Obviously an attempt at a marketing trick.)
Further, what is the model of the screen on the left. What it is not is a v10 or a z1, so what are they comparing it to? A $500 screen to a $5000 screen? Come-on. This is no comparison: This is fakery. Engadget Editors have been too smart to fall for such. It makes me *want* to believe that they were not comparing the new panel to the one on the left, but rather to one from memory (a v10 / z1 / Kuro). Well: Am I right?
Lastly, with respect the viewing angel: According to the published tests, the LCD panels are the ones that have an issue with the viewing angle and not the Panasonic Plasmas. Has there been a new report that I missed (not that I see / read all of the reports out there)?
None the less, if it is better than a v10 / z1 - Bring it On - Now
How about it Engadget: Why not talk Panasonic into making this a Recession Give-Away on your site????? I am issuing this as a challenge to you guys: Show us your powers of persuasion i.e. I Want One but know that it will be out of my price range :-(
I refuse to buy anything with a glossy finish. The glare on the screen to the right is hideous, as is the glare from the bezel on the screen to the left. Glossy screens at least have some benefits to go along with the glare, but glossy bezels have none. Putting a glossy bezel around a matte screen is incredibly stupid.
They are trying to appeal to women. Women do not want to watch TV. They just want to look at themselves in a mirror, so the super glossy screen surface is perfect!
As an owner of a Samsung 950 LED-backlit LCD set, I made a conscious decision to go with a glossy screen to maximize perceived contrast. I knew that light control, particularly from lights that would be in the reflective path of the seating area, would be an issue to deal with. I have generally been very happy with the trade-off. Of course, it helps to have a set with high light output.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Red Dragon @ Oct 6th 2009 8:25AM
Love the colors and contrast, but the glare totally sucks. OLED better hurry up and get to market with a good priced tv if they are going to compete.
Ben @ Oct 6th 2009 8:45AM
That screen doesn't look like it has any any glare coating at all, I'd bet the actual production models have less glare than the LED backlit LCDs, just like the current plasmas.
chuckdaly @ Oct 6th 2009 8:50AM
The bulk of what we are seeing is the loss of contrast due to the anti-glare coating, while in a room with ambient light. Its the reason why EVERY LCD that is considered to have good black levels, has a glossy/reflective screen. Consumers just have to pick their poison.
solidunit @ Oct 6th 2009 10:05AM
stupid question, is this LCD or plasma ?
Rob @ Oct 6th 2009 5:46PM
It is an IPS LCD
Oat07 @ Oct 6th 2009 10:19AM
Can someone please tell me again why we need OLED. With the progress that plasma and LED LCDs are making, there will be no need for it in the next five years.
Ian @ Oct 8th 2009 3:40PM
My 65" plasma (Panny 10K series) pulls 1500 watts with a 100IRE field up. Plasma sucks huge power. And it can burn in, although not nearly as bad as old units.
That said: does this new panel solve the "plasma edge bleed" artifact issue seen when (for example) you drag windows around on a PC desktop? Or when credits scroll against a black background adjacent to a window with video in it, like the credits at the end of "Cars?"
skimrn @ Oct 6th 2009 10:20AM
Wow, that looks really good. Finally I think my Kuro's "Ultimate Black" status is getting toppled over... :)
Spanbauer @ Oct 6th 2009 10:47AM
It looks like the one on the right has a glossy screen, while the one on the left is matte; in the brightly lit room these televisions appear to be presented in, that alone would go a long way in making the tv on the left pale in comparison.
Cap BD @ Oct 6th 2009 12:23PM
I don't mind the glossy coating. I'd rather have great contrast and control the lighting of my room. I rarely get a chance to watch TV or movies during the day anyway.
SamE @ Oct 6th 2009 12:19PM
All that I could tell was (as stated earlier):
1. A Matt finish will cause ambient light to diffuse and will make the TV image look less sharp (lower contrast ratio)
2. A highly reflective finish will not diffuse the ambient light and will make the TV image look sharper (higher contrast ratio)
Therefore, as pointed out earlier, pick your poison:
If you want a really nice image, go with a reflective finish in a room where reflections will not be an issue.
I could not tell any other difference between the two, nor could I tell if the new screen is Plasma. (I find it funny that the matte screen has a shiny bezel and the shiny screen has a matte one! Obviously an attempt at a marketing trick.)
Further, what is the model of the screen on the left. What it is not is a v10 or a z1, so what are they comparing it to? A $500 screen to a $5000 screen? Come-on. This is no comparison: This is fakery. Engadget Editors have been too smart to fall for such. It makes me *want* to believe that they were not comparing the new panel to the one on the left, but rather to one from memory (a v10 / z1 / Kuro). Well: Am I right?
Lastly, with respect the viewing angel: According to the published tests, the LCD panels are the ones that have an issue with the viewing angle and not the Panasonic Plasmas. Has there been a new report that I missed (not that I see / read all of the reports out there)?
I believe Engadget published this link on the above issue themselves:
http://www.displaymate.com/LCD_Plasma_ShootOut.htm
None the less, if it is better than a v10 / z1 - Bring it On - Now
How about it Engadget: Why not talk Panasonic into making this a Recession Give-Away on your site????? I am issuing this as a challenge to you guys: Show us your powers of persuasion i.e. I Want One but know that it will be out of my price range :-(
chumley @ Oct 6th 2009 1:02PM
I refuse to buy anything with a glossy finish. The glare on the screen to the right is hideous, as is the glare from the bezel on the screen to the left. Glossy screens at least have some benefits to go along with the glare, but glossy bezels have none. Putting a glossy bezel around a matte screen is incredibly stupid.
Rob @ Oct 6th 2009 5:47PM
Don't you guys get it?
They are trying to appeal to women. Women do not want to watch TV. They just want to look at themselves in a mirror, so the super glossy screen surface is perfect!
Brian @ Oct 13th 2009 11:56AM
As an owner of a Samsung 950 LED-backlit LCD set, I made a conscious decision to go with a glossy screen to maximize perceived contrast. I knew that light control, particularly from lights that would be in the reflective path of the seating area, would be an issue to deal with. I have generally been very happy with the trade-off. Of course, it helps to have a set with high light output.