Panasonic Touch the Future Tour Lets Consumers Get Hands-On With Latest Cutting-Edge Technology For Home Entertainment and Digital Imaging

SECAUCUS, N.J., March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic, a global leader in consumer electronics technology, kicks off its 15-city "Panasonic Touch the Future Tour" today with events in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.  The public tour will give consumers across the US an opportunity to see, hear and interact with the latest cutting-edge home entertainment products, including a chance to experience live the first Full HD 3D Home Theater systems.

The Panasonic Touch the Future Tour, which will visit 15 cities across the US over the next five weeks, will appear in popular, high-traffic venues in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Detroit; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; New York; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle; Scottsdale, AZ; and Washington, DC.  A complete listing of event locations and dates can be found at www.panasonic.com/future.  

"Panasonic has really raised the bar in consumer electronics for 2010," said Bob Perry, Senior Vice President, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company.  "From the launch of the world's first VIERA Full HD 3D Home Theater Systems, to IPTV-enabled HDTVs with Skype video calling, to LUMIX Digital Cameras and Camcorders that make it easy for anyone to capture crisp, clear memories, there has never been a more exciting time for consumers to take their home entertainment experience to a new level.  Many people may have heard about these new advances but we want to give consumers across the US a chance to experience it all for themselves and see first-hand how it can enrich their lives."

The Panasonic Touch the Future Tour features hands-on demonstrations of Panasonic's 2010 cutting-edge products and features including Full HD 3D Plasma Home Entertainment Systems, flat panel VIERA Plasma, LCD and LED HDTVs; Blu-ray Disc Players, Home Theater Systems; and LUMIX Digital Cameras and Camcorders.  Highlights of the Tour include:

Experience VIERA Full HD 3D Home Theater – Visitors to the Panasonic Touch the Future Tour will be able to experience the world of 3D for the home with Panasonic's award-winning Full HD 3D Home Theater System featuring the VIERA VT25 Full HD 3D Plasma TV, the BDT350 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and Panasonic Active Shutter Eyewear.  Panasonic Full HD 3D Home Theater Systems are now available at select Best Buy Magnolia Home Theater stores.

"For many people, this will be the first opportunity for them to experience for themselves the immersive world of Full HD 3D," said Perry.  "People who have already had the chance to see one of our demos have been amazed at the depth and sense of being there that Full HD 3D delivers.  It is something they won't want to miss."

See the World's First Commercial 3D Television Channels – Panasonic will be the exclusive presenting sponsor of DIRECTV's new HD 3D channels set to debut in June 2010.  Demonstrations of the channels, which will deliver movies, sports and entertainment content from some of the world's most renowned 3D producers will be on display at Panasonic Touch the Future Tour events.  DIRECTV's HD 3D channels, powered by Panasonic, will offer a 24/7 3D DIRECTV Cinema and pay per view event channel focused on movies, documentaries and other programming, a 24/7 3D DIRECTV On Demand channel and a free 3D entertainment channel featuring event programming such as sports, music and other content.

Test Drive 3D Gaming – Computer graphics innovator NVIDIA will debut NVIDIA 3DTV Play(TM), a software solution that allows consumers to connect their GeForce® GPU-powered desktop or notebook computer to new 3D TVs, for the ultimate in big screen 3D gaming action. For the launch of 3DTV Play, NVIDIA  is teaming up with Panasonic on the Panasonic Touch the Future Tour, where visitors can test drive 3DTV Play-based PCs running on Panasonic's new VIERA® Full HD 3D TVs.

Connect with Skype-enabled HDTVs – Panasonic and Skype are taking VIERA HDTVs to a whole new level of connectivity in 2010 with Skype on Your TV.  Visitors will see demos about how select Panasonic 2010 VIERA HDTVs will enable you to place free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls, make calls to landline or mobile phones at Skype's low rates, receive inbound calls via a user's online Skype number, access Skype voicemail, participate in voice conference calls with up to 24 other parties.

Explore and Share with VIERA CAST IPTVs – Explore Panasonic's VIERA CAST(TM) enabled HDTVs which give owners access thousands of television and movie titles, share photos and videos with family and friends, make video calls, listen to their favorite musical artists, and stay up-to-date with the latest sports news and information.  In 2010, VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs will feature wireless connectivity and add new features such as Netflix®, Twitter™, Skype™, Pandora®, and Fox Sports to an existing list of features which includes Amazon Video On Demand™, Google's YouTube™, Picasa™ Web Albums, Bloomberg and weather services.

Capture Your Memories – Learn about the intuitive features on Panasonic's range of easy- to-use Camcorders and LUMIX Digital Cameras.  See how simple it is to take great photos and videos and share the with family and friends right on your HDTV and online via VIERA CAST.  Tour visitors will also be able to meet professional photographers from the LUMIX Digital Photo Academy to learn tips on how to take the perfect picture.  Visit www.panasonic.com/future for specific dates and times to meet professional photographers in each city.

Join the Full HD 3D World – Panasonic's Touch the Future Tour Sweepstakes* will award one lucky visitor (18 years of age or older as of 3/15/10) in each of the 15 cities on the Tour a Full HD 3D Home Theater System featuring a Panasonic Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma HDTV, Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc Player and one pair of Panasonic Active Shutter Eyewear.

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 full sweepstakes terms and conditions, please visit www.panasonic.com/future.

SOURCE Panasonic