Although rumors fly about Panasonic lessening their investment into plasma TV R&D, you wouldn't know it from their official CES press conference where they announced a new suite of LED and plasma TVs for 2013 including a new ZT60 plasma flagship in 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes to accompany new models in the VT and ST series. The lineup has shrunk a bit from last year (there is no "GT" series for example), but there's still a wide selection of plasma models to choose from in sizes ranging from 42 inches to 65 inches.
LED TV is also being expanded in sizes from 32 inches to 65 inches (55 inch was the largest size in their 2012 LED TV lineup). Although they did have models from the ZT series plasma and WT series LED TV on display at the press conference, our viewing was brief. We expect to see these models on the show floor later this week for a more in-depth evaluation.
Shiro Kitajima, president of Panasonic Consumer Marketing Company of US kicked off the conference talking about the redesigned TV interface, fronted by the new "My Home Screen." My Home Screen allows each member of the family to create a custom home page that has their favorite streaming services and apps pre-loaded on the TV. Also, a camera built into the top of the line sets uses facial recognition technology to decide which home screen to display.
Panasonic executives showed off a new "Swipe and Share 2.0" feature which allows you to flick a photo from your phone or tablet up to the TV where you can edit it using a built-in image editor, then share it with others in the room on their own mobile devices. Partners from You Tube and HSN (Home Shopping Network) also took the stage to show off new apps available to enhance the customer experience with these services.
The new YouTube "Send to TV" feature allows viewers to discover content on YouTube via their phone or tablet, and send it to the TV for big screen viewing. The new HSN "Shop By Remote" features allows HSN viewers to view the live broadcast stream of HSN or search an online interactive catalog of products and videos. In either case, the customer can complete his or her purchase online via a few clicks of the remote.
We'll add more details about Panasonic's 2013 lineup as they become available and we can spend some quality time with them on the show floor.
