PANASONIC INTRODUCES ULTRA HIGH-BRIGHTNESS PROJECTOR FOR HD CINEMA, LARGE VENUE APPLICATIONS

ANAHEIM, CA (June 15, 2000) — Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company has introduced the PT-D9600U, its second generation large-venue DLP™-based projector offering SXGA (1280 x 1024) resolution, here at INFOCOMM 2000.

The PT-D9600U utilizes three 1.1" Digital Micromirror Devices™ panels to deliver a spectacular brightness of more than 12,000 ANSI lumens, a greater than 550:1 contrast ratio, workstation (1280 x 1024) compatibility and 10-bit digital signal processing for improved picture quality. The unit provides super-bright projection for use in large-venue installations, including theaters, sports and entertainment arenas, casinos, auditoriums and boardrooms. The PT-D9600U is also fully HDTV compatible, with the capability to provide full resolution for all DTV and HDTV formats in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios. Using available optional lens, the PT-D9600U can project an image from 100" to 600" in 4:3 and from 100" to 550" in 16:9.

The PT-D9600U's universal format converter features a moving picture re-sizing circuit to reformat video signals carrying massive amounts of data without being able to perceive individual pixels. HD cinema presentations, for instance, can be displayed in their natural 16:9 size with vibrant colors.

With its "Advanced Expansion" circuitry, the PT-D9600U can Auto-Scan from PAL/NTSC (fH=15kHz) to SXGA (fH=100kHz) level frequencies as a full screen image without the jagged lines of conventional projectors. The projector is capable of displaying 480 interlace, 480 progressive, 720 progressive (HDTV) and 1080 interlace (HDTV) images, and can automatically synchronize and display 16:9 aspect ratio images (NTSC). With its full digital circuit and advanced processor, the PT-D9600U achieves an impressive level of natural color reproduction (equivalent to 1.3 billion colors) as well as remarkably smooth transitions from video to computer images. For flexibility in image display, the projector features keystone correction adjustment.

The PT-D9600U incorporates four standard input slots and offers four optional input boards (Video/S-Video; RGB/Y, Pb, Pr; Serial Digital (SDI) and PC Digital (DFP 20P) for setup and installation flexibility. The unit supports most worldwide video standards, including NTSC, M-NTSC, PAL, SECAM, S-Video and HD (1080i, 720p). The projector is capable of producing crystal-clear images with an 90% center-to-corner brightness ratio in almost any large venue.

The DLP projector uses 1600-Watt Xenon lamps with a life expectancy of 1,500 hours provides up to one year of normal use. The PT-D9600U is VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, UXGA and WS-compatible, and can be used for front or rear projection, on a desktop or installed in the ceiling with optional brackets (including ceiling mount and dual stacking mount).

Five optional lenses are available for the PT-D9600U — the ET-D95LE5 zoom lens (1.5 — 2.0:1), the ET-D95LE6 zoom lens (2.0 — 2.5:1), the ET-D95LE7 zoom lens (2.5:1 — 4.0), the ET-D95LE8 zoom lens (4.0 — 7.0:1), and the ET-D95LE9 fixed short focus lens (1.05:1).

The PT-D9600U will be available in July at a suggested list price of $175,000.