Panasonic To Underwrite CBS HDTV Television Programming

3-Oct-00

In a move designed to encourage the continued expansion of digital television in the United States, Panasonic (Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company, a division of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America) announced it has entered into an agreement with CBS Television to underwrite the conversion of 35mm film-based primetime programming to the new high definition television (HDTV) format during the 2000-2001 viewing season. CBS will broadcast 17 of its 18 primetime entertainment series in high definition.""HDTV continues to grow and change the way consumers view television,"" said Bill Mannion, Vice President - Television and Network Systems Division for Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, ""sparked in large part by a steady stream of quality high definition programming. Working with CBS, we look to strengthen the flow of such programs so that more and more viewers across the country can share in the excitement of this new format.""Martin D. Franks, Executive Vice President of CBS Television offered, ""CBS is dedicated to providing viewers with high definition television on an ongoing basis. Primetime television is the bread and butter of any network's lineup and we're pleased to work with Panasonic to bring HDTV viewers the best in entertainment programming.""A leader in the development and marketing of Digital Television (DTV) products, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC) was the first U.S. marketer to introduce an HDTV product (a 56-inch HDTV projection television) in the Fall of 1998. Reflecting the company's continued support for this growing format, earlier this Summer PCEC introduced an expanded line of DTV products, to include:- A 52-inch diagonal HDTV projection television which employs Digital Light Processingô (DLPô) technology to produce consistently brilliant images, available this month.- A second-generation 42-inch diagonal plasma display, also shipping in September, and a 50-inch plasma display slated for Spring 2001 delivery.- Two new 15-inch diagonal widescreen LCD TVs, one with a built in DVD player, to be available December 2000.- A DTV set-top box capable of receiving DIRECTVÆ satellite broadcasts and decoding all ATSC DTV formats, available this fall.- A wide variety of 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio direct view TAU PureFlatô and projection DTV models, to meet most consumers' viewing needs.For more information, visit www.panasonic.com.

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