CEDIA Report- Panasonic introduces 2 new HD Front Projectors

[Digital Dude]

The anasonic PT-AX100U and PT-AE1000U.

In a rush to get to Sony Press conference but thumbnails here, details tonight.

AX-100U
720p, 2,000 lumens, inorganic LCD panels, Light Harmonizer automatically adjusts brightness and contrast by measuring ambient light.

AE-1000U 1080P, C2 fine panel, 14 bit Gamma (!) magnetic dynamic Iris.

I've gotta run to Sony but will update tonight.

 

[Digital Dude]

Panasonic PT-AE1000U

PANASONIC LAUNCHES ITS FIRST FULL HIGH DEFINITION
LCD HOME THEATER PROJECTOR

New PT-AE1000U Delivers Powerful Theater Viewing Experience,
Highest Contrast Ratio in Its Class1, and Rich Features for Professional Use

Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) EXPO – DENVER, Colo., (Booth 333) – September 14, 2006 – Panasonic Projector Systems Company, Unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, today announced the debut of its first LCD home cinema projector with 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) native resolution: the PT-AE1000U. Designed for savvy home theater enthusiasts and audio video professionals, the new projector accurately reproduces the original picture quality intended by Hollywood movie and television directors and displays the highest contrast ratio (11,000:1) in its class1.

The PT-AE1000U model comes equipped with Panasonic’s all new, carefully engineered optical system that’s designed to achieve beautifully detailed images with a captivating brightness of 1,100 lumens. The new optical system includes Panasonic’s unique aspherical glass lens system, a full high definition (HD)-compatible technology that reduces the amount of light dispersion to help produce crisper, more vivid images. In addition, it has incorporated next-generation, full high definition LCD panels (C2FineTM)2, which are characterized by inorganic, vertically aligned liquid crystals for enhanced black level performance. Panasonic’s Dynamic Iris has also been improved to reproduce superior full HD images, providing consumers with a much richer home theater viewing experience.

"In collaboration with leading Hollywood colorists and image experts, we’ve developed cutting-edge projector technology to meet the growing demand for superior home entertainment, particularly high-definition content,” said Thomas Zitelli, president of Panasonic Projector Systems Company. “For home theater connoisseurs and audio video professionals who desire the richest colors and the best image quality, our new PT-AE1000U LCD projector enables consumers to easily enjoy movie theater-quality entertainment at home.”

The PT-AE1000U projector reproduces Hollywood movies, independent films and other entertainment with exceptional color accuracy. Its new unique Pure Color Filter uses optical adjustment to achieve a higher purity level of the three primary colors – red, green and blue – displays deeper, purer blacks, and significantly expands the color gamut. The new filter accurately reproduces very subtle variations in brightness and hue. The PT-AE1000U also incorporates Panasonic’s well-known Smooth Screen technology that reduces the “chicken wire effect”— black lines between pixels that mar picture quality. The technology has been optimized for the full-HD panels, allowing consumers to enjoy vibrant, smooth images found in commercial movie theaters.

The new LCD projector also comes equipped with professional-level features that let users personalize the images they see on the screen. The projector’s new waveform monitor – seen mostly on professional video and film equipment – measures the level of brightness output from a given video signal source. This feature also allows users to quickly verify that the source device is outputting at full dynamic range, and make adjustments to optimize it for home theater use. Users can easily see a graphical representation of any changes made to the unit’s color settings.

In addition, the Cinema Color Management feature helps color correct approximately 1,070,000,000 colors using 14-bit gamma correction for a more refined, customized control of individual colors — closely representing the process used by Hollywood’s motion picture color correction specialists. The PT-AE1000U also incorporates picture modes demanded by film production studios to help them with production and post-production activities.

Set-up and installation are a snap with the PT-AE1000U projector’s 2x powered zoom – a first in its class3 – and its lens shift range, the largest for a full HD projector4. Thanks to both features, the new model can cast a 100-inch diagonal image from as little as 1.24 meters (about five feet) from the screen The new projector’s enhanced lens shift capability enables full, 100 percent vertical adjustment and 40 percent horizontal adjustment so that viewers can suspend the projector close to the ceiling in a stylish fashion, or conveniently place the projector on a book shelf. The projector’s new lens-centered design and maintenance features, such as the replaceable side filter and top lamp, make the ceiling mount very easy to install. The PT-AE1000U’s jet black color and sleek cabinet design also fit well in home theater environments, and its universal remote control enables viewers to easily control their entire home theater system from one device.

The Panasonic PT-AE1000U LCD home cinema projector will be available starting in mid-November at authorized presentation systems dealers. Pricing will be announced later this year. Visit www.panasonic.com for more information on local distribution channels and retail outlets. For more information on Panasonic’s complete line of projectors, go to www.panasonic.com/projectors or phone 888-411-1996.

 

[Digital Dude]

Panasonic PT-AX100U

Front Angle View

Rear Inputs
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h207/cmhshark/PT-AX100U_rear.jpg



PANASONIC LAUNCHES ALL NEW LCD HOME THEATER PROJECTOR PROVIDING CONSUMERS WITH HOLLYWOOD PICTURE QUALITY AT HOME

Panasonic PT-AX100U Home Cinema Projector Displays Brightest Images In Its Class1, Improved Color Reproduction, Resolution and Contrast

SECAUCUS, New Jersey – September 12, 2006 – Panasonic Projector Systems Company, Unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, today announced the introduction of its new PT-AX100U LCD home cinema projector. Designed as an affordable luxury for entertainment enthusiasts who desire a rich home theater viewing experience, the new projector brings Hollywood-level picture quality to home screens in nearly any lighting environment.

The PT-AX100U home theater projector will make its official debut during the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) EXPO in Denver, September 14 – 17, 2006, at Panasonic booth, number 333.

The PT-AX100U model produces brighter, more eye-catching images and offers consumers more places to view their favorite home entertainment. The projector’s new 220-W UHM™ lamp and optical unit combine to generate 2,000-lumen brightness, unprecedented for an LCD projector with at least 720p native resolution1. It also incorporates Panasonic’s new Light Harmonizer image technology, which measures ambient light and adjusts the screen brightness so that images remain bright, crisp and vivid even in well-lit rooms.

"With the proliferation of HDTV and other forms of high-definition content, consumers are taking control of how and where they view their digital entertainment,” said Thomas Zitelli, president of Panasonic Projector Systems Company. “Not only are consumers telling us they want to enjoy hi-def sporting events on a bright sunny afternoon, they also want to immerse themselves within the cozy confines of their own home theaters. In addition to being a leading provider of high-definition projectors in the United States, our PT-AX100U LCD projector makes it easy for anyone to relish movie theater-quality entertainment anywhere in their home.”

The PT-AX100U projector reproduces Hollywood movies, independent films and other entertainment, including video gaming with exceptional color accuracy. Its new Pure Color Filter uses optical adjustment to achieve more accurate color reproduction, going a step further than conventional projectors that reproduce colors by adjusting the white balance. The new color filter achieves a higher purity level of the three primary colors – red, green and blue – displays deeper, purer blacks, and significantly expands the color gamut. In addition, the projector’s Cinema Color Management feature helps reproduce images faithful to original film by easily correcting up to approximately 1,070,000,000 colors.

The home cinema projector’s Smooth Screen technology uses crystal double refraction to arrange pixels on a screen with no gaps in between them – producing vivid, smooth images found in commercial movie theaters. The technology also deepens images, enhancing their three dimensional effect for a completely immersive viewer experience. The LCD projector’s optical unit incorporates the Dynamic Iris, which adjusts itself, the UHM™ lamp and gamma curve2 60 times per second to produce beautiful images with a 6,000:1 contrast ratio. The Dynamic Iris also improves sharpness by revealing more detail in both dark and bright images.

Set-up and installation are a snap with the PT-AX100U projector’s 2x optical zoom lens and lens shift function, which enables viewers to conveniently place the projector on a coffee table, suspend it from the ceiling, or set it on a bookshelf. The projector can cast a 100-inch image at a range of three to six meters from the screen, and its new, pearl-white color and sleek cabinet design fit well in almost any room décor. The new model’s remote control has powerful settings for different types of video such as television sports, home movies or commercial films.

Building upon the PT-AX100U’s innovative feature set, Panasonic will also soon announce its next advanced, high-definition home theater projector designed for savvy, home theater enthusiasts and audio-video professionals.

The Panasonic PT-AX100U LCD home cinema projector will be available starting in mid-September at authorized presentation systems dealers. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) is $2,999. Please visit www.panasonic.com for more information on local distribution channels and retail outlets. For more information on Panasonic’s complete line of projectors, visit www.panasonic.com/projectors or phone 888-411-1996.

 

[Digital Dude]

Panasonic rep asked me if I wanted a review sample. Heck yeah! I'll talk to them at their booth about it. They didn't have them on display during the press conference but I'll see them at their booth.