Panasonic Rates Its 1080p Plasma HDTV Line to Play 100,000 Hours to Half Brightness

    NEW YORK, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic, the market leader in Plasma
 TVs, today announced that it is rating its best-selling line of 1080p
 Plasma HDTVs to play for 100,000 hours before reaching half brightness.
     Based upon the U.S. average daily viewing time of six and a half hours,
 Panasonic 1080p Plasma HDTVs could on average take more than 42 years
 before they reach half of their original brightness level. Panasonic rates
 its current line of 720p Plasma HDTVs to play for 60,000 hours to half
 brightness or 25 years at six and a half hours per day.
     "This is a significant step for Panasonic Plasma and something we feel
 is yet another differentiator for our Plasma HDTV products," said Dr. Paul
 F. Liao, Chief Technology Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America.
 "What makes this milestone even more significant is that this rating is to
 half brightness, not until end of life cycle. Even after 42 years, on
 average, our Plasma HDTVs could still be able to provide their owners with
 clear, crisp colorful high definition images."
     "This is yet another example of Panasonic's drive to provide consumers
 with products that deliver true value on many levels -- from outstanding
 picture quality, and reliability to more environmentally conscious products
 as well," added Liao. "Last year we were the first flat panel manufacturer
 to eliminate lead from all of our Panasonic Plasma displays. To date, we
 remain the only flat panel manufacturer to do that. Now, with our 1080p
 Plasma HDTVs rated at 100,000 hours to half brightness, our Plasma TVs
 could provide consumers with significantly more years of viewing pleasure."
     Panasonic's line of industry-leading Plasma 1080p HDTV's are available
 in 42", 50", 58" and 65" class diagonal screen sizes.* Panasonic's 42"
 1080p HDTV is the only 42" 1080p Plasma on the market today.
     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 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. ( MC) and the
 hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations.
 Panasonic's exclusive Panasonic Plasma Concierge program is administered
 through its Virginia-based Call Center, recognized as a Certified "Center
 of Excellence" by the Center for Customer-Driven Quality(TM) at Purdue
 University. Information about Panasonic products is available at
 http://www.panasonic.com.
     Additional company information for journalists is available at
 http://www.panasonic.com/pressroom.
     *Panasonic consumer 1080p HDTV Plasmas:
     -- TH-42PZ700U
     -- TH-50PZ700U
     -- TH-58PZ700U
     -- TH-50PZ750U
     -- TH-58PZ750U
     -- TH-65PZ750U (available in September)
 
 

SOURCE Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company