CESpotlight 2016: All about 4K for Panasonic

Joining in on the influx of new TVs at CES, we see what Panasonic has to offer in that front. This year, we see that High Dynamic Range (HDR) is becoming a standard feature for top-of-the-line TVs and Panasonic’s latest DX900 series TVs meets the UHD Alliance’s highest specifications, “Ultra HD Premium.” In order to be certified as Ultra HD Premium, the TVs have to meet “a whole range of tough picture performance criteria including resolution and High Dynamic Range (HDR) performance as well as image precision, wide color gamuts and more.”

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Not only that, the DX900 TV is powered by Firefox OS for simple and customizable user experience. Panasonic has also said that it will have an update later this year for Firefox OS that will allow Internet streaming content to work with the DX900.

4K isn’t just limited to TVs, as the Japanese company also announced its 4K Blu-ray player, the UB900 Ultra HD Bluray. The player was actually previewed in prototype form in last year’s CES. Panasonic even sold a similar product in small quantities in Japan. This new model, however, will be available in the US this year. It boasts both 4K and HDR Blu-ray content to future-proof the player. These features were standardized earlier this year with support from studios such as Sony and Warner Bros.

Another media that is getting the 4K touch is in cameras. Panasonic also unveiled the Lumix DMC-ZS60 (DMC-TZ80 outside of the US). It’s able to record 4K (3,840 x 2,160 resolution) videos at 30fps and 1080p HD videos at 60fps. The DMC-ZS60 compact camera sports an 18MP MOS sensor and a 30x zoom lens which is equivalent to a 24-700mm lens.

Another 4K compact camera is the DMC-ZS100 (DMC-TZ1000 outside of the US), which features a 1-inch MOS sensor and a 10x zoom lens. The DMC-ZS100 also features 5-axis optical stabilization to reduce blurry photos. As for the 4K video recording of the DMC-ZS100, it will record 4K videos at 24fps or 30fps. Both cameras will be available starting mid-March and will be priced at US$450 (approx. P21,200) and $700 (approx. P33,000) respectively.

Aside from that, Panasonic wants turntables to make a comeback. With Panasonic’s revival of the Technics brand in 2014, the company has unveiled its latest line of Technics turntables based on the legendary SL-1200. These new turntables use direct-drive which improves audio quality. The Japanese company also says that it has developed a coreless motor used in the new turntable to eliminate “cogging.”

Panasonic will release two versions of the new turntables, namely the limited edition SL1200GAE (1,200 units only) and the non-limited SL1200G. Availability is set later this year, while prices have not been announced.