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Panasonic Develops New Plasma Display Technology Enabling Energy-Efficient Operation of Only 95 Watts (27/1/2010)

Panasonic Corporation, a worldwide leader in High Definition technology, today announced the development of new plasma display panels (PDP) that boast quadruple luminance efficiency(1) marking a major breakthrough in PDP technology.

The new quadruple luminance efficiency plasma panels are incorporated in all 2010 models of VIERA plasma HDTVs. The panels will also be featured in Panasonic’s “World’s Largest” 152-inch Full HD 3D plasma display and VIERA Cast-enabled HDTVs supporting Skype video calls.

The new quadruple luminance efficiency panel evolved from Panasonic’s “NeoPDP” panel developed in 2008(2) and “NeoPDPeco“ panel developed in 2009(3) with twice and triple the brightness of its 2007 models, respectively. The new panels can produce the same screen brightness as 2007 panels using only a fraction of the electric power consumption of those panels three years ago.

The achievement of the revolutionary quadruple luminance efficiency panel involves major advances in many constituent elements of PDP: development of new phosphor materials, super high-speed drive technology and adaptive signal processing technology to reduce power consumption and improvements in all the facets of the panel-illuminating process that includes discharge, illumination and light extraction. These improvements have enabled the astounding progress in luminance efficiency resulting in a 42-inch Full-HD display that consumes a meager 95 watts(4)–less than a typical room lamp’s 100-watt light bulb.

Furthermore, the new panel has enhanced a key advantage of PDP to the fullest extent, attaining a remarkable 5,000,000:1(5) contrast ratio. With superb color rendition and subtle gradation of tones, the new panel faithfully reproduces details of high-definition sources from the pure white of virgin snow to the jet black of night.

As Plasma display panels are self-illuminating devices, they offer other well-known advantages such as wide viewing angles and full resolution of moving pictures(6). Coupled with these inherent benefits of plasma technology, the new plasma panel has taken PDP’s image rendering quality to an even higher level. The new panel delivers high-contrast, full-color, higher brightness, crisp and clear spectacular images - even fast-moving sports scenes - regardless of the viewing angle.

The new display technology will not only enable further enhancement in image quality and energy-savings in 2D flat-panel TVs but also in the new Full HD 3D home theater systems. And vivid visual communications via video conferencing will be truly realistic, with high-quality images on a large-screen display at a scale never imagined before. Bringing about these revolutions in the living room, Panasonic will take TV to a whole new level of entertainment and communication.

Panasonic will further capitalize on the technology acquired through the development of the new super-efficient plasma panel. The energy-saving technology, for example, can be applied to products in other categories. Panasonic will continue to deliver environmentally-friendly products that meet the diverse needs of customers around the world.

In fact further improvements in luminance efficiency of plasma panels is expected in the years ahead, through continual advances in science and related refinements in design, materials and electrical components(7). And both consumers and industry are taking strong interest in this potential given the fundamental performance, durability and quality benefits of plasma. .

In particular, further advances in 4Kx2K (4096x2160 pixels) super high-definition display technology will expand plasma’s applications to such displays in the most popular sizes, making plasma capable of fulfilling the most demanding needs of medical professionals, film studios and post-production houses, education, government and businesses of all kinds.

Panasonic will actively promote products using this new panel technology in both consumer and industrial markets, striving to deliver on its promise to create new and exciting television experiences!

Notes
1) Compared with the panel brightness of 2007 Panasonic models at the same level of electrical power.
2) Announced on January 8, 2008.
3) Announced on January 8, 2009.
4) The power consumption of a 42-inch Full-HD model measured according to the IEC standard for moving pictures, which was set by the International Electrotechnical Commission. Using moving picture signals that are prepared by the IEC to represent real broadcasting signals, power consumption is measured for 10 minutes. Hourly energy consumption is estimated by multiplying the 10-minute accumulated power by six.
5) Contrast of dark areas that can be simultaneously displayed on the screen.
6) Moving picture resolution indicates the motion display performance by the number of lines which human eyes can recognize. (Measured by Advanced PDP Development Center Corporation Method). Full moving picture resolution has 1080 lines.
7) Based on the comparison of brightness between Panasonic’s PDP and a fluorescent lamp at the same level of electrical power.

www.panasonic.net