Panasonic Debuts Longer-Lasting LCD HDTVs

By the Betanews Staff | Published August 22, 2007, 11:46 AM

Panasonic said Wednesday that it had begun shipping the first of its high definition televisions to include a proprietary technology called LIFI, which is said to both ensure image brightness for a longer period of time than the standard LCD HDTV, and have a quicker start up time. The first TVs will be available in 50, 56, and 61-inch models, and will be available in both 720p and 1080p versions, ranging in price from $1700 to $2200.

LIFI HDTVs do not use electrodes as the light source, Panasonic said, which results in longer life. Additionally, that same technology reduces the time that it takes for the television to start up from around a minute to 15 seconds. “The fact that the bulb will virtually never need to be replaced is a great benefit to the consumer and one of the reasons we strongly believe that LIFI will be successful,” Panasonic vice president Dennis Eppel said in a statement.

Comments

View comments by with a score of at least

Sounds like Panasonic partnered with Enzyte. :)

Score: 0

|

I'm guessing they've replaced the 'old' backlight system with LED's? There aren't too many options to choose from, after all. There's incandescant bulbs (unlikely), flourescent lighting (ie, the 'old' system), HID lamps (unlikely) or LED's.

Unless, of course, I'm missing soemthing obvious?

Score: 0

|

LEDs have electrodes, so it can't be that. It is probably a blowtorch.

Score: 0

|

What about the front projector version for home theaters? When's that coming?

Score: 0

|

Saw a comparison against some other screens, and they sure are impressive. Next to the Sony screens they looked very good, so long as they don't explode they should be quite tempting. Awaiting the UK price.

Score: 0

|

"so long as they don't explode"

If any were to explode it would be the Sony ones (recalling the exploding laptop batteries).

Score: 0

|

It would have been kind of funny to see the sony go into a fireball of flames during his comparison, though.

Score: 0

|

A real beta process at work: Mozilla fires up Firefox 3.6 Beta 2

In the clearest sign yet that public input really does help the development process, a flurry of bug detections provoked Mozilla to release Beta 2 of the next Firefox.

Snow Leopard and Windows 7 still can't crack the netbook problem

Apple has killed Atom support in OS X 10.6.2 and Windows 7 Starter Edition is stripped of "basic" functionality.

Microsoft's Top 3 advances in Exchange Server 2010

The latest round of changes launched today will impact how admins deliver services to e-mail recipients, and how much companies will pay along the way.

Firefox turns five: Thanks for giving us a choice

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: No longer the phoenix rising from the ashes, Mozilla has carried on more than just Netscape's legacy.

Kindle for PC opens in beta, underwhelms

Amazon has opened the beta of Kindle for PC, a companion to the Kindle, but little else.

European ministers approve watered-down 'neutral net' language

The latest provision in the EU's telecoms regulatory framework would let businesses cancel individuals' Internet access, if they go to court first.

It's the US vs. the EU over Oracle+Sun and the meaning of 'open source'

Now that the EU is a virtual country, the US Justice Dept. is taking a stand in favor of its view -- and against the EC's -- that MySQL will survive under Oracle.

Qualcomm: $1.3 billion Samsung licensing deal unrelated to fair trade violations

Samsung has come to a 15-year licensing deal with Qualcomm over 3G and 4G wireless technology.

Nokia's 'limited number' of recalled chargers exceeds 14 million

Today, the Finnish phone maker has begun a recall of mobile phone chargers that are a shock hazard.

Ubuntu 9.10 upgraders report frustration

For those Wine aficionados out there, beware of the remote possibility that your Linux system could be infected by Windows-seeking malware.

Supreme Court considers patentability of abstract methods today

Can software that executes a formula for a business process qualify for federal patents? An appeals court already said no, and inventors are making their case.