PANASONIC INTRODUCES NEW XGA AND SVGA MICRO-PORTABLE PROJECTORS

LOS ANGELES, CA (January 2002) -- Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company has strengthened its micro-portable LCD projectors line-up with the introduction of new, high-performance XGA and SVGA models, ideal for business communications, education and home theater applications.

The feature-rich, highly-affordable PT-LC75U XGA and PT-LC55U SVGA projectors offer a sleek, impressive design in combination with an array of advanced digital technologies. These ultra-light units are easy to move between locations, from the office to the classroom, from a church settings to a training center, and provide an ideal alternative to rear projection television in home theater applications.

The projectors' One-Touch Auto Setup function with digital keystone correction make them super convenient to setup (setup time is a mere 1.5 seconds). Panasonic's built-in gravity sensor determines the projectors' angle relative to the floor (up to 30 degrees) and corrects for keystone distortion accordingly. The projectors handle all picture adjustments, from phasing and dot clocks to vertical and horizontal position.

"Without breaking your budget, these go-anywhere, plug-and-play micro-portable projectors are super-easy to use and deliver brilliant, dynamic images," said Steve Abend, Director, Panasonic Presentations Systems Group.

Both projectors deliver exceptionally bright performance of 1200 ANSI lumens and display vivid, colorful images in true 1024 X 768 native XGA resolution (PT-LC75U) and 800 x 600 native SVGA resolution (PT-LC55U), while offering advanced resizing technology to support UXGA (PT-LC75U) and SXGA (PT-LC55U) resolution. The high contrast ratios of 500:1 (PT-LC55U) or 400:1 (PT-LC75U) ensure that images are sharp, crisp for computer and video images.

For bright, up-close presentations, the PT-LC75U/-LC55U are equipped with a large-diameter, extra-short throw lens that shortens the necessary projection distance by a full 25%; for instance, only 8 feet is needed to project on an 80" diagonal screen. The shorter projection distance saves space, allowing the projectors to be placed at the front of a meeting table.

The projectors' advanced 10-bit gamma correction circuitry assures naturally vivid, uniform colors and smooth image gradation. The PT-LC75U excels at displaying crystal-clear moving pictures thanks to its Digital Cinema Reality (DCR) circuit and 3-dimensional comb filter. Both models have selectable color temperature (standard/high/low) and image mode (standard/dynamic/natural) so the user can match picture quality to the source and room conditions.

For exceptional presentation flexibility, the projectors are equipped with two RGB inputs, which eliminate the need to reconnect equipment when giving consecutive presentations. The RGB2 terminal can also serve as a loop-through monitoring terminal for the RGB1 input, which is an extremely beneficial for education applications. For example, a teacher can display a lesson using the projector, while the second output is displayed on a monitor in front of her. This allows the teacher to view the lesson and her class, with the projection screen behind her.

The projectors also offer a unique Index Window, which allows any image in a presentation (RGB or video input) to be frozen, stored in memory and displayed on the left side of the screen, while display of subsequent images continues on the right.

The PT-LC75U/-LC55U are HDTV compatible, automatically resizing 1080i and 720p images for 16:9 wide-aspect display; 480p, 480i and 625i component video signals and S-Video can also be displayed in either 4:3 or 16:9. The units deliver broad compatibility ranging from PAL, PAL-M, PAL-N, SECAM, NTSC and M-NTSC. The units are also sRGB compatible to ensure uniform, accurate color reproduction with other sRGB-compatible imaging devices.

The user can select from Standard and Low lamp power modes. Designed for use in dark rooms, Low mode uses a lower lamp power that minimizes energy consumption and lengthens the lamp life up to 3,000 hours (2,000 hours in Standard mode). The units can project on screens ranging in size from 33" to 300". The projectors' dimensions are a mere 10.5" (W) by 2.9" (H) X 8.2" (D).

Additional features include whisper-quiet operation (only 30dB in low lamp mode), advanced shutter, seven-language on-screen menu with graphical icons, universal AC power supply, card-type remote control and soft carrying case standard.

Options include full-function wireless mouse remote control with laser pointer, ET-LEC75 wide conversion lens (which shortens the projection distance by 20%) and the ET-PKC75 ceiling mount bracket for permanent installation.

The PT-LC55U and PT-LC75U are available in February at suggested list prices of $2,999 and $3,999, respectively.

Panasonic offers a high level of service and support with a three-year or 2,000-hour warranty on the projector, a 90-day warranty on the user-replaceable lamp module and a 24-hour projector exchange program.

For more information on Panasonic's complete line of projectors and plasma systems, phone 1-800-528-8601 or find us on the web at www.panasonic.com/presentations.