PANASONIC’S MUCH ANTICPATED NEXT GENERATION
BLU-RAY DISC PLAYER IN STORES FOR BLACK FRIDAY
DMP-BD30 Is First Blu-ray Player To Feature Interactive Final Standard Profile
SECAUCUS, NJ (November 20, 2007) – Panasonic, a leader and innovator of consumer and professional Blu-ray Disc technologies, announced that its next generation Blu-ray Disc player, the DMP-BD30, is now shipping and is available prior to Black Friday in channel partner stores in many regions of the country. The BD30 is the first Blu-ray player to incorporate Final Standard Profile 1.1 — a supplementary interactive function added to the Blu-ray Disc standard which opens the door to a variety of new and unique functions such as Picture-in-Picture and audio mixing.
Panasonic worked closely with Hollywood film makers and industry professionals to develop High Definition technologies now available in the DMP-BD30 including “PHL Chroma Processing” for optimized Blu-ray and DVD playback and an SD Memory Card slot. The SD Card slot allows BD30 owners to network between their High Definition products including playback of digital still images and High Definition video recorded in the AVCHD High Definition Camcorder format.
“With the growing consumer awareness of High Definition and the approaching 2009 digital transition, we are projecting a marked increase in interest in High Definition TV this holiday season, said Gene Kelsey, Vice President of Panasonic’s Entertainment Group. “In order to fully appreciate the High Definition entertainment experience, the consumer needs a 1080p playback device to show HD content. Blu-ray Disc players are the perfect complement to an HDTV.”
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“With supplementary Consumer Awareness campaigns ranging from the “I do Blu” television and print campaigns to activities such as the Disney Blu-ray Mall Tour, co-sponsored by Panasonic, consumers are buying more Blu-ray software than ever before,” said Kelsey. “Further driving the success of Blu-ray are the blockbuster Blu-ray Disc movies that are either now in release or will shortly be available for the Holidays. The availability of Blu-ray titles such as Fantastic 4 – Rise of the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man 3, Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard, Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End, the Harry Potter series, and 3:10 to Yuma will certainly drive consumer excitement in Blu-ray.”
With an SRP of $499.95, the DMP-BD30 also features a slimmer profile while offering a myriad of technological advances, including Deep Color Compatibility, and HDMI 1.3B, that enhances step gradation from 8-bit 256 all the way up to 12-bit, 4,096 step gradation. To further enhance the viewing experience, the DMP-BD30 also provides 1080/24p playback, so the consumer can enjoy the same 24-fps (frames per second) reproduction as the original movie. This eliminates the need to utilize 3.2 pull down, a process which converts 24-fps images to 60-fps, resulting in a smoother picture.
Like its predecessor, the DMP-DB30 features the EZ-Sync™ HDAVI Control that allows the consumer to operate their Panasonic home theater system with one remote. With one touch of the EZ-Sync button, all the components turn on, the correct TV input is chosen, the TV’s built-in speakers are muted and the home theater starts playback.
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“Panasonic’s commitment to excellence in entertainment and technology is evident in the establishment of Panasonic Hollywood Labs (PHL), where a great deal of research went into the development of Blu-ray,” added Kelsey. “PHL has become one of the major centers of Blu-ray research & development, production and format development and works closely with studios in developing unsurpassed High Definition picture quality and interactive features which went into the development of our BD30.”
About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), a market and technology leader in High Definition television, is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: MC) and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic’s exclusive Panasonic Plasma Concierge customer support program (888-972-6276) is administered through its Virginia-based Call Center, recognized as a Certified “Center of Excellence” by the Center for Customer-Driven Quality™ at Purdue University. Information about Panasonic products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.
