Panasonic

Panasonic certainly has something to brag about today. Two of their products, the TC-P54Z1 VIERA Plasma HDTV and the LUMIX GF1 digital camera, were just named "The Best of What's New" in the Home Entertainment and Gadgets categories by Popular Science magazine.

The winner in the Home Entertainment category is the Panasonic TC-P54Z1 VIERA Plasma. Sporting an ultra-thin 1-inch profile, this Plasma can be placed in areas you never would have considered before! And, it uses wireless technology with a maximum transmission rate of approximately 4Gbs, allowing full-HD uncompressed video and audio signals to be transmitted up to 30 feet from the TV. Also, the remote is RF, so the external box that houses all the electronics and connections can be placed out of sight. Read more

Panasonic this week announced an audio system that is not only a CD player, AM/FM radio and iPod dock, but a digital photo frame as well! The new MW-10 gives you audiophile-quality sound from the CD player, and its FM/AM radio tuner has 45-station (30-FM/15-AM) Preset Memory. The Universal Dock for iPod plays your music and videos too. A remote control is also included.

Pure, crisp sound is achieved from the speaker which is made from bamboo cones, and it has diffusers in front of the speaker units which disperse sound over a wide area. Panasonic didn't forget about the bass either. The unit has a D.Bass function which enhances bass in conjunction with the volume level.Read more

Panasonic just announced the availability of the TH-85PF12U, the industry's first 85-inch, full HD 1080p plasma display. Weighing in at just 260 lbs, and only 3.9 inches thin, this plasma is much thinner and lighter than past models, thanks to Panasonic's NeoPDP technology. Also, it uses about half the energy of Panasonic's current full HD models in the same sizes, and has an image resolution of 1,080 lines – which is the world's highest moving image resolution. It also has the highest contrast ratio at 40,000:1 / 2,000,000:1 dynamic.

The TH-85PF12U will come standard with the TYFB10HMD Dual 1080p HDMI card, the TY42TM6A component card as well as a fixed PC input. Also, this unit will be equipped with anti-glare glass as standard. All of this comes at a cost, however. The TH-85PF12U has an MSRP of $30,000. Read more

Panasonic this week announced a new full HD home theater projector, the PT-AE40000U. Designed for home theater enthusiasts, this LCD home theater projector has 1080p resolution with 1,600 lumen brightness and 100,000:1 contrast ratio.

The projector features an enhanced Intelligent Lens Memory that lets you program up to six different zoom/focus positions, VIERA Link, and programmable 12V triggers. It includes three HDMI inputs. Also, with its signal aspect detection capability, the projector can automatically switch between movie theater (2.35:1) and 16:9 aspect ratio.

The Panasonic PT-AE4000U 1080p high definition home theater projector will be available later this month for $2,499. Read more

Panasonic's new SC-BTX70 may not look like a Blu-ray home theater system with its upright stance, but it is that…and more. It includes a Blu-ray Disc player, an iPod dock, an SD memory card slot and a USB terminal, all in its front panel.

The SC-BTX70 is a 2.1 system, yet gives you virtual 7.1 channel sound using Panasonic's advanced proprietary surround technology that delivers Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD virtual 7.1-channel surround sound through the two speakers and subwoofer. The system's 96-kHz Surround Re-master function even enhances the sound quality of CDs and raises the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs for realistic sounds.

The SC-BTX70 also has Panasonic's PHL Chroma Processor Plus and High Precision 4:4:4 for original cinema quality playback of Blu-ray discs. Also, connecting the SC-BTX70 to the Internet, you can view videos on YouTube, photos on Picasa as well as access the Amazon Video-on-Demand (VOD) online movie rental service. Internet games can also be played and Blu-ray Disc bonus content can be downloaded with the BD-Live feature.

The system will be available in September 2009 for $999.95.

Panasonic's latest LUMIX digital camera, the 12.1 megapixel DMC-GF1 Micro Four Thirds shooter, hits the market as the world's smallest and lightest digital camera with a built in flash. But don't let its small size fool you, the LUMIX GF1 is packed with features. It can record 1280 x 720 High Definition video in AVCHD Lite, as well as HD Motion JPEG in 1280 x 720 and other video recording formats such as QVGA, VGA and WVGA.

It has tons of features, modes, as well as being the first in the LUMIX G Series to be compatible with an optional Live View Finder (DMW-LVF1). Read the press release below to find out everything this camera has to offer…I was certainly impressed.

The LUMIX DMC-GF1 will be available in October 2009 with the option of two kits – both priced at $899.95. One kit option includes the newly-announced LUMIX G 20mm/F1.7 ASPH, a compact and lightweight "pancake" lens, while the other kit features the LUMIX G VARIO 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. Read more

Panasonic recently announced the new LUMIX DMC-FZ35, a digital camera featuring AVCHD Lite, High Definition (HD) video recording capability, combined with a powerful 27mm wide-angle, 18x optical zoom LEICA DC lens.

The 12.1 megapixel FZ35 packs enhanced creative features combined with the power to shoot HD videos, including motion zoom capabilities to take full advantage of the 18x zoom. It also features the upgraded POWER Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.), which allows for double the repression power and an ultra high-speed Auto Focus (AF). The operational layout of the FZ35 includes a dedicated video record button, making it a true hybrid -- a single model that performs seamlessly at capturing both still and motion images -- while still providing smooth and easy operation in either mode.Read more

Panasonic announced today that Amazon Video On Demand is now available on its entire line of 2009 VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc players. If you are a current owner of a Panasonic 2009 Blu-ray Disc player, you will automatically receive a free software update today and can use service as soon as you register your VIERA CAST Blu-ray Disc Player with Amazon Video On Demand.

With Amazon Video On Demand on VIERA CAST, you can:

• Browse and shop for movies and TV shows from Amazon Video On Demand's selection of more than 45,000 commercial-free titles, including the latest new releases and over 1000 titles in HD.
• Enjoy instant playback streamed to your player, no downloading, no waiting and no subscription fees.
• Access and add to your virtual library of purchases, via Amazon Video On Demand's Your Video Library, and re-watch them on any of Panasonic's VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc players or online with a PC, MAC or other compatible device.

VIERA CAST also gives you access to YouTube, Picasa Web Albums, Bloomberg News and weather information.

For more information on Panasonic's VIERA CAST Blu-ray players visit www.panasonic.com.