Panasonic unveils 2013 LED/LCD VIERA line-up for Europe

February 07, 2013 — Article

Panasonic has unveiled its new European 2013 line-up of Smart VIERA LED/LCD HDTVs incorporating cutting-edge developments in five key areas; picture quality, ease of operation, networking, design, and energy saving.

The new crop, all of which are LED, comprises 28 models in nine new series – including the flagship WT60 and DT60 – in screen sizes ranging from 19in to 60in.

The new Smart VIERA IPS LED TVs promise ultra-smooth motion, reducing blur and loss of detail in fast-moving images, thanks to super high speed 3600Hz backlight scanning (BLS) technology and an improved contrast ratio with finer local dimming control. Wide viewing angles are due to Panasonic’s enhanced IPS Panel technology. Panasonic claims the result is crisp, superior picture quality with improved colour accuracy.

Panasonic also claims it’s making the smart TV experience as simple as possible, while at the same time allowing bespoke screen personalisation. Innovations for 2013 include: ‘My Home Screen’, Face Recognition, Swipe & Share 2.0 (a connectivity enhancement that transforms the TV into a hub for streaming and sharing photo and video content seamlessly with smartphone and tablet), and two new voice functions – Voice Interaction and Voice Guidance.

Each new Smart VIERA HDTV enjoys an enhanced VIERA Connect platform, Twin HD Tuners, and the WT60 model also features Panasonic’s first-ever built-in camera.

Panasonic’s new and improved LED/LCD panels reduce power consumption by up to 15%.

The full range comprises the WT60, DT60, FT60, ET60, E6, EM6, XM6 and B6 Series, plus the 24in X6.

Panasonic VIERA WT60 and DT60
The VIERA WT60 and DT60 both use 1080p IPS panels with LED backlighting and have 3D with 2D-3D conversion and local dimming. The WT60 also has 4200 BLS backlight scanning and ISFccc calibration with advanced calibration software, while the DT60 offers 1200BLS and no advanced calibration.

The WT60 comes in two sizes, the 47in TC-L47WT60 and 55in TC-L55WT60, while the VIERA DT60 comes in either 55in TC-L55DT60 or 60in TC-L60DT60. Both offer some voice control and interaction, with text-to-speech and spoken search. They also have personalised TV settings, Swipe and Share 2.0, media playback, apps and browsing are present, and built-in Wi-Fi.

Panasonic VIERA ET60 and E60
Both models offer 1080p resolution and 3D, plus smart features like voice interaction and Swipe and Share 2.0. Backlight scanning is 70BLS and 240BLB respectively and the ET60 comes in 50in (TC-L50ET60) and 55in (TC-L55ET60) models, while the E60 ranges from the 42in TC-L42E60 to the 65in TC-L65E60.

Panasonic VIERA EM60
The EM60 LCD TV loses the 3D capabilities and network-related smart capability but still offers local media playback. There’s a choice of the 39in TC-L39EM60 and the 50in TC-L50EM60.

Panasonic VIERA XM6 and B6
Neither of these models offer advanced backlight scanning and are the only new Pannys to offer 32in models, each offering 720p rather than Full HD. The B6 offers 1080p on its 39in and 50in flavours though.

No word yet on pricing or availability.


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