Panasonic Opens Full HD 3D Theatre At the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Live Site

VANCOUVER, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC), the Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, today opened the doors of its Olympic Pavilion "Panasonic FULL HD 3D THEATRE" featuring two 103-inch full HD 3D theatres at LiveCity Yaletown, official celebration site of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Open February 12-28 from 11 am to 11 pm daily, the theatres will screen high definition, three dimensional images of the Opening Ceremony, highlights footage of the 2010 Winter Games, as well as the video of Sarah Brightman performing Panasonic's song, "Shall Be Done".  There is no entrance fee for Panasonic's Olympic Pavilion at the LiveCity Yaletown site in David Lam Park.  

"This theatre is our way of sharing the passion of the 2010 Winter Games with Vancouver residents and visitors from around the world," says Takumi Kajisha, Managing Executive Officer, Panasonic Corporation.  "Panasonic believes 3D systems will greatly enhance at-home viewing of future Olympic Games, combining the enjoyment of watching the greatest sports event with the stereoscopic images of full HD 3D."

Panasonic's Full HD 3D Theatre at the 2010 Winter Games offers the public the first opportunity to experience a new era of immersive visual entertainment that will soon be available for consumers to enjoy at home.  It is a 3D experience that easily rivals the best that can be seen in cinemas.

"We've successfully moved from black and white, to color, to high definition television. But immersive, totally realistic 3D imagery has been the final frontier," said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Chief Technology Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America. "With Panasonic's new line of full HD 3D products which will be launched in North America this spring, we will conquer that as well."

With Panasonic's frame sequential technology, images are alternately reproduced at 60 frames per second for each eye for a total of 120 frames per second.  These images are viewed alternately through high-precision 3D eyewear with shutters driven in synchronization with the video.  As a result, each eye views a separate 1920 x 1080 full-HD image for beautiful, clear 3D images with no degradation in quality.

Panasonic has always been a leader in standardizing consumer electronic products and is proud that Panasonic full HD 3D technology has greatly contributed to the standardization of Blu-ray 3D™ which was announced by the Blu-ray Disc Association at the end of last year.

In January 2010, Panasonic announced its latest twin-lens full HD 3D camera recorder, and a Full HD 3D home theatre system (50", 54", 58" and 65" sizes) at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The full HD 3D home theatre system is expected to be introduced to the North American market in the spring of this year.  

Highlight videos of 2010 Winter Games screened in the full HD 3D theatre are sourced from the International Olympic Committee.  The theatre has been developed in cooperation with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), the City of Vancouver and Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, the official Canadian broadcaster of the 2010 Winter Games.

Official Worldwide Olympic Partner

Panasonic is proud to support the Olympic movement—aimed at promoting world peace through sports—as an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category for more than 20 years since The Olympic Partner (TOP) Program commenced at the Calgary Olympic Winter Games in 1988.  Under the slogan of "Sharing the Passion," Panasonic contributes to the success of the Olympic Games through its technology. In 2007 Panasonic renewed the partnership with the International Olympic Committee through to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

About Panasonic

Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.77 trillion yen (US$78.4 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2009. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE: PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net.

Broadcast quality audio and video available for download at http://www.thenewsmarket.com/

For more information, visit http://panasonic.net/olympic/

SOURCE Panasonic Corporation