PANASONIC ANNOUNCES PT-D9610U HD CINEMA DLP PROJECTOR FOR CINEMA APPLICATIONS

LAS VEGAS, NV (June 13, 2001) – Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company (Los Angeles, CA) has introduced the PT-D9610U HD Cinema™ projector, the new flagship model in the company's family of large-venue DLP™ projectors.

Meticulously engineered for the most exacting HD cinema applications, the PT-D9610U offers brilliant picture quality up to 12,000 ANSI lumens and a theater-quality contrast ratio of 1000:1. The PT-D9610U headlines Panasonic's family of DLP projection systems that includes the PT-D9600U (12000 lumens, SXGA), PT-D9500U (10000 lumens, XGA), PT-D8600U (7000 lumens, SXGA) and PT-D8500U (7000 lumens, XGA).

"The PT-D9610U is a cinema-quality projector that produces ultra-high brightness images for motion picture and large venue display," said Stuart English, Vice President, Marketing, Panasonic Broadcast. "Panasonic's HD Cinema production and display system can deliver theater owners new revenue-generating opportunities by offering theatergoers new forms of entertainment."

The Panasonic HD Cinema projector utilizes three 1.1" Digital Micromirror Device™ panels and a low-power 1800 watt Xenon lamp (1500-hour life expectancy) with a double reflector optical system to deliver 1280 x 1024 SXGA resolution with full 10-bit digital signal processing. The PT-D9610U has recently been selected by inTheater Entertainment, a division of privately-held WorldStage, LLC., for applications in digital cinema applications, and by Video Applications Inc. for staging and rental.

The projector offers built-in edge blending, allowing two to 100 (maximum 10 x 10) PT-D9610Us to be set side-by-side or stacked up to 10 x 10 for displaying full- motion images over the entire span without any discernible lines between projected images. An outstanding benefit of edge blending is that it increases the image's horizontal resolution while maintaining the maximum vertical resolution.

The PT-D9610U is network-ready, with interfaces for 10Base-T and 100Base-TX provided as standard. All functions can be controlled from a personal computer via a standard web browser. Operators can assign a TCP/IP address to the PT-D9610U to monitor and fully control its operation over the Internet or local area network (LAN). For example, the projector is capable of sending an e-mail message to alert the user to operator errors or required lamp maintenance.

The PT-D9610U is completely HDTV compatible, with the capability to provide full resolution for all DTV and HDTV formats in various aspect ratios. Using available optional lens, the PT-D9610U can project an image from 100" to 600" in 4:3 and from 100" to 550" in 16:9.

At the core of the PT-D9610U is a unique resizing engine that utilizes Panasonic's Emmy Award-winning Universal Format Converter (UFC) technology that allows a multitude of image formats to be automatically converted to the native resolution of the projector so the maximum resolution of each format can be displayed. The resizing engine maps the electronic image on a pixel-by-pixel basis to match the aspect ratio of the DLP image. When using an optional anamorphic lens, images that have been squeezed can be spread back to the original format for display on screen, dramatically improving image quality and increasing screen brightness. When using the optional HD SDI input board, images are displayed in their native frame rates including 1080/24p without any conversion. Cinema content in 24-frame HD looks natural and completely flicker-free with no interlace artifacts.

For whisper-quiet operation, the PT-D9610U uses a patented Active Noise Canceling technology to ensure quiet installations, allowing the projector to be utilized in audience-exposed environments.

With its Advanced Expansion circuitry, the PT-D9610U 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 1080/24p, 1080i and 720p HDTV images as well as 480i, 480p and 576i images, and can automatically synchronize and display 16:9 aspect ratio images (NTSC).

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.

Utilizing digital keystone correction, the PT-D9610U's setup is fast and efficient. A standard wireless/wired remote with a one-touch auto-setup button makes for easy, quick configuration, and setup parameters can be stored in memory for future use. The PT-D9610U is VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, UXGA and WS-compatible, and can be used for front or rear projection, on a conference table or installed in the ceiling with optional brackets (including ceiling mount and dual stacking mount). In addition, the PT-D9610U's contrast ratio can be switched to 800:1 or 550:1 as conditions require.

Five optional lenses are available for the PT-D9610U – 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 ( 0.8:1). Optional accessories include ceiling mount bracket; dual stacking mount bracket; and six input boards (ET-MD95VM2 for video/S-video/Y CB CR; ET-MD95SD1 for 480i/576i SDI; ET-MD95SD2 for 480i/576i/480p SDI; ET-MD95SD3 for 720p/1035i/1080i/1080-24p SDI; ET-MD95T for TMDS; and ET-MD95RGB for RGB).

The PT-D9610U will be available in the Fall at a suggested list price of $139,000. For HD acquisition, recording, editing and display, Panasonic offers a total end-to-end solution, from a variable-frame 24p camcorder to the industry-standard D-5 HD VTR to a family of large-venue DLP projectors.

For more information on Panasonic's full line-up of HD Cinema products, phone 1-800-528-8601 or find us on the web at www.panasonic.com/hdcinema