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T3.com: If you have a new 3D TV, you probably ought to consider a new sound system – come on, it’s only money; you can’t take it with you. There are plenty of audio options out there, from all-in-one systems and soundbars with built-in Blu ray decks, to speaker combos for those who own a Blu-ray player. Here are five of the best.

Best: Pure quality
Samsung HT-C9950W
£1,800
Love: Innovative design. Audio and visual prowess
Hate: Very expensive
 

Best: Convenience
Pioneer HTP-200
£500
Love: Convenient and quick to set up
Hate: No on-screen menus. Cheap design
 

Best: Sound quality
Denon AVR-1911 & KEF KHT8005
£1,400 (£400 + £1,000
Love: Awesome sound quality. Feature packed
Hate: High total price
 

Best: Internet content
Sony BDV-E370
£450
Love: Internet extras. Streaming. Clear audio
Hate: Dull looks. Poor sub
 

Best: Extra features
Panasonic SC-BFT800
£700
Love: Space-saving design. Wireless sub. Wide range of features
Hate: No surround sound. Lacks a certain punch

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Engadget: Congratulations, Panasonic, you’re now the adoptive father of two companies, Sanyo and Panasonic Electric Works. We know, the plan’s been all but confirmed since July, but it’s nice to see the deal go through and all the necessary paperwork signed. Both now-wholly-owned subsidiaries (through a share exchange that commenced today) are scheduled to be de-listed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on March 29th, 2011, and after that… well, independence was fun while it lasted, eh chaps?

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Newlaunches.com: Panasonic’s Viera range of HDTVs has just a new addition in the G3 series – the TH-L42G3. As usually, Panasonic has crammed the new device with quite a bit of functionality making choce just that much more difficult when you’re in a store. This latest 42-inch LCD HDTV is LED backlit, comes with Speed drive technology 2 that is designed to better control vertical / horizontal high motion videos to reduce blur tilted in all directions. It’s even using IPS technology to provide for better viewing angles. An Auto mode uses a sensor that detects the environment you’re in with respect to lighting conditions and will automatically control brightness, contrast or black levels for optimal viewing. An HD Optimizer adjust settings to enable HD content to be the best it can ever be and also helps with standard definition when you’re watching TV or DVD or playing low res games.

Another handy feature with the G3 series is an SD card slot that allows you slip in a memory card and record stuff from Live TV. There’s even a USB port for connecting a thumb drive or HDD for recording or viewing purposes. The full function remote control comes equipped with a record button as well. Oddly though, at least according to the page’s translation, the content recorded onto the SD cards can only be viewed on a VIERA TV. All possible connections are available with the G3 from HDMI to D4 inputs, Ethernet connectivity and Composite and analogue as well. An energy saving mode should also help you cut back on those large electricity bills for the avid TV watching household. The VIERA TH-L42G3 will be out in Japan by February 18 next year and will have an approximate price of $1789 (US or 150,000 Yen).

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T3: Blu-ray players should be big sellers this Christmas, helped by increased availability of films and lower prices – a state-of-the-art deck now comes in at under £300. With cutting-edge features such as media streaming, web access and 3D compatibility these ones are future-proofed and offer a genuine alternative to a PS3.

See below for our pick of the best decks available this festive season.

Best: Value for money
Toshiba BDX2100
£100
Love: Cheap. Easy to use. Fast disc loading
Hate: Light on features
Read the full review  

Best: High-end features
Sony BDP-S570
£230
Love: Very strong picture quality. Quick disc loading. N Wi-Fi built in. 3D ready. Easy to use
Hate: Not cheap
Read the full review

Best: Media streaming
LG BD570
£170
Love: Well designed. N Wi-Fi. 2D picture quality. Extensive file support
Hate: Sluggish menus. Limited Net Cast content
Read the full review  

Best: 3D deck
Panasonic DMP-BDT100
£250
Love: 3D ready. Picture quality. Ease of use.
Hate: No built-in Wi-Fi. Limited Viera Cast content. Expensive
Read the full review  

Best: Sound quality
Yamaha BD-S667
£270
Love: Very good picture and sound quality
Hate: No Wi-Fi or 3D mean it feels expensive
Read the full review

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iPodNN: Panasonic has introduced an iPhone-friendly digital photo frame in the MW-20. Its satellite dock can also accommodate an iPod touch and playback its video, photo or audio content. The screen is large enough for typical photos at nine inches, while a 5.6mm semi-dome speaker with DSP processing sits underneath.

The MW-20 can be hung on a wall or placed in either portrait or landscape orientations on a desk or table. An SD memory card can be plugged into the frame as well, and it has 2GB of built-in storage space. There are 15 display patterns for photos, or users can show a calendar, clock, photo or any combination of either. A luminance sensor can automatically adjust the screen brightness or turn off the display depending on ambient light levels.

The frame ships late in November, priced at $250.

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The Guardian: 3D television has dominated the early agenda at IFA, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show, with Panasonic and Sony both announcing flurries of new products and initiatives.

Panasonic showed off what it claimed was the first genuine 3D consumer video camera, the HDC-SDT750. This will allow users to shoot their own footage in 3D. Makoto Nagura, director of Panasonic’s video camera business unit, said this would put 3D firmly into the hands of consumers.

“There is still one thing missing [today]…That is to keep your precious moments in 3D,” Nagura said.

The SDT750 will go on sale in October. UK pricing was not available but it is expected to be priced at $1,399 (£908) in the US.

Most of Panasonic’s press conference in Berlin was devoted to 3D – one indication of how keen the electronics industry is to persuade consumers that they should embrace the new technology, and spend considerable sums of money upgrading their home electronics set-up.

Alongside new 3D televisons and Blu-ray players, Panasonic also announced a new service to deliver 3D movies and films directly to users’ living rooms. This could fix one of factors that is holding back 3D – a lack of content. Panasonic said that around 2,000 films would be available to be downloaded over a broadband connection to one of its TVs or Blu-ray players. News, sport and music channels would also be supported.

Hirotoshi Uehara, who runs Panasonic’s TV business, told IFA that this 3D IPTV service would help to propel 3D into the mass market.

However, hefty price tags may continue to hold the technology back. One of the Panasonic TVs unveiled at IFA, the 42in TX-P42GT20, is available for pre-order at £1,499.

Epson also cast a cloud over the 3D euphoria in Berlin when it failed to show off a 3D projector. It took a much more cautious line than Panasonic, saying that the technology was not yet ready for mass adoption.

“When the market is ready, when the content is ready and when the technology is ready we’ll be there,” Jean-Marie Lacroix, commerical director of Epson Europe, told journalists.

Sony, though, took a very different view as it beat the 3D drum with considerable gusto. It claims to be the only end-to-end 3D provider, as it produces movies shot in 3D, the cameras that are used to film them, and TVs that people can watch them on.

Unlike Epson, Sony did announce a 3D video projector. The WV-90 will let consumers project a 3D film onto a wall, which could give a cinema-style experience.

The Japanese giant also had a prototype model of its first 3D-capable laptop, which chief executive Sir Howard Stringer said would be commercially available next year.

Like Panasonic, Sony is trying to increase the amount of 3D content on the market with a new television service. Stringer, who cited James Cameron’s Avatar as a crucial factor in driving 3D forward, cautioned that film-makers should not rely on 3D at the expense of storyline.

“A hit is still a hit, is still a hit, except that in 3D it’s a bigger hit.”

Sony’s entire press conference was filmed live in 3D and broadcast on a large screen. This, however, highlighted one of the other drawbacks to 3D broadcasting – that viewers need to wear special glasses.

Stringer, who described Sony as the “biggest engine” in the 3D train, also argued that the technology could be about more than just films and sport, and demonstrated this with footage of a performance by Chinese pianist Lang Lang.

Lang Lang himself then played live at IFA, telling the press conference that he was a fan of 3D as it let music lovers “get closer to us”.

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Gizmodo: Those crunched for space (and keen on looks) might consider Panasonic’s SC-BFT800, a wall-mountable, all-in-one Blu-ray affair. Packing speakers, 3D Blu-ray playback, WiFi connectivity, and iPod support into one bar, the unit also offers virtual 7.2 support with wireless subwoofer.

Panasonic recently announced the release of a slim and wall-mountable FULL HD 3D Blu-ray DiscTM Home Cinema System with a built-in FULL HD 3D Blu-ray DiscTM player to the market. The system is equipped with advanced image technologies, like the PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus and Full HD Upsampling, that have proven hugely popular with Panasonic Blu-ray DiscTM players. These technologies reproduce the ultimate in 3D images, rendering them extremely faithful to the original movies. 3D movie featurs allow users to experience powerful, dynamic worlds that they have never before encountered, such as exciting leaping effects and enhanced depth, lustre and texture.

Advanced sound technologies complement the true-to-life 3D images of the FULL HD 3D Home Cinema System. The wireless Kelton Subwoofer’s powerful deep bass sounds further enhance 3D film enjoyment, while sounds are distinctively produced by a Clear-Mode Dialog that makes dialogue seem to come from the centre of the screen. In addition, the Virtual 7.1-channel Surround function reproduces dynamic surround sounds that further enhance the enjoyment of watching 3D films.

The SC-BFT800 also features great networking like VIERA CAST which brings a variety of streaming services including YouTubeTM Videos into the living room. Wireless LAN capability4 eliminates the need to connect a LAN cable, so the system can be installed without the need for any complicated wires. Users can watch 2D images (JPEG) and movies (AVCHD/MPEG2)5 from digital cameras and camcorders via the integrated SD card slot and USB port, as well as 3D video content recorded by the Panasonic camcorder HDC-SDT750. With these and other features, the SC-BFT800 provides exciting entertainment for family and friends.

The SC-BFT800 also features a sliding front door that lets the use set Blu-ray Discs/ DVDs/CDs into the main unit by opening it from the right, and an iPod/iPhone by opening it from the left. The sophisticated, stylish, slim body makes the design an ideal match for a VIERA TV, while enhancing any room interior. Panasonic also addresses important environmental issues in its production system. For example, a single chip LSI called UniPhier is used for image signal processing. Unification of this LSI helps to lower power consumption and achieve a more compact design while also decreasing the burden on the environment by using limited natural resources more efficiently.

This Panasonic Blu-ray DiscTM Home Cinema System has taken a large step ahead in image and sound quality, networking, easy operation, and environmental consideration, to provide even greater AV enjoyment.

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Engadget: We can’t say they’re the most stylish noise cancelling headphones we’ve ever seen (far from it, actually), but Panasonic’s RP-HC700 sure do cancel out an awful lot of unwanted sine waves. In fact, these retro-inspired cans nix 95 percent of surrounding noise, and they’ll also ship in both black and white hues for somewhat obvious reasons. Other specs include 40mm drivers, a 10Hz to 30kHz frequency range and 15 hours of noise cancelling with a single AAA battery. If you’re into keeping tunes in while keeping — well, everything else — out, you’ll need to free yourself of ¥20,000 ($237) next month.

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Newlaunches: Panasonic may be a formidable name in the AV biz but they’re deviating a tad bit in to the furniture market with their new Theatre Rack. The SC-HTF5 is a rack that comes with a built in bar type speaker system. The system total consists of 2 full range speakers (6.5cm diameter), with a 2.1ch constitution with 2 subwoofers of 8cm diameters. I have to admit the rack does looks neat enough to suit almost all households and would go with pretty much all kinds of furniture layouts and settings. The speaker is equipped with HDMI so you can hook it up to any TV placed on top. It’s designed to support up to a 46-inch Plasma. If used with a Viera the Dolby Professional logic system can be utilised via HDMI. It weighs in at about 35KGs and comes with a full function remote control. The SC-HTF5 Theatre rack will set you back $700 which is about 60,000 Yen which is not too bad.

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Cube me: The brief was to design a new packaging for the Stereo Earphones RP-HJE 130 that clearly communicates the product benefit: the unique sound quality. The packaging design has to appeal to a target group that usually owns well-designed high-class mp3 players.

By specially arranging the earphones inside a special box they appear to look like two eighth notes. So the earphones show at first sight for whom they are made: for passionate music lovers.

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Techwatch: The arrival of 3D television has been fairly slow and it seems that at the moment there are those consumers that love it and those that hate it. But despite this slow take up and the lack of content available, production of the 240 Hz LCD TV panel, which is essential for 3D TV, is to go into production, as the market anticipates significant sales of 3D Ready TVs this year.

According to a digitimes.com report, the main players in 3D TV technology are expecting big sales for the 240 Hz based TV during this year, with Samsung being the most optimistic with 3.6 million units, Sony 2.2 million, Panasonic 1.1 million and LG 1 million. With half the year gone there is little time left for the market to drastically change.

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Gizmodo: Panasonic isn’t taking no for an answer on this 3DTV business. To make the prospect of switching over a little more appealing, they’re rolling out the SC-ZT2: a fully wireless home theater audio system designed specifically for Full HD 3D.

The SC-ZT2 promises 7.1-channel sound from just two speakers, each of which houses four tweeters and a long-stroke woofer. More important, though: 3DTV owners have a wireless sound system of their very own now. That is, if you’re willing to cough up an extra $1000 after you already sprang for that fancy television and glasses.

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