Panasonic has announced it will sell its Full HD 3D1 home entertainment system in the US exclusively at select Best Buy stores via Magnolia Home Theater.
The new range of Full HD 3D capable Viera Plasma HDTVs and a fully-featured 3D Blu-ray Disc player will deliver a full 1080p-resolution image to each eye. Like the Samsung 3D sets (see Broadband TV News passim), the Panasonic sets also require the use of a pair of active-shutter eyewear.
Panasonic’s Full HD 3D Home Theater System will cost $2,899.99 (€2,123.13). The system consists of a 50-inch class Panasonic Viera VT20 Plasma 3D HDTV, one pair of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter Lens Eyewear and the Panasonic BDT300 3D Blu-ray Disc Player. Additional pairs of 3D eyewear will be available at $149.95. The individual components of the system will also be sold separately. The TV sets will in addition be available in 54″, 58″ and 65″ sizes.
Panasonic has developed new, faster screen phosphors; coupled with its 600Hz sub-field drive, the new displays output alternating imagery at 60 frames per second to each eye. The brain then combines the images and interprets them as 3D. Panasonic said its Full HD 3D products meet the recently announced Blu-ray 3D specification standard.
In January, DirecTV and Panasonic announced a strategic relationship that will make it possible to bring 3D TV into the homes of millions for the first time. 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. (As reported in Broadband TV News)
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