HIGH-DEF DISC NEWS

Receive High-Def Disc News via RSS

Panasonic Goes Mammoth with Blu-ray/HDTV Holiday Promo

Looking for a holiday gift for the tech geek who has everything? Panasonic has just the ticket -- a Blu-ray/HDTV combo few can afford.

In the spirit of giving (and hey, it's a slow news Friday), we bring you this ultimate high-def gift idea, and perhaps the *biggest* next-gen promotion ever. Seems Panasonic is hyping its new DMP-BD10 Blu-ray player by bundling it with is new, absolutely gigantic 103-inch plasma HDTV -- a consumer electronics record for screen size.

How much will this little puppy set you back? Well, it's only $1,299 list for the Blu-ray player. And, oh, $70,000 for the 103-inch plasma.

"The concept is to sell it as a complete package," Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic's VP of corporate development and general manager for the Blu-ray Disc Group told Video Business. "We have always demo'ed our 65-inch [TV set] with the [Panasonic disc player]. We want the plasmas as well as the set-top to work."

Okay, so we're being a bit sarcastic, if only because we can't afford $70,000. That doesn't mean we don't want it (admit it -- you do, too, or you wouldn't be reading a site called High-Def Digest). But it is a clever promo, and we hope it's successful. Seeing a top-quality Blu-ray image on a 103-inch high-end plasma sure seems enticing to us.

If you do decide to take the plunge and plunk down the $70K, Panasonic tells us that they will send a engineer to the intended installation location to ensure the wall can withstand the weight of the plasma. But will it fit under the Christmas tree?

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:

Panasonic Focuses on Blu-ray's Bigger Picture [Video Business]

• Permalink
•  Email This Post

» High-Def Digest home page