We saw and extolled the virtues of Panasonic's upcoming Full HD 3DTV flat panel 1080p plasma televisions at CES earlier this year as well as their integrated 3DTV system complete with Blu-ray 3D Player and 3D-ready 1080p Plasma HDTV. The company's upcoming VT25 series will offer a full HD 1920x1080 pixel image to each eye, with active shutter glasses ensuring that each eye only sees the correct image. This allows your brain to perceive stunningly detailed three dimensional imagery in the comfort of your own home. Well, if you were hoping to pick one up one of these technological marvels from Amazon, OneCall, Vann's or any of your other favorite online retailers, it looks like you'll be out of luck.
According to a reliable source in the retail world (and confirmed by Panasonic), the company will be restricting the sale of their 3D-ready VT25 series to brick and mortar stores only, at least at first. Apparently Panasonic believes you need a great 3D demo in order to be properly educated and convinced to separate yourself from your money when it comes to Full HD 3DTV. We believe that a fledgling format such as this would actually benefit from the massive volume and exposure of online channels, but perhaps Panasonic needs a lesson in free market economics in order to come around.
On March 10th, Panasonic and Best Buy executives will hold a press conference at the Best Buy store in downtown Manhattan (Union Square) celebrating the sale of the first Full HD plasma 3DTV along with the DMP-BDT350 Blu-ray 3D Player and active shutter glasses. Tune in next week for our coverage of this event and the official details of Panasonic's Full HD 3DTV rollout plan.
