Panasonic’s got a new way of making plasma TVs. It’s called Neo PDP and makes the competition look bulky, slow and if we’re honest, a bit dim by comparison. Get all the details after the jump.
Panasonic’s Neo PDP screens are just one inch thick. They also use 50% less power than normal and have contrast ratios of 40,000:1 for deep blacks. By next year, Panasonic says its Neo PDP TVs will be just 8.8mm thick, and with a contrast ratio of infinity:1, rivalling OLED for deep blacks and rich colours.
Behind it all is Panasonic’s new plasma screen technology, with larger cells to emit more light at lower power. That makes the screen much brighter than normal. In fact, they’re 50% brighter than usual, using the same amount of power.
To help with black levels, Panasonic says it has also reduced the residual light in each cell of the screen, and it shows. The models we saw were spectacular.
The Neo PDP screens also refresh at an astounding 600Hz, creating 12 subframes for every frame of video they take in. The effect is massively smoothed video that looks slicker than a buttered snake.
Still not satisfied? All but the most basic G10 models also pack ethernet ports, Panasonic’s new Viera Cast on-demand service, media streaming from other DLNA-ready devices, such as networked hard drives and PCs and even DivX support.
The Neo PDP V10 model is also THX certified for pictures that are cinema-standard, with Lucas Film-approved colour matching, while the flagship Panasonic Neo PDP Z1 squeezes in everything, but measures just 1 inch thick and adds wireless HD streaming, sending uncompressed full HD 1080p direct to the screen without cables.
To put it mildly, we’re stunned. With Pioneer discontinuing the Kuro, we might have just found a new favourite plasma TV. Check out our hands-on photos below.
TBC | £TBC | Panasonic
Hi,
These new Panny’s sound promising -since you say upon viewing them that you were stunned and even that was putting it mildly, I have to then as, were the black levels equal to or better than the Pioneer G9 Kuros? In what other areas do you feel these new Panny’s may better the G9 Kuro’s?
Baz!
Hi Baz. They are indeed eye-popping. Without seeing them side by side with the latest Kuro, it’s difficult to say, but blacks were almost indistinguishable from the bezel, which is always a good sign. And now the Kuro is being discontinued, the Panasonic Z1 is in pole position as the best telly around.