The madness of CES 2012 is long over and now that we’ve seen all of the new HDTVs , it’s time to find out when they’re actually going on sale, and for how much. HDGuru has just dug up advertised pricing for some of the new models from Sony (BX, EX and HX lines) and Sharp (640, 745, 844, 847 and 945), while US pricing and ship dates for Panasonic’s new plasmas have been revealed by Value Electronics. For Samsung, some of the new HDTVs have already showed up for preorders at retailers like Vanns, including the top of the line 75-inch ES8000 priced at $7,999, while a more reasonably sized 46-inch model is $2,699.
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2012 HDTV pricing leaks out for Panasonic, Sony, Sharp and Samsung
Panasonic’s released its 2012 quarterly report (its financial year runs from summer to summer) and concedes it’s been as bad for them as it was for Sony and Sharp . It’s blaming the Japanese Earthquake for damaging its supply chain, a strong yen for keeping prices high, plus having to write-down the costs for its acquisition of Sanyo . The company’s promising to restructure (in the face of stern competition from 
Panasonic Japan’s quirky range of chunky Let’s Note laptops has swelled by a factor of two, thanks to a pair of 12.1-inch units ousted today. The stock models come with a 1280 x 800 display (extra cash will get you a 16:9 1600 x 900 screen with a built-in 720p webcam). By default, you’ll get an Intel Core i5 2450M chip, USB 3.0, WiFi (and WiMax!), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, HDMI-out and on the SX edition, an optical drive. 
It’s no surprise that the mirrorless interchangeable lens camera category is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. These compact, pro-featured ILCs undoubtedly have a strong future, with mass consumer appeal and a widening assortment of price points. 
Olympus has had a rough go of it lately, what with a $1.7 billion accounting scandal that implicated its management on the highest levels and resulted in the company suing its own executives and president for fraud. 
The launch of UltraViolet earlier this year was very much the same as we’ve come to expect from Hollywood. In the case of DVD and Blu-ray, they eventually manage to get it right. Time will tell if UltraViolet ends up successful or another DRM story like PlaysForSure , but studio execs like Ron Sanders of Warner Brothers said “a year ago this was just a concept..
As part of our ongoing CES 2012 coverage we’re stopping by the Panasonic booth to chat with Cali Lewis and John Burchette. Senior HD Editor Richard Lawler will be on the stream in just a few minutes, so check after the break to check out the video and chime in with any questions or comments via UStream. Continue reading Panasonic Live @ CES 2012 (video) Panasonic Live @ CES 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:26:00 EDT
Flixster’s nothing new; it’s been available for iOS and Android for more than a minute, but earlier today Panasonic announced that it’s bringing the movie app to its Viera Connect platform. In addition to helping you find the next Hollywood hit, the app gives owners of Panny’s TVs, Blu-ray players and home theater systems with Viera Connect on board access to UltraViolet’s watch anywhere functionality — giving you access to your own movie collection on any Viera Connect device, assuming its UV-enabled, of course. 
Hearing aids aren’t the sexiest gadgets on Earth, but Panasonic has done some interesting stuff with its R1-W series of in-ear audio-boosters. For one, they come packing Bluetooth for directly tethering to a mobile or landline phone using the Hearing Hub and have an add-on audio transmitter than can beam content from a TV or other source directly to the aids. 
