Panasonic Launches Full HD 3D Home Theater Truck Tour

Panasonic Launches Full HD 3D Home Theater Truck Tour

Multi-Vehicle, Nationwide Tour Will Give Public a First Look at 3D for the Home; The Next Frontier in Home Entertainment New Website - www.panasonic.com/3D - Will Provide Consumers with Information on Full HD 3D For the Home

SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic, a leader in High Definition TV technology, today announced the start of a nationwide truck tour which will give the public their first look at Panasonic's Full HD 3D Home Theater System. The Full HD 3D system, which was first introduced to industry insiders and media in the U.S. at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2009, utilizes Plasma technology and a prototype Blu-ray Disc player to deliver true 1080p Full HD 3D entertainment in the home.

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The Panasonic Full HD 3D Home Theater Tour will be powered by three custom-built, expandable tractor trailers, each of which will house a Full HD 3D Home Theater environment. Each of the trucks can accommodate between 25 and 35 people per demonstration. The Tour will visit corporate headquarters of retailers, trade shows, industry conferences, universities and athletic events. One of the trucks will also be featured inside Panasonic's booth at CEDIA Expo 2009, which runs from September 9-13 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Panasonic is proud to once again lead the way into the next frontier in home entertainment," said Bob Perry, Executive Vice President, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "Through our Full HD 3D Home Theater Truck Tour, consumers will, for the first time, have a chance to experience the immersive world of Full HD 3D TV for themselves, and we have no doubt that they will love what they see."

A key part of the Panasonic Full HD 3D Home Theater Tour is to help consumers understand 3D TV technology and the differences between the Full HD 3D experience for the home and other technologies developed for that purpose.

"Panasonic's Full HD 3D represents the next stage of audio-visual technologies for the home beyond High Definition," said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic Corporation of North America's Chief Technology Officer. "Full HD 3D enables virtually the same quality and immersive experience as in 3D theaters. We also hope through our 3D TV truck tour to assure consumers that Panasonic is working diligently with fellow consumer electronics leaders and Hollywood to create a single open Full HD 3D TV standard."

In addition, Panasonic recently announced its collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Lightstorm Entertainment on the global promotion of director James Cameron's film AVATAR. This will be the first live-action 3D movie to be released when it hits screens on December 18, 2009. As the film's exclusive audio-visual partner, Panasonic has provided some of its latest AV technology products to help create the eagerly awaited film, which will debut in theaters worldwide in both 2D and 3D. As part of the collaboration agreement, Panasonic will launch a global advertising campaign tied to AVATAR, which will promote numerous Panasonic AV products, including 3D. It will mark the first time Panasonic has run a worldwide advertising campaign focused on a single film.

The initial stage of the Panasonic Full HD 3D Home Theater Truck Tour is expected to run through March 2010, and will allow more than 500,000 people to experience the immersive world of Full HD 3D Home Theater for themselves. While the complete truck tour schedule will be released at a later date, the tour is expected to play for an extended stay at the Staples Center & LA Live, in conjunction with Los Angeles Lakers games this fall and winter, as well as other high-profile public appearances.

More information on Panasonic's Full HD 3D Home Theater and the Full HD 3D Home Theater Truck Tour is available at Panasonic's newly-launched Full HD 3D Home Theater website www.panasonic.com/3D.

About Panasonic Full HD 3D

Panasonic Corporation first debuted its Full HD 3D technology in the US at CES 2009 (January) to very strong positive reviews. At CES 2009, Panasonic also announced the creation of the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory Advanced Authoring Center (PHL-AC) which is located within Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL) in Universal City, CA, and works to accelerate Full HD 3D Blu-ray format-establishment and development and is working directly with Hollywood studios providing 3D title development services for Full HD 3D Blu-ray titles. At NAB 2009 (April), Panasonic announced the start of development of a professional Full HD 3D production system. The system, which is expected to be the first of its kind in the industry, consists of a twin-lens P2 professional camera recorder and a 3D-compatible High Definition Plasma display. More information on Panasonic's Full HD 3D technology can be found at www.panasonic.com/3D.

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company

Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), a market and technology leader in High Definition television, is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE:PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company's Eco Ideas programs. Information about Panasonic products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

For more than 20 years, Panasonic has been proud to support the Olympic Movement as an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category and, beginning in 2009, in the Digital Imaging category as well. Panasonic has also renewed its partnership with the International Olympic Committee for an additional eight years through the 2016 Summer Games. For more information, visit http://panasonic.net/olympic/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: jamie.hodin@cohnwolfe.com

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Source: Panasonic

CONTACT: Chris De Maria of Panasonic, +1-201-348-7182,
demariac@us.panasonic.com; or Blayne Murphy of Cohn & Wolfe, +1-212-798-9763,
blayne.murphy@cohnwolfe.com

Web Site: http://www.panasonic.com/
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Profile: International Entertainment