Panasonic Canada announced the
debut of its first LCD home cinema projector with 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixel)
native resolution: the PT-AE1000U. Designed for savvy home theatre enthusiasts
and audio video professionals, the new projector accurately reproduces the
original picture quality intended by Hollywood movie and television directors
and displays the highest contrast ratio (11,000:1) in its class(*).
The PT-AE1000U model comes equipped with Panasonic’s all new, carefully
engineered optical system that is designed to achieve beautifully detailed
images with a captivating brightness of 1,100 lumens. The new optical system
includes Panasonic’s unique aspherical glass lens system, a full high
definition (HD)-compatible technology that reduces the amount of light
dispersion to help produce crisper, more vivid images. In addition, it has
incorporated next-generation, full high definition LCD panels
(C2Fine(TM))(xx), which are characterized by inorganic, vertically aligned
liquid crystals for enhanced black level performance. Panasonic’s Dynamic Iris
has also been improved to reproduce superior full HD images, providing
consumers with a much richer home theatre viewing experience.
“In collaboration with leading Hollywood colourists and image experts,
we’ve developed cutting-edge projector technology to meet the growing demand
for superior home entertainment, particularly high-definition content,” said
Brian Lang, Senior Product Manager, A/V Entertainment.
“For home theatre connoisseurs and audio video professionals who desire
the richest colours and the best image quality, our new PT-AE1000U LCD
projector enables consumers to easily enjoy movie theatre-quality
entertainment at home.”
The PT-AE1000U projector reproduces Hollywood movies, independent films
and other entertainment with exceptional colour accuracy. Its new unique Pure
Colour Filter uses optical adjustment to achieve a higher purity level of the
three primary colours – red, green and blue – displays deeper, purer blacks,
and significantly expands the colour gamut. The new filter accurately
reproduces very subtle variations in brightness and hue. The PT-AE1000U also
incorporates Panasonic’s well-known Smooth Screen technology that reduces the
“screen door effect” – black lines between pixels that mar picture quality.
The technology has been optimized for the full-HD panels, allowing consumers
to enjoy vibrant, smooth images found in commercial movie theatres.
The new LCD projector also comes equipped with professional-level
features that let users personalize the images they see on the screen. The
projector’s new waveform monitor – seen mostly on professional video and film
equipment – measures the level of brightness output from a given video signal
source. This feature also allows users to quickly verify that the source
device is outputting at full dynamic range, and make adjustments to optimize
it for home theatre use. Users can easily see a graphical representation of
any changes made to the unit’s colour settings.
In addition, the Cinema Colour Management feature helps colour correct
approximately 1,070,000,000 colours using 14-bit gamma correction for a more
refined, customized control of individual colours – closely representing the
process used by Hollywood’s motion picture colour correction specialists. The
PT-AE1000U also incorporates picture modes demanded by film production studios
to help them with production and post-production activities.
Set-up and installation are a snap with the PT-AE1000U projector’s 2x
powered zoom – a first in its class(xxx) – and its lens shift range, the
largest for a full HD projector(xxx). Thanks to both features, the new model
can cast a 100-inch diagonal image from as little as 1.24 meters (about five
feet) from the screen. The new projector’s enhanced lens shift capability
enables full, 100 per cent vertical adjustment and 40 per cent horizontal
adjustment so that viewers can suspend the projector close to the ceiling in a
stylish fashion, or conveniently place the projector on a book shelf.
The projector’s new lens-centered design and maintenance features, such
as the replaceable side filter and top lamp, make the ceiling mount very easy
to install. The PT-AE1000U’s jet black colour and sleek cabinet design also
fit well in home theatre environments, and its universal remote control
enables viewers to easily control their entire home theatre system from one
device.
The Panasonic PT-AE1000U LCD home cinema projector will be available
starting in mid-November with a manufacturer’s suggested price of $4,999.
