Scott Wilkinson

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Panasonic PT-AE3000
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 03, 2008  |  Published: Sep 04, 2008

LCD projectors are among the most cost-effective ways of getting a <I>really</I> big picture, and Panasonic's offerings have shown steady improvement over the last two generations of 1080p models. Now comes the third-gen PT-AE3000, which improves on its predecessors in three ways. First, it has an advanced optical system with manually aligned aspherical glass lenses.

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CEDIA 2009
Panasonic PT-AE4000
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 07, 2009

Other than the TH-85PF12U plasma and an extensive 3D demo, Panasonic has been pretty tight-lipped about what it's going to be showing at CEDIA. But late-breaking news from the IFA trade show in Berlin has revealed a new LCD projector, the PT-AE4000. Like it's predecessor, the new model lets you store lens zoom and focus settings for content with different aspect ratios, such as 16:9 and 2.35:1, providing a poor man's anamorphic capability. New to the AE4000 is an aspect-ratio detection function that automatically selects 16:9 or 2.35:1 depending on the incoming signal. The projector should be available in October for less than $4000.

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CEDIA 2011
Panasonic PT-AR100 LCD Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2011
Projectors are always big at CEDIA, and Panasonic has two new models on display. I already covered the PT-AE7000U in a previous post, but new at the show is the PT-AR100, an entry-level, 1920x1080 LCD model spec'd with 2800 lumens of light output and a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1. Features include a 2x zoom lens, lockable joystick to adjust the horizontal and vertical lens shift, and the ability to change the lamp and filter without unmounting the unit. It will be available by the end of October for a list price of $1999.
CES 2012
Panasonic Smart Viera
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 18, 2012
Panasonic's latest incarnation of the connected-TV paradigm is called Smart Viera, which includes not only movies and TV shows but social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype, and the newly resurrected MySpace. Users can load apps from the Viera Connect Market, and a new graphical user interface makes control easier than ever. One app of particular interest is Flixster, which implements UltraViolet, the emerging service for storing your purchased movies and TV shows in the cloud, watching them on a variety of devices, and sharing them with up to six family members or friends.
Panasonic ST30 & GT30 Plasmas
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 06, 2011
As you might imagine, Panasonic is bullish on 3D, claiming that 32 percent of TV sales will be 3D by 2014. And as echoed by many TV manufacturers, demand for Internet-connected TVs will increase dramatically in the coming few years. Panasonic's Viera Cast has evolved into Viera Connect, complete with a Viera Connect Market for apps.

Like Samsung, Panasonic has increased the size of its plasma screens this year—54-inchers grow to 55, and 58 becomes 60. Improved performance includes greater 3D crosstalk reduction, deeper blacks thanks to new louvre filters, 30 percent more brightness with new phosphors, and 25 percent lower power consumption. (No mention was made about incorporating more Kuro technology in the new sets.) A total of 27 new models in five lines will be introduced in 2011, including the ST30 series (pictured here on the left), an entry-level 3D model with Viera Connect and Infinite Black 2 panel. ON the right is the step-up GT30 with a thinner bezel than last year and THX certification.

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Ask S&V
Panasonic ST30 vs. S30
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 28, 2011
Are the blacks visually better on the Panasonic ST30 plasma compared with the S30? And do I really need to pay attention to the Moving Picture Resolution spec? Are there any models you would consider other than these? I'm not interested in 3D, but I understand that it will be included with the better TVs.

Dave Butler

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Audio Video News
Panasonic Talks Tech
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 16, 2005

This week, Panasonic hit the road to demonstrate their latest products to journalists in San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles, California. Unfortunately, the shipping company they hired to get the gear from San Jose to LA dropped the ball (at least they didn't drop the gear!), failing to deliver the equipment on time, so most of the presentation was theoretical.

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CES 2010
Panasonic TC-P54Z1
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 08, 2009

LCDs aren't the only TVs slimming down this year. Panasonic unveiled the TC-P54Z1 54-inch plasma that's only 1 inch thick. Using the company's new Neo PDP plasma panel, the Z1 achieves a claimed <I>native</I> (not dynamic) contrast ratio of 40,000:1. It's also twice as bright as last year's panels while consuming the same amount of power, or looked at the other way, it produces the same brightness with half the power consumption. Not only that, the Z1 has wireless HD capability. It should be available in April or May.

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Panasonic TH-50PZ800 Plasma TV
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 13, 2008

In my review of the <A href="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldisplays/lg_50pg60_plasma_tv/">LG 50PG60</A> plasma, I identified its product line as one of only two with THX video certification. The other is Panasonic's PZ800 line, which includes a 58-incher as well as the 50-inch TH-50PZ800 reviewed here. Is its THX performance consistent with the 50PG60's? I was eager to find out...

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CEDIA 2011
Panasonic TH-65VX300 3D Plasma
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2011
In addition to its mainstream consumer plasmas, Panasonic makes a line of professional models for broadcast monitoring and high-end custom installations. New from the company's pro division at CEDIA is the 65-inch TH-65VX300, which boasts over 12,000 steps of gradation and the ability to reproduce the DCI color gamut as well as Rec.709, SMPTE-C, and EBU. It provides circuit-board slots to customize the input complement, and its internal scaler can be bypassed if you have a better outboard processor. It looked quite good under less-than-ideal conditions—which it should for $6250.

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