Cinema takings are down 56% streaming is soaring and demand for 4K Ultra High Definition TV’s has never been higher claims Panasonic executives who today launched their new TV range, 4K Native Blu Ray recorders and new sound gear.
The big hit on cinema attendance has come as TV manufacturers deliver a new range of high end UHD 4K TV’s that have built in streaming along with new audio technology that is taking the “big picture” experience right into the home.
Today consumers are watching on average 10 movies a month in Australia according to Roy Morgan research.
They are also transitioning to new TV and audio technology such as sound bars and wireless audio systems that allow them to better manage content Panasonic executive Sophie Barton a Group Manager at the Japanese Company said.
According to Richard Tassone the General Manager of Consumer Products at Panasonic the market for 4K TV’s is set to get a “significant” kick along when the Summer Olympics play out in August 20126.
Panasonic a major sponsor of the Olympic movement said that in 2020 Panasonic is teaming up with a Japanese broadcaster to deliver 8K content.
At today’s launch Panasonic said that their new models have advanced smart features improved HDR image quality, and new ‘Switch Design’ pedestals that can be moved to better support a TV.
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| New Legs on Panasonic TV’s can be adjusted. |
Launched in Sydney today was the DX740, DX700 and DX600 with screen sizes ranging from 40 inch – 65 inch.
The flagship 4K UHD TV is the Ultra HD Premium DX900, this Panasonic’s first ‘Ultra HD Premium’ certified TV.
It features a brand-new Studio Master HCX+ chipset and a new LCD panel. The DX900 has also earned 4K certification from quality assurance group, THX Limited.
Also launched is Panasonic’s new UHD Blu-ray player, the UB900. With this device user have the choice of either watching streamed 4K content or a 4K Blu ray movie of which there will be over 189 titles available when the device launches in September. The TV’s go on sale immediately.
Also rolled out is the DX740 and DX700 Series which are capable of handling High Dynamic Range video.
The DX900, DX740 and DX700 have been tuned in conjunction with the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory to ensure that HDR and SDR playback lives up to the original vision of filmmakers.
High Dynamic Range on HDR-enabled TVs delivers images much closer to the way your eyes see the real world. Deep blacks are combined with very bright highlights to produce a level of reality not previously possible on a television.
TVs must be finely tuned to deliver HDR’s brightness heights without compromising their handling of dark image areas.
Panasonic’s Ultra HD Premium and HDR TVs are all designed to deliver both the bright highs and the deep blacks that a great HDR experience demands, using high-brightness panels and local dimming technologies.
The flagship DX900, with its new honeycomb-structure local dimming technology, delivers a new level of brightness that makes it possible to reproduce crisp images while maintaining high contrast and details in dark and bright scenes.
The honeycomb design divides the screen into hundreds of ‘zones’ of individually controlled light clusters. These zones are isolated from each other to remove light leakage issues that can lead to a ‘light halo’ effect around bright objects.
The ultra-transmissive LCD cells allow the DX900 to showcase greater brightness peaks (up to 1,000 nit) across a wider portion of the screen than conventional HDR LED LCD TVs. This means consumers see a more vibrant image that really utilises HDR’s potential, also without using significantly more power.
Panasonic’s Super Bright Panel Plus, available across the DX740, DX700, DX640, DX600 and DS610 Series, boosts brightness to make pictures look crisper and more dynamic and delivers excellent colour and contrast, via a combination of a new panel-driving system, a panel structure that lets light through more easily, and a highly efficient backlight system.
To further enhance the smooth operation and easy navigation of Panasonic’s 4K Smart Ultra HD TVs, Panasonic has this year collaborated with Mozilla to introduce a new Firefox operating system.
When paired with Firefox OS, Panasonic’s powerful Quad-Core Processor users can run multiple apps and web pages at once without compromising performance, it allows users to easily switch between services.
Users can also run two live displays to a screen. One could be a Foxtel feed while the other is live TV.
Available on all three TV ranges, Panasonic’s TV Anytime function lets users enjoy their favourite TV shows anywhere and anytime. It accesses the TVs tuner and USB recordings can be watched on a smart device via the Panasonic Media Centre App.
The Swipe & Share and Easy Mirroring functions enable sharing of content stored on a smart device to be displayed on the TV screen, and Voice Interaction lets users control their TVs without using a remote – users can simply speak directly to the TV.
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