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?

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.

DuPont's been dabbling in OLED advancement for years now, and while the world waits for the introduction of market-ready big-screen OLED HDTVs, engineers at the miracle-working company are toiling away to make sure those very sets last quite some time. For anyone following the OLED TV scene, you'll know that luminance longevity has been a nagging issue, but if new developments pan out, stamina will be the least of our worries. In fact, the firm has crafted a green light-emitting material that can purportedly push onward for over a hundred years... continuously. Furthermore, the same scientists have engineered a new blue light-emitting material with a luminance half-life of 38,000 hours along with a red light-emitting material with a life of 62,000 hours. Unfortunately for the laypeople out there, we can't imagine this stuff being even marginally affordable -- but hey, it's great news for the sybarites!

It's been just over a year since we first heard that your next Sony LCD TV may actually be a Sharp, and while the joint venture has been flipped on and off again during the past 13 months, it seems that the stars are finally aligning in order to make this thing happen. Sharp is preparing a unit that will be launched on April 1st in order to act as "a base to be transformed into the joint venture." The unit will be christened Sharp Display Products Corporation, with Sharp owning 66 percent (and thus, the namesake) and Sony taking the remaining 34 percent. The two currently plan to start up production of LCD panels by March of 2010, which gives Sharp a solid dozen months to construct the facility in Sakai, Japan. Better hurry, folks -- it's not like OLED is breathing down your neck or anything.

Come one, come all to the flat-panel production cutting party. Just look at these spectacles on stage -- AU Optronics, Sharp, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi, et al. We'd say that this is getting downright bizarre, but we suspect that's plainly obvious by now. As the output-cutting bandwagon continues to take on passengers, LG has too decided (purportedly, at least) to downsize its plasma panel output starting in 2009. Potentially more striking is the assertion that it may "completely halt production of its 32-inch panels," which are losing it money hand over fist. The interesting bit is that nearly half of LG's PDP output is at the 32-inch level, so unless it starts digging into another size, it'll have quite a bit of equipment (and employees, we imagine) sitting idle. And to think -- things looked so much brighter just three years back.

Man, what a difference a year few months makes. At the front end of 2008, panel makers the world over were boasting about big investments to expand production lines and live large on Malta. Now, it's tough to go a week without hearing of at least one plant closing. Take Taiwan's AU Optronics, for instance -- in February of this year, it pledged $9.3 billion to build a pair of LCD factories. Now, it's placing those lofty plans on hold, noting that construction on "two new LCD plants" would be delayed by at least six months. According to chairman KY Lee: "One has to use the brakes and slow down a bit on a downhill path." A curious analogy, but we suppose it works.

Ah, how quickly things can change in this volatile, volatile world. At the tail-end of June, Samsung seemed pretty adamant that it would be keeping its flat-panel production lines humming along as usual. Enter a tiny factor called the worldwide credit crisis, and that plan begins to look terrible. In an effort to "cope with excess inventory amid lackluster demand from global markets," Sammy has decided to lower its panel output by about 5% (which it has been doing since August, actually), though it is keeping a close eye on demand in case it needs to ramp back up in short order. Whatever happens, we're just hoping for lower prices for consumers come Black Friday (and beyond).

The energy-saving nature of OLEDs has certainly been debated, but a passel of big name firms and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) are pushing forward with an initiative to promote the technology. Aside from the aforementioned entity, ten companies including Sony, Sharp, Toshiba and Matsushita (Panasonic) are collaborating on the five-year effort, which will likely cost ¥3.5 billion ($32.8 million). In sum, the project is aimed at "developing a core technology to mass-produce 40-inch or larger OLED displays in the late 2010s," and there's even a mention that said companies are racing South Korean firms to get a jump on OLED deployment. Race on, we say.

[Via Widescreen Review]

So yeah, apparently that whole attempt to "streamline operations" back in April didn't go over so well, as Syntax-Brillian -- you know, that firm neck deep in panel partnerships and responsible for Olevia HDTVs -- has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Arizona-based company has also "entered into a deal to sell certain of its assets to a newly created company called Olevia International Group LLC," which has agreed to pick up some $60 million of its secured debt. We're also told that operations in Tempe have ceased, and "about eight employees" (including the finance chief, general counsel and finance staff) are sticking around with nothing better to do.

[Thanks, Paul]

Today, Samsung is the only TV maker with sets containing Luminus Devices' PhlatLight, but according to a new report detailing the technology, that could be a-changin'. We heard that this stuff was taking home some fancy award earlier this year, but now we're getting a real in-depth look at what all it can do to make our lives better. Aside from having the potential to last the entire lifetime of the TV (over 60,000 hours) and "deliver a consistent picture without fading," PhlatLight essentially "combines the benefits of both LED and laser technologies." There's plenty more on the technicalities waiting in the read link below, but those focused on end products will be delighted to know that this system is slated to arrive in front projectors and pocket projectors in the not-too-distant future.

Considering that everybody is buying panels from everybody else these days, we're thrilled to announce that one more cute couple is joining the fray. Sanyo has recently announced that it has "started buying liquid crystal display panels from Sharp for use in its flat TVs sold in North America." According to Sanyo spokesman Hiroyuki Okamoto, the two firms are also pondering "joint development of kitchen appliances such as microwave ovens," but no further details were immediately available. LCD HDTVs and blenders -- a match made in heaven.

[Thanks, Atiba]

Though Canon has been focusing on SED and locking down LCD partnerships throughout the earlier part of the year, the firm will be showcasing its very own LCoS reflective LCD panels at InfoComm next month. The first panel is a 0.71-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) model, which is said to be the "world's first LCoS panel of its size to achieve such a level of resolution." The second is a 0.55-inch SXGA (1,400 x 1,050) version, which can also be used in conjunction with other Canon technologies to bring new projectors to market. Beyond that, it seems we'll have to wait until June before finding out more, but you can certainly peek the read link and attempt to read between the lines.

Surely you remember Shinoda Plasma and its obscenely large PTA display, right? Unfortunately, this one's no 142-incher, but 125-inches of curvaceous screen real estate still isn't anything to sneeze at -- especially when we're talking about an actual prototype. The 3- x 1-meter display consists of three PTA (plasma tube array) modules connected together, and it features a rather uninspiring 960 x 360 resolution but weighs just 7.9-pounds. The actual "display part" measures just one-millimeter thick, and while this unit is likely to make a veiled appearance at InfoComm next month, a mass produced version will reportedly be produced in conjunction with Hibino. Honest opinion? We're still feelin' the resolution of Alienware's curved monster, but digital signage fans should certainly dig where this one is headed.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

Whoops! Looks like Sumitomo President Hiromasa Yonekura was "misquoted" just a few days back, and there may actually not be any large OLED TVs churned out by the outfit in 2009. According to a new report, Sumitomo is currently "working with partners," thus the "timing of any product launch is not just its call." No worries -- we're fairly certain someone else will step up to the plate in your absence, right guys?

[Via OLED-Info]

Not even two months after Syntax-Brillian announced that it would be acquiring at least 700,000 LCD panels from Sharp during 2008, along comes word that the firm will also be on the receiving end of a similar deal with LG.Philips -- er, LG Display, we should say. Nomenclature aside, the agreement between the two asserts that LG.Philips (or whatever it becomes) will supply Syntax-Brillian "with a minimum of 750,000 LCD panels during 2008," though it's certainly not the first deal of its kind. More specifically, it'll provide 32-, 37-, 42- and 47-inch Full HD units, and the option to purchase additional inventory remains alive. So much teamwork in the LCD industry -- those other sectors could stand to learn a thing or two.