Panasonic used the recent National Association of Broadcasters convention to announce plans to sell its first digital TV-ready projection TV based on Texas Instruments’ digital light processing (DLP) engine.
The new rear-projection set (model PT-52DL10) is expected to receive a $10,000 street price when it ships during the third quarter of the year.
Capable of displaying HDTV with a native-scan format of 720p, the PT-52DL10 will include a widescreen 16:9 viewing area measuring 52 inches. The set is de-signed to connect to an external DTV set-top decoder via HD component video jacks.
The DLP engine that powers the display was developed by Texas Instruments and lists a resolution of 1,280 x 720 pixels. It integrates TI’s Digital Micromirror Device technology and Panasonic-developed optical structuring, the company said.
The design is said to reduce digital pixellation and other artifacts common in CRT and LCD-based projection displays. Brightness is rated at 400 lumens.
Additionally, the chip-based design al-lowed Panasonic to greatly reduce cabinet, depth, weight and bulk, compared to other rear-projection displays. The unit’s depth is listed at 18 inches.
The DLP design is similar to that an-nounced by Mitsubishi and Hitachi. The latter plans to offer a 65W-inch DLP rear-projection set this fall at a $9,999.95 MAP.
