Panasonic admits it's newest HDTV tv may be obsolete soon!!! (1 Viewer)

[Keith_JS]

David,

Perhaps I was guilty of some unfortunate use of hyperbole particularly in my first "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" post. No harm meant.

I just didn't want to make a $2,000+ mistake and I didn't want anyone else too either.

Nuff said.

 

[John-Miles]

Well here it seems is yet another new standard on the horizon ready to make everything obsolete, this more than anything convinces me that our analog cables will be safe for the next 10-15 years.

The key underlying technology in DVI will be the basis for the new HDMI specification.

this in no way even implies that DVI will be this new magic connection, it just says that it will be built on dvi.

we can sit around waiting for the dust to settle forever, the bottom line is there are 2.3 million customers that will not stand for being screwed, the DVI people may even be joining them in a year or tw which could easily double that number, so worry not, but your tv, odds are it isn't going anywhere.

thats my 2 cents worth

cheers
John

 

[David Barteaux]

John,

HDMI is backward compatible with DVI. HDMI is basically DVI with audio. I have a receiver for my digital audio so I'm not going to use audio speakers in the TV anyway.

 

[Thomas_P]

John, read the first article on that thread you gave me. Uncompressed HD material runs at 1200 mb/s which is 1.2 gigs a second. It will be compressed on the disc and then uncompressed when the signal i sent to the display, if it uses DVI.

 

[John-Miles]

I stand corrected. on the uncompressed size that is

 

[David Judah]

Basically, there is a smaller connector(20.9 mm vs. 35.9 mm for DVI)that is pin to pin compatible with DVI.
It looks like that group is really pushing hard for Firwire to be the interconnect standard between source components and HDMI between the source components and the display.
Here's a .pdf from Silicon Image that gives a basic overview. Interestingly, they show an HD movie running at 2.2 GB/s. Maybe that's with multi-channels of hi-rez, uncompressed audio also, because I thought that HD video ran at 1.2 GB/s too.
http://www.siimage.com/pdf/HDMICPTWG.pdf
DJ

 

[Michael Gretton]

What should a novice Home Theater guy do? I have lived with my RCA 31 inch for 9 yrs and I want to upgrade to something that will last me another 9. Should I really just suck it up and wait another year? I can do that. I at the typical American income household and this is a splurge for me. I can't chase technology.

By the way, I am looking at the Panny 40lc12...is it worth it?

Mike

 

[Dan Hine]

Is the Panny 40lc12 an LCD model? If so I think I have seen it and was not impressed at all. The picture looked very washed out...a prime example of blacks looking grey. For over a grand less, the 47" model looked much better, IMO.
And I am in the same boat as you with regards to not being able to chase technology. I'm sure my opinion on the issue has been made clear in this thread already. Also, I read the statement by Panasonic again and it only mentions possible incompatibility with cable systems. No mention is made of OTA or Satellite. I think anyone would be safe to buy a non DVI/HDCP set. But that's just my $.02
Regards,
Dan Hine

 

[Arron H]

I really consider myself a complete novice in regards to this topic but my wife and I decided to take the plunge and upgrade our TV. We ended up going with a Panasonic CT32HX41 for $1,006 at Circuit City. We also bought the 3 year extended warranty for $159. I usually do not do this but since our 27" JVC that we bought about 2 years ago is already in the repair shop and out of warranty, I decided it might be worth it to get the extended warranty this time. If the repair for the JVC is affordable, we plan to move the JVC to the bedroom. If not, chock one up to experience.

So far, I am very impressed with the CT32HX41. I read about geometry problems but I am not noticing anything weird. We have not calibrated the TV yet but will probably do that today. We are going to use the S&V disc. The picture quality is really a step up from anything that either my wife or I have owned previously. Even without an STB, TV seems completely different in terms picture quality. Our DVDs have come to life. Our home theatre feels and looks much more believable if that makes any sense. Even if this TV does become obsolete down the road, it is still an incredible improvement over anything either of us have ever owned and I'm sure that we will enjoy it immensely for years to come.

 

[Michael Lomker]

For the record, I haven't heard any mention of DVI from the cable box providers. They are just starting to roll out HD cable boxes in many areas and almost all of them use component video connectors. The next generation box from Scientific Atlanta (the Explorer 8000 PVR) has firewire and component outputs. It takes YEARS for SA/Motorola to design a box and even longer for the cable providers to roll them out.

Analog outputs will be available on cable for years to come. The cable companies already consider HD a relatively bleeding-edge, small market. There is no way that they are going to require DVI anytime soon.

 

[Jay Sylvester]

The following should cause anyone who is considering purchasing a HDTV without DVI inputs to at least reconsider the wisdom of doing so.

The brand new Panasonic PT53WX42 53-Inch HD-Ready Television(with no DVI input) has the following liability disclaimer:

"If your cable company passes through a DTV signal unchanged, an optional HDTV set-top receiver can decode and tune the program. However, standards for cable connectivity have not been finalized. Consequently,this product may not be compatible with your cable system ."

Translation: In the future hollywood will not allow its product to be released in high definition format unless its encrypted. Hollywood has agreed that DVI is the format they will use to accomplish this goal. Satellite and cable companies will be forced to impliment this system IF THEY WANT TO SHOW HOLLYWOOD'S PRODUCT AT 1080 (directtv has already stated they will down convert signals to 480p to subscribers who don't have DVI if the studios request them too). Our 2002 tvs were designed before it was apparent that DVI was the future of HDTV-- in 2003 we will rectify this oversight. Please buy one now but remember it's at your own risk.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE WRITING IS CLEARLY ON THE WALL. DVI IS HERE TO STAY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

It looks like I'm either going with the 48" JVC or waiting until the new Sonys come out with DVI.

Keith,

You're quoting a legal disclaimer that we've been using since last Spring (2001). Its purpose was to warn consumers that although our sets are "HDTV ready," standards had yet to be finalized in terms of cable-based HD signals being passed to HDTVs. The disclaimer has been included on our web site with every HDTV we've introduced since last year. DVI wasn't even a blip on the radar when our legal department drafted it.

You're reading into things way too much. Have a mochachino and relax.

 

[Jay Sylvester]

What should a novice Home Theater guy do? I have lived with my RCA 31 inch for 9 yrs and I want to upgrade to something that will last me another 9. Should I really just suck it up and wait another year? I can do that. I at the typical American income household and this is a splurge for me. I can't chase technology.

By the way, I am looking at the Panny 40lc12...is it worth it?

It's a nice set. As Dan said, it's LCD-based so contrast isn't as good as CRT-based projection TVs. When I saw the 40LC12 and the 47WX52 side by side playing CBS hi def, the saturated colors and pixel perfection of the 40LC12 were really impressive, but blacks were grey. Its benefits are the slim profile and tabletop chassis making it more friendly for people with less space.