Remember that big to do about the tru2way memorandum of understanding that Sony and the rest of the Consumer Electronics manufacturers signed earlier last year. You know, the one that said every cable operator in the US would be tru2way capable by July 1st 2009? Well that date has come and gone and while the providers insist it is no big deal, no HDTV manufactures seem very excited about tru2way at the moment. According to Comcast's EVP David Cohen, more than just three markets will be ready to go by the end of the year. At this point we'll believe it when we see it, because supposedly tru2way HDTVs have been available to Comcast subscribers in Chicago, Denver and Atlanta for some time, yet not even a single review or hands-on has appeared online, in fact we haven't even gotten a single tip or comment that anyone even has one of these tru2way TVs. Every provider in world could be ready but if there aren't plenty of tru2way TVs announced at CES in a few months, it's all for naught.

Avid readers of Engadget HD are up on the latest 3D display and display technologies, but the same can not be said for the general masses. And before you start on the whole "I'm not wearing any stupid looking glasses," because no matter what you say, there are more people paying extra to go 3D movies than ever and the reason is simple; it's because this isn't like the crappy 3D you saw during the Super Bowl last year -- or that our parents grew up with. No, the 3D that Sony, Panasonic, and others are promising next year is like nothing you've seen. We've come a long way since the old anaglyph red and blue glasses that come in cereal boxes. So if like most, you could use a refresher on the 3D technologies and when you might get to use them, you should head on over and check it out.

The plasma may be a dying breed, but the ones that are left are undoubtedly some of the best the world has ever seen. Take Panasonic's 54-inch TC-P54Z1 for example, which wowed audiences (us included) when it was first unveiled way back at CES. The HD Guru recently had an opportunity to take this very screen into his abode for review, and after a labor-intensive (around "one hour") setup process, the gazing was officially on. Panny's engineers were able to slim the set down to an inch by requiring that a dedicated (wireless) set-top-box be used for tuning OTA channels and managing connections, and the result was nothing less than elegant. If you're wondering what north of five large really buys in an HDTV these days, wonder no more -- the set was deemed darn near perfect, with "outstanding" color, contrast and deep black levels. Potentially best of all, there were no motion artifacts to speak of, and anyone with a 120Hz / 240Hz set can testify to just how annoying those things are. Hit the read link for a detailed unboxing, setup and review, but don't even bother if you're looking for someone to talk you out of what you're about to do.

Apparently even one of the main proponents of the 3D at home movement is still able to see its shortcomings, as detailed in this Wall Street Journal article. Prez Fumio Ohtsubo sees a 3-4 year time period before 3D gains wider acceptance, while the company continues to work on implementing it in smaller televisions, portable devices and glasses-free 3D. Combine that with the still miniscule amount of 3D content and the extra expense for compatible hardware, and we can see why Panasonic is unwilling to put all its eggs into one glasses-filled basket. All that aside, this time next year, expect to see 3D highest among the list of features on high end, large HDTVs where contrast ratio, Hz, widgets and other bullet pointed items currently reside.

We can't say for certain how good it feels to hoist this big-faced behemoth onto one's shoulder, but it's the first time we've seen Panasonic's 1080p twin-lens P2 3D camcorder out and about since its fabled introduction at NAB earlier this year. Strategically placed beside a 3D Avatar trailer demo, the camcorder looked exactly like the press shot we saw of the prototype before, though there's still no formal word on when it'll be used to film your friend's Bar Mitzvah (or anything else half as cool). A boy can dream, yeah?

At this point, Panasonic's 50-inch 3D plasma is just another one joining the fray, but considering how highly hyped the technology behind this was, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to throw our eyes on it for a bit at CEATEC. The 1080p panel was strikingly thin (or well mounted to give that impression), and the viewing angles were fantastic. The glasses that Panny provided, however, were relatively annoying (no surprise there). It should be noted that the actual spectacles sit pretty far off of your face, which simultaneously enables those with actual glasses to partake in the 3D experience while frustrating those without by giving them a cute blue rim that refuses to leave the periphery. As for image quality, the G-Force demo looked downright stunning, with depth being easily perceived and fast moving action whisking about seamlessly. Still, we're having a hard time believing a family of four would sit down and use these glasses for a two-hour presentation, but hey, we're not going to give up on the marketing squads just yet.

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?

True, Panasonic's 103-inch 3D television is more desirable, but Panny's new 50-incher will be more affordable when it comes time to buy your first 3D set. The 1080p TV requires viewers to wear special specs, naturally, in this case, Panasonic's active "shutter" glasses. As the name implies, the lenses switch in sync with the TV so that the right image is seen by the right eye and the left image is seen by the left eye. All that quick image swapping requires new PDP materials and chips to maintain screen brightness. The new prototype will be on display at Ceatec show in Tokyo next week with plans for commercialization in 2010. You know, assuming anyone wants it.

Nearly a year after Panasonic stepped the UniPhier chips at the heart of its Blu-ray players up to DivX HD, comes word that the company is moving on up to DivX Plus HD (read: Up to 1080p h.264 video in an MKV container) next time around. That includes not only its next line of Blu-ray set-top players we're sure to see unveiled at CES, but also digital TVs and in-car players, so between Panasonic and NEC MKV fans should be able to take their videos even more places without the extra step of transcoding in 2010.

It's been less than a year since we first entered Panasonic's demo trailer, the main difference at CEDIA this year was the addition of a trailer for James Cameron's Avatar. We were lucky enough to get an early look at the footage shown, while it shared much with the trailer released a few weeks ago, you haven't seen the Terminator and Titanic director's latest effort unless you've seen it in 3D. Check after the break for the rest of our thoughts on the 3D demo, and what the future has to hold for thid display tech in the home.

To say that Panasonic's existing lineup of V10 NeoPDP sets were widely adored would be grossly understating things, so it makes sense to see the outfit unleash two new sizes in the family over at IFA. In the midst of mindless bragging about a Full HD 3D system that absolutely no one will be interested in until 3D content delivery is sorted, Panasonic has managed to confess that two new V10 sizes will be produced. If you'll recall, the set was already available in 42- and 50-inch flavors, but if those just felt too small for your palatial den, the new 58- (TX-P58V10E) and 65-inch (TX-P65V10E) models just might fit the bill. Specs wise, everything here will remain the same; a 1080p panel, 600Hz sub-field drive technology, VIERA CAST functionality for pulling in web content, THX certification and a laughable dynamic contrast ratio of over 2,000,000:1. There's no exact mention of a price or release date, but you can bet we'll be hounding the booth attendants for those tidbits as soon as we track 'em down.

Panasonic's PT-AE3000 has gone over quite well in the home theater space, with its 1080p resolution and gorgeous image quality winning over more than a few projector junkies. But given that there's always room for improvement, the outfit has today introduced the PT-AE4000, an ever-so-slightly refreshed version that looks essentially identical to its predecessor. The Full HD native resolution and 1,600 ANSI lumens remain unchanged, though the contrast ratio has been bumped from 60,000:1 to 80,000:1 and Panny has outfitted it with a new "red rich lamp" and dynamic iris. Finally, this beamer supposedly eliminates those nasty Cinemascope issues that some users were seeing on the AE3000, though the estimated £2,000 ($3,255) asking price still feels a bit steep when you consider the alternatives.

Just in case there was any doubt since the task force was announced in May, the Blu-ray Disc Association is still hard at work on a standard to bring home 3D movies the way they were meant to be seen. Ahead of IFA, the group squeezed off an announcement, mentioning its decision of minimum specs including requiring 1080p resolution to each eye and backwards compatibility for discs and players, so any 3D flick will have to include a 2D version for older Blu-ray players. Of course, we're sure Panasonic has something to do with this push, it's already planning to tour the country with 3D capable Blu-ray players in tow, so it shouldn't be too much longer until final decisions are made.

For anyone who can live by the credo that money is no obstacle is the way of getting the very best in your life, Panasonic's unveiled the 85-inch TH-85PF12U plasma HDTV. It outputs 1080p -- but we'd be honestly surprised if it didn't at this point -- and weighs in at 260 pounds, with its main body about 3.9 inches in depth. Price? Well, if you have to ask... it's $30,000 -- honestly not that surprising when you consider the years-old 103-inch model is still teetering around $45,000, give or take five grand.

Injunctions, hail, sleet or snow, VIZIO kept shipping its LCD HDTVs in large amounts during the second quarter, enough of them to account for 21.7% of the market, according to iSuppli. That was enough to narrowly hold off Samsung, which saw its numbers rise sharply from 17.8% in the previous quarter to 21.3%, reportedly due to its introduction and marketing of new LED sets, which contributed to 2.2 percent of all LCDs sold during the period. The analysts also see a growing trend of customers coming back for their second flat panel television to replace an older one, just the kind of people it thinks might gravitate towards features like skinny, power efficient LED designs. We'll see if that's enough to swing the balance Samsung's way, or if customers stick with VIZIO's approach.

Read - VIZIO Again Ranked #1 in U.S. LCD HDTV Shipments
Read - Samsung Cuts Into Vizio's Lead in U.S. LCD TV Market in Second Quarter