By Chris Scott Barr

Remember back when the Nintendo Wii came out, how there were reports of idiots tossing their Wiimotes through their fancy TVs? Well that sort of thing is still an issue for people with LCD and Plasma TVs, and not just from flying game controllers. Since the screens are easily harmed, one company has decided to specialize in protecting these expensive pieces of equipment.

TV Armor is a simple way to prevent objects from impacting (and thus ruining) the screen of your HDTV. The solution is about as low-tech as it gets, consisting of a thin layer ( ¼-inch)of acrylic held on by Velcro straps. The acrylic is considered optical-grade so that it won’t reduce the quality of the image.

The TV Armor won’t win any awards in the looks department, but it isn’t hideous by any means. The acrylic blends in rather well, and the Velcro straps are barely visible. You’ll need to set back $69-$289 depending on the size of your TV. It’s a little salty, but far less than you paid for your fancy-pants TV no doubt.

[ TV Armor ] VIA [ Technabob ]

While you wouldn’t know it by looking at them, these new Viera plasma TVs from Panasonic’s PZR900 line sport a laundry list of cool features including a built-in 1 terabyte DVR that allows for up to 121 hours of video recording. The displays feature a full 1920×1080 HD resolution and they can each connect to an online service known as ‘TV Net’ which allows you to watch YouTube videos as well as other streaming content. They also come with a built-in card reader for viewing photos or videos taken with a digital camera, as well as Panasonic’s Viera link technology which allows you to monitor video surveillance cameras and even doorphones from the comfort of your living room couch. The PZR900 line ranges in size from 42 inches (about $3,800) to 46 inches (about $4,300) to 50 inches (about $4,900) and are available in Japan right now.

[ Panasonic PZR900 Plasma TVs ] VIA [ Newlaunches ]

This post is syndicated with permission from Gadgetoholic.com

If you get a bunch of geeks and around a table who are really in the home theater and HDTV’s, at some point of debate over the pros and cons of plasma versus LCD TVs will take place. The plasma fans say their preferred technology is brighter and offers more contrast. The LCD brigade will say their preferred technology last longer.

The life span argument may finally be settled thanks to Panasonic. It announced that new plasma 1080p TVs have been added to its VIERA plasma line that can last for up to 100,000 viewing hours before the TV dims to half brightness. Panasonic’s 720p VIERA TVs are good for up to 60,000 hours.

Panasonic says that the average American watches and 6.5 hours of TV each day. Using that number Panasonic claims that its new plasma TVs could last for up to 42 years. That could mean for some people who buy a new Panasonic plasma TV it would last longer than they will.

Gadgetoholic