Panasonic Adds New LCD Front Projectors

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 9/14/2006

Denver – In addition to showing its previously announced big-screen plasma TV displays, Panasonic used CEDIA to introduce a pair of LCD-based home theater projectors, including the company’s first 1080p-capable unit .

Highlighting the lineup is Panasonic’s PT-AE1000, which is the company’s first 1080p LCD-based cinema projector, which will be targeted at savvy, home theater enthusiasts and AV professionals, the company said.

Pricing on the 1080p model was not announced, however, the company said the advanced home theater projector delivers full HD resolution, and includes a 2x optical zoom lens with lens-shift function that can project a 100-inch image at 10 to 20 feet away from the screen. Brightness is rated at 1,100 ANSI lumens and the contrast ratio was said to be 11,000:1. The unit also includes 14-bit dynamic gamma correction.

Panasonic is also demonstrating its new PT-AX100 LCD projector. The unit is designed as “an affordable luxury for entertainment enthusiasts that desire a rich home theater viewing experience,” the company said. The PT-AX100 is said to bring Hollywood-level picture quality to home screens in nearly any lighting environment.

Panasonic’s PT-AE1000

The PT-AX100 LCD projector (shipping this month at a $2,999.99 suggested retail), was said to have been designed to produce brighter, more eye-catching images. The projector features native 1280-by-720p resolution and uses a 220 watt UHP lamp to generate 2,000 ANSI lumens of brightness. The contrast ratio is rated at 6,000:1.

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.

The projector features a new Pure Color filter that 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 projector’s Cinema Color Management feature will correct up to approximately 1,070,000,000 colors.

The unit also adds Smooth Screen technology with crystal double refraction to arrange pixels on a screen with no gaps in between them for a smoother appearance. The technology is also said to deepen images, enhancing their three dimensional effect for a completely immersive viewer experience.

Panasonic said both new projectors were developed to deliver brighter, crisper, more vivid images even in well-lit rooms.