Panasonic Enters 3D Arena Bare-fisted, Touting Plasma Over LCD
MUNICH -- The gloves came off and hard facts on Panasonic’s 3D plans and positions came out in briefings that followed the company’s announcement that it will ship its first 3D products in spring (CED Feb 17 p3). Those products will include a 50-inch plasma TV that ships in May, followed by a 65-inch set in July, and a Blu-ray 3D player whose delivery and price weren’t disclosed.
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Early sessions here broadly touted Panasonic’s NeoPDP plasma technology with active-shutter spectacles as ideal for 3D viewing. And, guest keynote-speaker Bill Foster from research firm Futuresource assured journalists and retailers attending that there will be “no 3D format-war.” But in technical briefing sessions that followed, Panasonic executives got a lot more up-front and personal, claiming their plasma solution was superior for 3D, compared with LCD systems like Sony’s.
"Optical crosstalk” is fast becoming the main point of contention among rival 3D display-technologies. Panasonic claimed that all LCD-based 3D displays, including current passive-polarizing sets (CED Feb 12 p2) and even forthcoming active-shutter systems, show more blurring of the image than its plasma system.
"Even the best 200-Hz LCD will show crosstalk, which shows double images on screen,” Tetsuya ("Tony") Itani, Panasonic’s chief engineer for Blu-ray player development, told Consumer Electronics Daily -- with a clear nod towards competitors with LCD solutions like Sony.
In a “3D Technology Comparison” of “Half-HD 3D” versus “Full-HD 3D” Panasonic displayed the same still picture of a statue on two 3D monitors, one a Panasonic VT20 50-inch plasma set and the other a Hyundai passive-polarization LCD set of the type used by the U.K.’s Sky for its 3D-satellite system. The “Half-HD 3D” moniker referred to passive-polarization 3D systems, while “Full-HD 3D” referred to Panasonic’s plasma system. A poster by the sets described “Moving Picture Resolution” as “excellent” for Full HD, and “good” for the passive Hyundai set. Viewing angle was described as “excellent” for Full HD and “good or fair” for the passive display. “Crosstalk” was described as “excellent” for Panasonic’s system but only “fair” with “crosstalk common” for the Hyundai.
Itani drew our attention to “ghosting, blurring and crosstalk” on the passive screen, claiming the cause was “light leaking from the left and right images. It is easy to see it when you know what to look for,” he told us. “Other brands of active-shutter 3D may have crosstalk,” he said. Panasonic’s plasma system is immune to that, because the company developed glasses that switch very rapidly and under direct control of the plasma panel’s own switching signals, he said. This gives the system very rapid response, with no lag, no crosstalk and less overall light loss, Itani told us. It’s also the reason why active glasses for one frame-sequential system, like Panasonic’s, are unlikely to work with rival manufacturers’ active shutter displays, like Sony’s LCD TVs.
Responses from competitors to our queries about Panasonic’s claims weren’t available at our deadline. A key issue going-forward will be compatibility among eye-wear for different methods of displaying 3D. Insiders expect to see third-party multi-standard glasses, like multi-use remote controls, that can be switched among different TV manufacturers’ shutter modes.