IN THE RAIN!

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE — Panasonic used a Holidays in June product showcase here Tuesday to reveal plans for a series of price cuts on select 46-inch and 42-inch plasma TV models, effective June 28.

Three 46-inch models will have their suggested retails reduced by $200 each, including the TCP46S1, formerly $1,499, reduced to $1,299; the TCP46G10, formerly $1,699, reduced to $1,499; and the TCP46G15, formerly $1,799, reduced to $1,599.

At the same time, the company is also reducing the suggested retail on its 42-inch entry 720p plasma model, the TCP42X1, by $100, to $799 from $899.

The reduced prices will be the new regular prices of the products going forward, and are not part of the instant-rebate programs that were recently offered on some models, according to a Panasonic spokesperson.

Explaining why the price adjustment was made, the Panasonic spokesperson said: “We were just looking at that price delta between the 42-, 46-, 50-inch-class products and wanted to make sure we had correctly set the sweet spot” for the prevailing market conditions.

Meanwhile, starting in July, Panasonic will also be offering special bundle price promotions when consumers purchase select Panasonic 1080p TVs with related Panasonic products, such as Blu-ray Disc players, or full Panasonic A/V systems. In certain cases the bundle savings, typically ranging between $200 and $300, may also be applied toward installation costs, the spokesperson said.

The models that will apply for the savings “will be pretty much open,” to the Blu-ray Disc players and A/V products that will match-up with targeted 1080p TV sets, according to the spokesperson.

The program will be open to all authorized Panasonic dealers.

Meanwhile, the company said it is now shipping the TCP54Z1 ultra-thin 1080p plasma set at a $6,000 suggested retail.

The high-end, 1-inch-thick plasma display will have an outboard box containing tuners, inputs and a wireless HD transmission system to link to the display screen from more than 32 feet away without the need of connecting cables.

The set also includes Panasonic’s 600Hz Sub-Field Drive technology for greater clarity of moving subjects and a newly developed slim speaker system to complement the thin design of the screen.

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Source: PRO AV News Service - Samsung Electronics this week introduced its new line of outdoor LCD displays, the DR Series, designed to withstand bright outdoor conditions. The series includes the 460DR, 460DRn, and 460DRn-A, and are currently available for estimated street prices of $3,800, $4,200, and $19,999 respectively.

The DR series was designed for indoor and outdoor installations affected by high ambient light, offering a brightness level of 1,500 nits and a static contrast ratio of 3,500:1. The displays feature Samsung's SPVA LCD panel technology, with 1366x768 resolution and 178/178 degree viewing angles.

"Sunlight always degrades picture quality," said J.H. Kim, president of the Information Technology Division at Samsung Electronics America, in a statement. "These displays now overcome display placement limitations. We have also worked to create different versions with the DR Series to fit the customers' needs."

The 460DR is a stand-alone panel that can be integrated into any cabinet or in-wall installation. The 460DRn is the next step up, providing an embedded PC and offering network connectivity through which the display can be managed, plus content delivery.

The company's all-in-one solution is the 460DRn-A, a floor-standing, weatherproof and dustproof cabinet designed for most outdoor installations. The durable cabinet features its own HVAC and filtration system, enabling it to withstand weather conditions from -22 degrees Fahrenheit to 109 degrees Fahrenheit, and up to 90 percent humidity. The cabinet also features shock-resistant glass and integrated anti-vandalism features including front-facing web camera, shock sensors, and auto-notify. The 460DRn-A also features an embedded PC, integrated touch, and a stereo sound system. The exterior can be customized to meet customer preferences and additional sizes, including a 70-inch will be available soon.

Also new from Samsung is a new line of full HD commercial displays. The FP-2 Series, which includes the 400FP-2, 400FPn-2, 460FP-2, and 460FPn-2 all offer 1920x1080 resolution, commercial connectivity, and commercial-grade panel rated at 16 hours, seven days a week. According to the company, the series measures right below its 24/7 DID panels displays, the DX Series. The FP Series is currently available with starting prices of $1,175 for the 400FP-2 and $1,646 for the 460FP-2.

"Our latest commercial offering… is designed to help customers who have not been able to utilize digital signage in the past because of the cost-of-entry," said Kim. "However, we recognized that a commercial installation deserves a commercial-grade display built to withstand environmental factors that consumer-grade TVs are not designed to handle."

Greetings Stampede Customers,   

Our Canada Office will be closed today so our employees are able to spend the holiday with there families. The office will re-open at 8:30 am on Thursday morning July 2nd. We wish everyone a Happy Canada Day!

Source: PRO AV News Service - Mitsubishi Digital Electronics is readying a series of portable projectors that weigh less than 8 pounds and emit more than 4,000 lumens. The XD600U, the first in the company's new family, makes its debut at InfoComm 09. The XGA-resolution projector displays 4,500 lumens of brightness and has a lamp estimated to last up to 5,000 hours under normal operating conditions in low mode, according to the company.

"Our XD600U projector ushers in a new line of projectors for us that round out our new portable high-brightness product line," said Wayne Kozuki, product manager of Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, in a statement.

The XD600U is the company's first projector designed with the latest DDP2230 and DLP Link chipset, making it 3D-ready. The projector supports 3D viewing when users input and display their 3D content and watch the display with optional DLP Link-compatible 3D glasses.

The new projector is intended for both education users and business professionals, according to the company. It has a built-in 10-watt loudspeaker and audio mix capability, closed captioning decoder, and a visual public addressing feature. It also includes an RJ-45 port for remote operation and management over a LAN, WAN, or the Internet.

Simultaneous real-time Message Display via the new Visual PA feature allows an administrator to remotely create and distribute messages to projectors connected to the LAN. The XD600U also offers dual 15-pin computer inputs, as well as S-video and RCA video inputs, and HDMI inputs for digital sources.

Designed with two separate 3.5 mm audio inputs and two RCA audio inputs, the projector also has a 3.5 mm variable audio output used to control volume levels. There is also a built-in audio mixer so the projector can project audio from two sources simultaneously, such as a DVD and a wireless microphone. When the loudspeaker isn't in use, the XD600U has a noise level of 29 dBA in low mode.

The XD600U is scheduled to be available in Q3 2009.

Slashed prices, the digital transition and a budget-prompted tendency to spend more time at home motivate consumers to upgrade their televisions.

By Andrea Chang, LA Times - On the shopping list for budget-minded consumers: groceries, gas -- and a new flat-panel TV?

Shelling out hundreds of dollars on a television is hardly wallet-friendly, but LCD and plasma sets have been flying off the shelves all year, with some retailers saying TV sales are better now than they were during the holiday season.

Retail experts say the boob-tube boomlet stems in part from dramatic price-slashing by retailers that are trying to undercut the competition and need to move merchandise to make room for newer, snazzier models. The recent transition by broadcast stations to digital signals also brought out droves of shoppers who used the deadline as motivation to replace their outdated analog TVs.

But there's also a recession twist: Some industry watchers say that people are upgrading their TVs because they're spending more time at home during the economic downturn.

"Consumers are increasingly using the home as a place to look for entertainment," said Riddhi Patel, an analyst at research firm ISuppli Corp. "And TV becomes the main medium. . . . People are saying instead of taking trips during the summer, they may as well stay at home and buy a TV."

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