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Panasonic today announced that its flagship ZT60 Series of plasma HDTVs will be available exclusively through approximately 400 Magnolia locations inside Best Buy until July 31. The series offers two screen sizes: The 60-inch TC-P60ZT60 (shown, $3,500) and the 65-inch TC-P65ZT60 ($4,100).

Both models use Panasonic’s new Studio Master Panel, which employs new filter technology said to reduce reflections and create sharper pictures with higher contrast in bright environments. See Value Electronics HDTV Shootout for more detail on the new panel.

The ZT60 Series also has a number of connectivity features including:

• My Home Screen – Integrates favorite apps and content on a personal screen.
• Swipe & Share 2.0 – Creates a hub for streaming and sharing photos and video with smartphones and tablets via the Viera Remote 2 app, which supports Android and iOS devices.
• Voice Recognition and Voice Guidance – Enables viewers to search for content or control key TV functions using voice commands. Voice Guidance uses text-to-speech technology to "verbalize" search results as they appear on the screen.
• Viera Connect – Provides a Web browser and access to a variety of cloud-based video-on-demand content and applications, including apps related to news and fitness, social networking, music, online shopping, and gaming. A “dual-core hexa processing engine” is said to facilitate quick and simultaneous app access. The system supports DLNA, Wireless LAN and Bluetooth connectivity.
• Electronic Touch Pen – An optional accessory that enables viewers to play interactive games as well as add notes to photos and transfer them back to their smart devices.

The ZT60 Series panels are free of mercury and lead and use a reformulated red phosphor, which is said to result in a wider color gamut (DCI 98% Color Space). The new display panel is good for 100,000 hours before the brightness decreases to half, according to Panasonic.

Other ZT60 Series highlights include THX certification for 2D and 3D modes and an ISFccc calibration mode with advanced features for professional calibrators; viewers can make adjustments using the Smart Calibration feature within the Remote 2 app.