Panasonic's new GIGA range of Projection TVs offer 'Ultimate Home Cinema Experience'

The TVs' large screen format, advanced picture enhancement features and high-powered sound system make them ideal for high-definition programming and watching DVDs in cinematic style.

The new range of TVs which are 'Made in Japan' are fitted with never-before features including the industry's first 3-way, 6-speaker Power Wing System, 3D Y/C Digital Comb Filter (luminance-Y and chrominance-C) and High Definition Digital Sound from BBE. The P800 series is also equipped with 2 DVD inputs.

"The TX-51P800 and TX-43P800 projection TVs are designed to offer users a complete home theatre experience. We have seen an increase in demand for high definition, mega-sound viewing in the Middle East market and we are confident that the new range will also have wide acceptance. We estimate the demand for projection TVs to be 30,000 sets in 2003, with Panasonic holding 20 % share in the market. We expect the demand to grow in this region", said Yasuyuki Shimizu, Manager, Consumer AV Dept., Panasonic Marketing Middle East FZE.

The P800 range of TVs is the first in the industry to employ the 3D (luminance and chrominance) Y/C Digital Comb Filter for PAL signals, which enables it to perform field-by field comparisons of the television image to accurately separate colour information from black and white. The resultant razor-sharp images are further enhanced by a 100 Hz Digital Scan that doubles the image display rate to 100 per second, as opposed to 50 per second in other conventional models, It also includes a Progressive Scan system that has twice the number of scanning lines as a conventional system, rendering flicker-free images with extraordinary detail.

"The new range offers several advantages over existing models in both the display and sound department, giving it an undisputed edge over conventional models. The Projection TVs most defining feature is the 3-way, 6-speaker Power Wing System that delivers 40 watts of power and a range of sounds from deep bass to high pitch, making it ideal for dialogue, music and sound effects. The speakers are arranged around the screen in such a way that the sound appears to come from the middle of the screen", said Shimizu.

"We have further optimised the sound by using BBE High Definition Sound, licensed by BBE Sound, the world's leading sound technology company. This technology corrects voice distortion by providing a linear phase correction and dynamic amplitude compensation. In short, it makes voices sound clearer and more natural and gives music a higher, more dynamic range", added Shimizu.

The new range of TVs also includes a newly designed hybrid lens assembly that enhances focussing accuracy by 50% across the entire screen, a dramatic improvement from other TVs, which often have weak definition around the edges. The TX-51P800 and TX-43P800 have a high brightness, fine pitch screen that boosts brightness around the edges by a full 15% and a HD GIGA projection TV that achieves sharp images with minimal noise.