Panasonic Australia to release 3D TVs by mid-2010

By James Wells at CES

LAS VEGAS: Panasonic director – consumer electronics, Paul Reid, has told Current.com.au that retailers should expect 3D TVs to be released in mid-2010.

Panasonic will release a 50-inch 3D television to begin with, followed by 58-inch and 65-inch panels. It is likely that the company will follow the path of its competitors and offer two sets of battery-powered active-shutter glasses with the sale of the television. To experience 3D, consumers will also have to invest in content which will be played on a 3D-compatible Blu-ray Disc player utilising an HDMI 1.4 connection.

Reid said Panasonic’s televisions have been re-engineered for the introduction of 3D with improved phosphors in the Viera plasma televisions to reduce ‘afterglow’. Panasonic is using frame-sequential technology which means a different image is sent to each eye and this new technology will eliminate ‘cross-talk’ which occurs when images bleed into each eye.

Panasonic is continuing to champion plasma technology which is now comparable to LCD in terms of energy consumption. The latest Panasonic plasmas are four times more efficient than models released in 2007. A 42-inch plasma panel released in the 2010 range will consume the same amount of energy as a 100-watt light bulb.

Reid also confirmed that the 42-inch mark will represent ‘cross-over’ for the brand as there will be four LCDs and four plasmas in the range at this size. LCD will be represented under 42-inches, while plasma will only be above 42-inches.

Panasonic will be updating the LCD range to include models with LED lighting embedded into the edge of the panel.

In addition to the television range, Panasonic will be introducing two models of portable Blu-ray Disc players including one model that has the ability to wirelessly transfer content.

Without much fanfare, Panasonic also displayed the world’s largest television on its stand at CES 2010 – a 152-inch plasma panel featuring 4k x 2k resolution – two-inches larger than the company’s previous world record.