Audio Video News

Digital Light Procesing (DLP) and Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) may be the hottest buzzwords in video projection technology, but old-fashioned Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) still have room to grow.

So believes Panasonic. On December 17, the Japanese technology giant announced its new PT-AE500, a high-definition LCD projector claimed capable of achieving "a level of image fidelity and impact that rivals the movie theater experience." The recently announced home cinema projector incorporates a 1280 x 720-pixel widescreen LCD panel with a three-layer RGB structure, to deliver an effective 2.76 million pixels on screen.

Image quality is further advanced by full 10-bit digital processing and gamma correction, and a new "smooth screen" technology claimed to minimize the motion artifacts or "screen door" effects characteristic of other LCD projectors. The PT-AE500 is also said to deliver exceptional color accuracy, thanks to the participation by top Hollywood studio colorists in product development at Panasonic's Hollywood Laboratory in Hollywood, California.

The projector boasts a new lens system and offers brightness of 850 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 1300:1. A new twin-blade fan in the cooling system allows the PT-AE500 to operate at an ultra-low 27dB ambient noise level. Vertical and horizontal keystone correction make for easy installation, and a 3:2 pulldown circuit insures optimal images from film-based sources. The projector is equipped with HDCP-compatible DVI inputs that directly accept digital signals from DVD players and other digital sources.

"The PT-AE500 is an exceptional value, a high-definition projector that can produce a 100-inch diagonal 16:9 wide screen image from a relatively short distance of about 10 feet," said Ed Wolff, v.p. of Panasonic's Display Group. "Our newly developed unified high picture circuit, known as Cinema Works, is a technology derived from high-end professional projectors. The performance and picture quality this technology provides allows consumers to achieve a movie theater atmosphere right in their living rooms."

Weighing only 6.4lbs., the diminutive PT-AE500 is available now. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $2499.95.