Panasonic Adds DLP Technology Based Projection TV To Extensive HDTV Line-Up

14-Apr-00

Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), offered visitors a preview of its first Digital Light Processingô technology based rear-projection television set at the annual National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show. The acclaimed leader in consumer digital television products plans to introduce the new set to the US market in the 3rd quarter of 2000.Representative of the next generation in digital display technology, the new 52-inch (diagonal screen measurement) set delivers amazingly bright, crisp images - consistently brilliant in dark or light viewing environments - displayed in 720p native resolution. The impact of its brightness and clarity is appreciated from almost any viewing angle. Departing from the usual bulkiness of traditional rear-projection sets, the Panasonic DLPô technology based set offers unparalleled compactness to accommodate just about any room size. With its 16:9 screen and slim, sleek design, the new set truly illustrates the television technology of the new millennium.Supporting the increasing availability of digital multi-media and interactive services, the Panasonic High Definition DLP technology based set is designed to take full advantage of the home entertainment experience of the future.""The year 2000 will realize the impact of the digital television revolution,"" commented Bill Mannion, Vice President and General Manager of Panasonic's Television and Network Systems Division. ""Panasonic is committed to the continuous development of high quality, high performance viewing platforms, to maximize the full benefits of the vast, new, broadband content being welcomed into American homes.""The new product combines the Texas Instruments Digital Micromirror Deviceô semiconductor (DMD semiconductor) with original Panasonic optical structuring and the latest innovations in visual technology. The DMDô is an optical semiconductor chip that has more than 920,000 microscopic mirrors, each representing one pixel. Responding to a digital signal, the mirrors change angles and can switch on and off, up to over 5,000 times per second, to produce a high resolution 1280 x 720 image. A pulse width modulation system works to reproduce colors and grayscale with incredible accuracy. DLP technology also reduces the pixellation effects and digital artifacts that are perceptible with CRT or LCD projection sets. The picture clarity, brightness, and life-like, almost three-dimensional images are best described as ""awesome!""The Panasonic DLP technology based set also offers a wide viewing angle thanks to a newly developed, wide-angled diffusion screen panel. The incredible viewing expanse allows for versatile use in a wide variety of room settings, from bedrooms and dens, to conference rooms and retail showrooms.The set features composite and component (Y, PB, PR) video inputs for connection to any video source. Although it's designed to deliver the full impact of high-resolution, digital images from DVD players, digital satellite receivers and DTV set-top boxes, the set also features a built-in NTSC tuner. In addition, it is equipped with a PC input terminal and XGA resolution display compatibility, making it suitable for a wide range of computer applications.""Our digital TV products are designed to offer consumers value, performance, and the technology to enjoy the best video entertainment available today as well as the digital content of the future,"" noted Mannion.The new Panasonic DLP technology based rear-projection HDTV joins the company's extensive line of digital television products, including direct view and rear-projection sets, plasma displays and DTV set-top boxes, all in a broad range of selling prices - the widest assortment of consumer digital television products in the industry.Panasonic consumer televisions are marketed in the United States by Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), a division of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America (MECA). MECA is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., (NYSE/PCX: MC), one of the world's largest producers of electronic and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use. For more information, visit Panasonic's Web site at www.panasonic.com.

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