The LG Plasma DVR Combo
Another First from LG
The company that has brought us some of the largest plasma and LCD displays in recent memory has delivered another first. LG has placed a Personal Video Recorder right into a plasma display of its 50PY2DR model. Although plasma technology and its related hardware are notoriously expensive, and many manufacturers are attempting to reduce costs and make their displays more affordable, LG is continuing to innovate and experiment with its televisions.
Built in PVR
Wait a minute. This combination of technology and devices seems reminiscent of the Goldstar VCR/TV combo. It’s certainly a risk to place a PVR into a plasma set. If one of the devices or components malfunctions you have added hardware to repair. However, both the Plasma and PVR are extremely hot commodities at present.
LG has installed a 160 Gig PVR with two ATSC tuners into their Plasma display. That’s enough ATSC magic to record two simultaneous programs in HD, or just watch one and record another. 160 Gigs is enough space to record 13 hours of HD content or 63 hours of NTSC or standard definition television. This could very well prove to be a popular innovation from LG.
In addition to the PVR, the 50PY2DR is a 50" plasma panel that features LG’s exclusive XD Engine, which utilizes six distinct processes to create image enhancements beyond plasma alone. LG claims XD can produce near HD quality from an analogue signal by tweaking the brightness and contrast and reducing signal noise. Image Sticking Prevention is a great feature no plasma should be without. This will help prevent burn-in by preventing a stationary image from sitting too long at a high intensity.
LG Plasma / DVR Combo Vital Signs:
- 160 Gig PVR (13 hr HD or 63 NTSC)
- Dual ATSC tuners for double HD recording
- Plasma with LG’s XD Engine
- 1366 x 768 for true HD
- HDMI
- Firewire DTV link (IEEE 1394)
LG Plasma
Two models of the plasma / DVR combo are available: a 60" model and a 50" model. Both models offer the exact same features, obviously excluding the size and price of each model. The luxury features of these models include such notables as CableCARD, on screen TV Guide, LG’s XD Engine image enhancements, and HDMI for HDCP compliant audio/video connections. IEEE 1394 (DTV link), otherwise known as Firewire, is also included. These sets are true HD featuring a resolution of 1366 x 768. At launch, these displays are will reportedly sell for $15K (60" model) and $8K (50" model).
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