PTV Panasonic will unveil at Winter CES a new line of TV and video products, highlighted by a 51″ tabletop projection TV, a Dolby AC-3 ready laserdisc player, and an expanded line of Spatializer-enhanced VCRs, some of which will also add the Commercial Advance system. The company is showing new IQ Palmcorders and TV/VCR combos, and hints that it may have some surprise technologies including a prototype DVD player.
Panasonic is bringing out two new projection sets, the 46″ PT-46G40 with a more conventional slim cabinet (24″ deep) and floor-standing design, and the 51″ PT51G40, featuring a compact, slim tabletop design that stands 44″ high. Features common to both sets include: 750 lines of resolution, comb filters, wideband video amplifiers, 13-watt dbx stereo matrix surround sound system, Artificial Intelligence Sound with Auto Equalizer, picture-in-picture, and two pairs of standard audio/video jacks, and S-Video inputs.
In VCR, the Spatializer sound-enhancement system is extended in four of six HiFi models. The system, first shown in a $399 model last year, expands the perceived sound stage from closely positioned stereo speakers, such as those built into television sets. In offering one of its broadest HiFi VCR assortments to date, Panasonic evenly divided its six models between a “budget” and step-up series. All three step-up units and the top budget-class model offer Spatializer, while the top-of-the-line PV-4666 incorporates Gemstar’s new Index Plusonscreen recording index. The top two budget HiFi models add VCR-Plus and auto clock setting.
Also introduced are three four-head mono VCRs, including the PV-4614 equipped with the Arthur D. Little Enterprises-developed Commercial Advance system, which automatically fast forwards through commercials recorded off cable, broadcast or satellite TV sources. The company will also continue to support the Super-VHS category with the introduction of the HiFi PV-S4670, which adds digital signal processing to digitize the S-VHS circuit and reduce video signal distortion during recording and playback.
Panasonic will also show six new TV/VCR combo units, highlighted by the new top-of-the-line 27″ PV-M2776. The line will also offer three 20″ models and two 13″ models, including the kitchen white PV-M1356W. All have the company’s Icon Menu System, Program Director remote, Auto Clock Setting and Auto Daylight Savings Time adjustment. The 20″ and 27″ units include PanaBlack picture tubes. The new IQ series VHS-C camcorder line continues to emphasize popular step-up features such as: color electronic viewfinders, image stablization, and extended zoom range.
Panasonic will show four new IQ series models, all adding color EVF. The PV-A206, with 14x zoom; the PV-A306 with 16x zoom and built-in light; the PV-D406 with 22x zoom, digital electronic image stabilization and light; and the PV-D506 with 32x digital zoom, 16x optical zoom, digital image stabilization and light.
The company’s new multi-laserdisc player (LX-H680) offers Dolby Surround AC-3 output, autoreverse, shuttle control, and a digital time base corrector that digitally estimates and helps correct for horizontal and vertical distortion. The LX-K780 is a new multi-laserdisc karaoke player including a warm-up feature, using an onscreen keyboard that lets users play notes and try to match them to their voice, registering the result with an onscreen display meter.
