Panasonic began the first day of ISE with a press conference, where Stephen Yeo – marketing director of Panasonic System Communications Company Europe (PSCEU), the company’s B2B arm in Europe – announced a new white paper.
Hartmut Kulessa, projector marketing manager, explained that the white paper is derived from the results of a survey on 3D projection mapping. 44 companies were questioned as part of the document. Responses were largely positive: 25% of respondents said that their mapping revenues had increased by 50% in the past year, and 14% said that revenues were up 100%. 75% thought that mapping could be a replacement for other event ‘spectaculars’, like fireworks.
Brightness, resolution and reliability are key for 3D mapping, said Kulessa. Price also plays a role: Kulessa said that “Many projects” are not realised due to the high costs involved, such as replacement lamps and service requirements. Laser projectors will aid with this.
The PT-RZ31K is a new laser projector, outputting 27,000 ANSI lumens. It uses a 3DLP chipset, with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1920 x 1200 resolution. The unit features Panasonic’s Digital Link (HDBasedT) technology and can be operated 24/7. A similar model, the PT-RS30K, is identical but with 1400 x 1050 resolution.
Kulessa then showed off new additions to Panasonic’s projector and FPD ranges, in addition to the above models. The RZ570 (1920 x 1200, 5,200 lumens, Digital Link) and RZ970 are 1DLP laser projectors, to be launched in May and June, respectively. Two 3LCD models will also be launched, in April: the EZ590 and FZ570.
Resolution and brightness levels were shared for both LCD projector ranges. The EZ590 series will consist of five units: the EZ590 (1920 x 1200, 5,400 lumens), EW650 (1280 x 800, 5,800 lumens), EX620 (1024 x 768, 6,200 lumens), EW550 (1280 x 800, 5,000 lumens) and EX520 (1024 x 768, 5,300 lumens). Only three projectors will be part of the FZ570 range: FZ570 (1920 x 1200), FW530 (1280 x 800) and FX500 (1024 x 768). The first two projectors will have 4,500 lumens and the XGA model will have 5,000.
As well as additional models, the EZ590 differentiates itself by featuring interchangeable lenses and powered lens shift, focus and zoom; the FZ570 range has a 1.8x zoom lens. Both support Digital Link.
In terms of FPDs, Panasonic named three series: AF1, BF1 and EF1. The EF1 models will be entry-level and go on sale in August. The BF1 series is for board rooms, supports multi-touch and will be launched between May and June. Panasonic’s AF1 screens (April) will have an SoC inside running the OpenPort platform, which open-source software; any developer can write applications for it. All models have 1920 x 1080 resolution.
42″, 49″ and 55″ models will form the AF1 range. Each will use a 1GHz processor, running Android, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. They all have 500 cd/m² of brightness.
Increasing in size, the BF1 range (350 cd/m²) has 50″, 65″ and 80″ models. They are compatible with WiDi and support 12 touch points. Whiteboard functionality is also built in. These displays feature Panasonic’s Colour Universal Design, which is a way to help those who have difficulty distinguishing between red and green to see content.
Finally is the EF1 (350 cd/m²) range, in 32″, 75″ and 84″ sizes. These models feature HDMI (x2), DVI-D, component, USB, RS232, RJ45 and IR inputs.
Two prototype display ranges were also mentioned: one 55″ with an extremely thin (1.8mm pixel-to-pixel) bezel and relatively high (700 cd/m²) brightness, and another with Light ID (Panasonic Uses the Lights). This technology is able to transfer data through modulation of a display’s backlight. Simply downloading the app and pointing a device’s camera at the screen is enough to recognise the Light ID.
