HT Staff

Panasonic is getting serious about DVD recorders. Early this summer, the company announced its third generation DVD-recorder. Available in August, the DMR-E30 will arrive at dealers with a new low price, only $799.95.

With the CT-34WX50, Panasonic is acknowledging the past but embracing the future. The "super-bright" PureFlat™ HDTV monitor won't leave you hanging when you want to watch some of your favorite (but decidedly non-high-def) television programs. Two built-in NTSC tuners combined with advanced video processing guarantee an excellent picture. Material with a 4:3 aspect ratio is "digitally stretched" to fill the sides of the 16:9 screen. Reruns of I Love Lucy will never look better than when you see them on this 34" flatscreen.

The entry fee to widescreen high-def video keeps dropping, thanks to companies like Panasonic. On August 8, the electronics giant raised the stakes in the HDTV race by introducing the PT-47WX49, its new 47-inch, 16:9 widescreen high-definition rear-projection monitor, at a suggested retail price of $2,099.95.

The plasma screen is a product that cuts across all segments of the video market. Everyone---from ordinary TV viewers to the most exacting videophiles---loves the concept of a thin-panel, high-definition display.