Panasonic Unveils Its CX850 Flagship 4K UHD TV Series

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic, a global leader in 4K Ultra HD technology, unveiled today the CX850 Series of 4K LED LCD Ultra HD Life+Screen Smart TVs – the flagship model of its expanded 2015 4K UHD lineup – at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  The CX850 Series continues Panasonic's rich heritage of critically-acclaimed UHD 4K picture-quality with enhanced "Beyond Smart" features for further-simplified, intuitive operation.

The CX850 Series will be available in two models – TC-65CX850U and TC-55CX850U.  Pricing and specific availability will be announced at a later date at panasonic.com.

With a newly-developed panel and the picture-enhancing technology of Panasonic's Studio Master Drive, the CX850 Series maximizes the beauty of 4K images to achieve images faithful to the original, with vibrant colors, robust blacks, and bright contrast.

Superb Color Reproduction
The CX850's expanded color rendering range of DCI 98%* Color Space displays richer, more vivid colors. In addition, Studio Master Drive uses color correction technology for more accurate color reproduction. While conventional drive systems perform processing using only the three coordinate axes of the primary colors (RGB), Studio Master Drive uses six coordinate axes - the three primary colors and three complementary colors (CMY). These six colors are corrected in accordance with brightness levels to enable faithful-to-original color reproduction of even dark colors in dimly lit scenes, as well as delicate halftone colors.
(* The 55" CX850 panel covers 90% of the DCI Color Space)

Maximizing Black Rendering
A maximum level of black rendering is achieved by the CX850's Local Dimming Pro which adjusts the backlight to match each and every image for deeper, higher-purity blacks. At the same time, Studio Master Drive's gradation correction precisely reproduces the tones in the low-light areas of the image. The black rendering capability is greatly improved for faithful reproduction -- right down to the delicate textures and fine shadows within the image.

Enhanced Brightness
The CX850 provides dramatically enhanced brightness via its Super Bright Panel to display bright, vivid images. Panasonic's original Dynamic Range Remaster technology achieves dramatically enhanced image reproduction and rendering capabilities in the high luminance range. By restoring the information of high-brightness image areas that drops out during recording, it faithfully reproduces not only the brightness but also the original colors. As a result, the CX850 Series delivers beautiful, dynamic pictures without blown highlights in bright image areas.

In addition, the CX850 features Quad-Core Pro which upconverts lower-resolution images to allow almost all images to be viewed in stunning 4K picture quality. The excellent picture performance of the CX850 Series has earned it consideration from THX for its coveted 4K certification.*
* THX Certification Pending.

Enhanced Smart TV Features
Panasonic's CX850 Series models are equipped with cutting-edge features designed to deliver users access to their favorite content easily without having to perform complex setting procedures or refer to a manual.

Powered by Firefox OS

Through Panasonic's collaboration with Mozilla on the 2015 Life+Screen Smart TVs, powered by Firefox OS, Panasonic's TV GUI has advanced significantly from last year making it even easier for users to access quickly the content they want -- live TV, devices, and applications from a single gateway. It is also customizable by using the 'Pin' function, which allows users to bookmark their favorite channels, devices, apps, web pages for quick access. Firefox OS also offers improved connectivity due to the use of open Web standards and greater flexibility for developers through WebAPIs that enable connected experiences across platforms.

4K Streaming

The CX850 Series also supports 4K Streaming. This lets the user enjoy 4K-resolution movies and drama programs from popular VOD services. The CX850 Series' 4K image rendering performance is maximized to deliver stunning 4K images. HEVC and VP9 compatibility allows users to enjoy the ever-expanding availability of 4K content on line.

Xumo^® Guide

Panasonic's 2015 Life+Screen TVs will also include Xumo^® Guide, a built-in service that enables quick and easy discovery of content from multiple sources. One of the key features of Xumo^® Guide is the ability to provide relevant content recommendations based on user's viewing history, in addition, users can search for specific titles across multiple apps or browse content by genre from various VOD services.

Voice Assistant Pro

Exclusive to the CX850 Series is a new advanced Voice Command feature -- Voice Assistant Pro -- which performs voice commands spoken directly to the TV without using a remote control. It is capable of performing various operations according to voice commands, such as changing channels and searching for content.

Control4 automation-ready

Additionally, the CX850 series enriches the user's connected experience by delivering a smart home-ready set-up incorporating Control4's Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP). SDDP enables the CX850 to be quickly and seamlessly integrated into a customer's connected home using Control4 automation. Furthermore, with Control4 driver Certification pending, control of the CX850 series using the Control4 automation platform will be seamless and full featured.

Premium Design
The CX850's stunning picture quality and broad range of cutting-edge Smart TV features are further enhanced by a high-end exterior design evolved from premium furniture design to deliver to consumers a look that blends harmoniously with the user's living space.

For more information about the latest Panasonic Life+Screen Smart TVs and home entertainment products, visit the Panasonic CES website at www.panasonic.com/CES and the Panasonic USA website at www.panasonic.com.

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Newark, NJ, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. The company offers a wide range of consumer solutions in the U.S. including products from Ultra HD 4K TVs, Blu-ray Disc Players, LUMIX Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Home Audio, Cordless Phones, Home Appliances, Wellness, Beauty, Personal Care products and more. In Interbrand's 2014 Annual "Best Global Green Brands" report, the Panasonic brand ranked fifth overall --  the highest ranked electronics brand in the report.

To learn more about Panasonic USA's products, visit www.panasonic.com. Follow Panasonic USA on Twitter @panasonicUSA; additional company information for journalists is also available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

PANASONIC LIFE+SCREEN CX850 SERIES 4K ULTRA HD SMART TV

Key Features

PICTURE QUALITY

DCI 98%* Color Space
An Advanced LED Backlight Design That Produces a Wider Color Range
By using a special LED LCD panel capable of producing a wider color range, it covers more than 98% of DCI standards. DCI 98% Color Space TVs give you a more subtle, naturally toned color palette which, unlike most LCD TVs, still looks authentic in any scene.
(* The 55" CX850 panel covers 90% of the DCI Color Space)

Local Dimming Pro
Enjoy Rich, Natural Black Colors and Greater Shadow Detail
Local Dimming Pro provides individual control over a large array of LED lights behind the screen, greatly enhancing contrast. Dozens of picture 'zones' are analyzed and adjusted separately to boost shadow detail.

Studio Master Drive
Helps 4K TVs Reproduce More Detail and Richer, More Natural Colors during Dark Scenes
The Studio Master Drive reproduces natural colors and lots of detail in dark picture areas using a combination of sophisticated 3D Color Management, a wide color gamut LCD panel, and brightness compensation. The system works so well that it can faithfully reproduce the original scene at almost any brightness.

Super Bright Panel
Boosts Brightness to Make Pictures Look Crisper and More Dynamic
LCD TVs aren't usually very bright when set up to look their best, due to the types of light they use and the need to limit brightness to aid contrast. The Super Bright Panel solves this problem via a combination of a new panel-driving system, a panel structure that lets light through more easily, and a highly efficient backlight system.

Dynamic Range Remaster
Vivid Colors Even in Dazzling Scenes
The brightness data that is compressed while shooting is restored during playback. In addition, because the brightness data is restored without losing color data, the images are brilliant and vivid.

Quad-Core Pro
Detailed, Crisp Images from Any Source
Dealing with the advanced smart features and 4K picture technologies we now expect on high-end TVs requires enormous processing power. Cue the Quad Core Pro engine. It cleverly separates the smart TV processing from the picture processing, so the smart elements run faster and smoother while pictures look cleaner, crisper and more refined – regardless of whether they're web streams, broadcasts, Blu-rays or 4K feeds.

BEYOND SMART TV

my Home Screen 2.0
Quick, intuitive access to just the content you want
Thanks to Firefox, "my Home Screen" will be renewed, as a single gateway to all the broadcasting channels, apps and connected devices. A new Firefox OS-based home screen makes it easy to access the content you want with intuitive operation.

Voice Assistant Pro
Voice Operation Is Almost Like Talking
With Voice Assistant Pro, you can now operate your TV and give it content search instructions just by talking directly to it. You no longer need to speak through a separate mic in the remote control.

Xumo^®  Guide
Seamless, Automatic Content Recommendations
This intuitive interface seamlessly and automatically recommends a wide variety of VOD content, while also allowing users to easily search for content from various VOD services.

4K Streaming
Directly Streams a Variety of 4K Online Content
The built-in 4K video decoder allows it to directly play 4K streaming content.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/166858

SOURCE Panasonic

Related Links

http://www.panasonic.com