Today's High-Def Headlines

There's a ton of news coming out of CEDIA today, so without further ado:

Panasonic Adds Two Entry-Level 1080p Plasmas - TWICE
Panasonic is using CEDIA Expo to present two “more affordable” 1080p models in its 2007 plasma TV line. The new plasma sets comprise the 77 model series and include the 42-inch TH-42PZ77 ($1,799 suggested retail) and the 50-inch TH-50PZ77 ($2,799), both of which are scheduled to ship to dealers this month.

Toshiba Unveils Thin Bezel LCDs At CEDIA - TWICE
Toshiba travels to CEDIA Expo this week to unveil a pair of “super narrow bezel” Regza 1080p LCD TVs, and to demonstrate its recently announced third-generation HD DVD player lineup. The new Regza models include the 40-inch ($1,899 suggested retail) and 46-inch ($2,499) screen sizes, and are designed as a mid-step line, below Cinema Series models.

Sony Focuses On Blu-ray At CEDIA - TWICE
Sony brings Blu-ray Disc to CEDIA Expo in a big way, unveiling two new players and its first 200-disc Blu-ray Disc home server with 25GB Blu-ray Disc burning capability. The company also is presenting new Bravia 1080p SXRD video projectors, including the VPL-200, which packages the advanced features of the former Qualia 004 model with a sleeker form factors.

Second Elite Blu-ray Player To Bow - TWICE
Pioneer will unveil at CEDIA Expo its second Blu-ray Disc player, which will be sold in October under the Elite badge at a $1,000 suggested retail price. The Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray Disc player offers increased bandwidth capacity affording internal decoding of high resolution audio formats for: Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital+Plus, and DTS-HD as well as bit-stream output for all advanced audio formats including DTS-HD Master for 7.1 surround sound performance.

Sharp Adds 19” 768p Aquos TV, D43 Series At CEDIA - TWICE
Having just unveiled its new D64 entry 1080p Aquos LCD TV line, Sharp is using CEDIA Expo 2007 to unveil a new line of 768p Aquos sets and the company’s first 19-inch 768p SKU. The new Aquos D43U Series will include the 52-, 46- and 42-inch screen sizes, all of which offer 1366 by 768p resolution, Sharp’s Advanced Super Video LCD panel, a 7,500:1 dynamic contrast ratio and Quick Shoot video circuitry for a 6ms response time and 176-degree viewing angle.

NEC Adds New PDP, LCD Lines
NEC Display Solutions of America returns to the residential plasma TV category at CEDIA Expo, where it is unveiling a restructured residential display direction, including LCD and plasma display lines. The company has recombined its LCD TV and plasma TV business units, and is once again targeting retailers and resellers in a consumer distribution strategy. The company began to distance itself somewhat from consumer plasma TV after selling its plasma panel manufacturing operations to Pioneer.

Hitachi To Show Reel60, BD Camcorder - TWICE
Hitachi ventures to CEDIA to unveil its recently announced Blu-ray Disc camcorder and its new flat-panel TV lines featuring its proprietary “Reel60” technology. The camcorders are billed as the world’s first Blu-ray Disc high-definition models and include a hybrid model that will be capable of recording HD video to both Blu-ray discs and a 30GB hard disk drive.

Proton Shows CS LCD TVs - TWICE
Precision video display manufacturer Proton will be bringing dealers to its suite at the Westin here at CEDIA this week to show its new high-performance-value CS series LCD TV line up.
The line includes the 32-inch ($899 suggested retail), 37-inch ($1,099), 42-inch ($1,699) and 47-inch (price to be announced) screen sizes.

Discovery, NASA Partner for Space Program's 50th Anniversary - B&C
Discovery Communications and NASA are teaming up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the space program. The announcement was made Wednesday evening at a premiere screening of In the Shadow of the Moon at the Museum of Natural History here. The partnership will span multiple platforms, with never-before-seen archival footage and special programming, beginning in the spring of 2008 and continuing through the summer.