Done with DLP? LCD so last year? Plasma passe? How about frickin’ lasers! That’s right. Mitsubishi’s first LaserVue HDTV is now available. And that’s not just a cute brand name, it really does use lasers. The 65″ HDTV uses laser light to project the image on the screen. The lasers provide high contrast and depth of color, while using one-third the power of LCD and one-quarter the power of plasma. Of course, all this will set you back $6,999 MSRP. But isn’t that a small price to pay for a TV with frickin’ laser beams?

The press release:
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Just recently certified by CableLabs, Panasonic’s first tru2way-enabled HDTVs are now available at retail. The first VIERA HDTVs with tru2way support are available from Abt Electronics in Glenview, IL, and tru2way support is officially available from Comcast in Chicago and Denver. The sets will also soon be available at Ultimate Electronics and Circuit City stores.

The cable industry is aggressively rolling out tru2way support and all of the MSOs, except for Charter, have promised to have it available by July 1, 2009. Charter says they’ll have completed roll-out by July 1, 2010. So the territory where tru2way TVs will be usable will be rapidly growing in the coming months.

This is clearly a very limited roll-out that is more about bragging rights, I don’t think they’ll be selling a huge number of these sets just yet. The 42″ TH-42PZ80Q plasma has an MSRP of $1,599.95 and the 50″ TH-50PZ80Q plasma has an MSRP of $2,299.95. It is great to see the technology hitting the streets, it is a good sign for the future. We’ll certain to see a lot of tru2way products come CES in January.

The press release has more details:
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I haven’t seen much from XStreamHD since I saw them at CES back in January. Though, while I don’t think they’re going to hit their 4Q08 ship date, based on the lack of any product updates, it looks like they’re still out there working on their product. Design & Reuse reports that XStreamHD has just licensed audio processing technology from ARC International to support decoding of Dolby Digital Plus. And checking XStreamHD’s press page it looks like they added members to the executive team in May, and licensed SATA IP tech in June. Not really any indication of what kind of progress, if any, is being made toward bringing their product to market, but signs of life at least.

Picked up from EngadgetHD.

I’ve said it before, and I will probably say it again, all 1080p content is not the same. There is more to picture quality than lines of resolution or pixel count, bit rate is equally important, if not more so. With DirecTV, DISH Network, VUDU, and others touting their 1080p content they’re often comparing it to the gold standard in home video – Blu-ray Disc. As DISH Network did just the other day: “Blu-Ray Disc quality 1080p resolution”. And that doesn’t get into the audio, which doesn’t come close to the lossless audio available on many Blu-ray titles. Well, it looks like the Blu-ray Disc Association has finally had enough, according to David Mercer at StrategyAnalytics:

These claims have clearly struck a sensitive nerve within the Blu-ray community, which, given their strategy as outlined above, is perhaps not surprising. Today the BDA has given me the following statement:

“A number of companies have recently launched advertising campaigns claiming their products deliver high definition picture and sound “equal” to that delivered by Blu-ray Disc. These comparisons are irresponsible and are misleading to consumers. Up conversion and satellite broadcast cannot provide a true Blu-ray high definition experience, as neither is technically capable of producing the quality delivered by Blu-ray players and Blu-ray discs. To that end, the Blu-ray Disc Association is exploring these claims further and will take appropriate action, as necessary, to prevent consumers seeking the ultimate in high-definition home entertainment from being misled.”

I’m happy to see this. Blu-ray has struggled to educate consumers about higher quality home cinema, and now that it is started to gain recognition and traction in the market other vendors are trying to ride their coattails by tricking consumers into thinking they offer the same quality experience just because they’re also ‘1080p’.

Picked up from EngadgetHD.

They explain, in simple terms, why all HDTV is not the same. While the only qualification necessary to be considered ‘high-definition’ is a resolution of 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, the standards don’t say anything about the level of compression. So while a 54Mbps 1080p Blu-ray data stream and a 4Mbps 1080p VUDU data stream are both technically high-definition, there is quite a bit more data building the Blu-ray image – and hence the viewer sees a better picture. And the same goes for HDTV channels, compression varies channel to channel, and even program to program on the same channel. The article is worth checking out if you’ve wondered why some HD programs look better than others.

Picked up from EngadgetHD.

The Amazon promotion of a free TiVo HD with the purchase of a Samsung HDTV, originally scheduled to end June 6th, has been extended through June 9th. As previously posted, the deal also includes three months of free TiVo service and free ‘white glove’ delivery.

Wal*Mart has decided to push high-definition systems in general, and Blu-ray in particular, in their stores. They’ve revamped their consumer electronics departments nationwide, and have added a “high-def Blu-ray experience area” in 1,200 stores. They’ve increased their selection of full HD (1080p) HDTVs by over 58%, and they’ve increased their selection of Blu-ray players by adding players from Magnavox, Samsung, and Panasonic to their existing Sony player offerings. Along with the additional players they’ve also expanded their selection of Blu-ray movies.

As a promotion, between June 8 and June 14, they’re offering a $100 Wal*Mart gift card with the purchase of any Blu-ray player. And, also beginning June 8th, they’ll be pricing selecting Blu-ray movies at only $15, including 3:10 to Yuma, WAR, Shooter, 300, and The Fifth Element.

Their press release announcing the changes:
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The offer of a free TiVo HD with the purchase of eligible Samsung HDTV models that I posted last week is even better than it at first seemed. I received an email from Amazon today promoting the deal, and in addition to getting the TiVo HD free, you’ll also get three months of free TiVo service, and free ‘white glove’ delivery on the TV. The bundle deal is only good through June 6th.

This week, June 2-6, is High Definition week for Amazon’s Gold Box promotions. Check back daily for deals on HighDef consumer electronics, video games, and Blu-ray Movies and TV. Amazon normally offers a few different Gold Box deals in the the course of a day, so you might want to check in a few times.

What’s an HDTV without an HD DVR to go with it? Who wants to be a slave to TV schedules just to catch HD content? Well, Amazon has a solution to that problem, they’re offering what I consider the best HD DVR on the market, the TiVo HD, free with the purchase of a Samsung HDTV. There are five LCD models to choose from, with prices from $945.72 for a 37″ 720p up to $1,849.98 for a 46″ 1080p, and six plasma models with prices from $979.99 for a 42″ 720p up to $2,999.99 for a 58″ 1080p. If you’re in the market for an HDTV, it is a pretty good deal.

And, if you’re not in the market for an HDTV, you can get the TiVo HD for $230.13.

Thanks to reader Kevin for the tip. He got it from WatchingTiVo at InvestorVillage, who spotted it at Gizmodo.