Panasonic is best known for it's plasma televisions but they have been making smaller LCD televisions for a few years now. At CES 2010 they introduced a line of LED backlit LCD televisions but they lacked many of the features found in their plasma TVs. For 2011 Panasonic has announced more LED TVs and for this year they have included many features that were not present on last year's LEDs, 3D being the most noteable.
The Panasonic 3D LED TVs use the same active 3D feature as the plasmas and feature Full HD 3D. If you want Panasonic 3D in smaller sizes these LED TVs will be of internest.
The 2011 LCD and LCD-LED line-up benefits from the addition of the IPS Alpha Panel (In Plane Switching) technology. The IPS Alpha technology delivers a wide viewing angle with almost no picture degradation at off angle viewing, a higher moving picture resolution during fast action scenes, and a clear, bright image. Due to the structure and high transmittance of the panel, an IPS Panel consumes less energy and produces a brighter, clearer picture. Panasonic's popular iPod/iPhone Entertainment docking solution continues on the VIERA X30 Series.
VIERA Connect(1), Panasonic's proprietary internet functionality is integrated into select LCD-LED 2011 models. Panasonic also introduces Easy IPTV, adding six of the most popular movie, music and social networking sites to three model series, which will now feature such apps as Netflix™, Amazon VOD™, Napster™, Pandora , Facebook and CinemaNow.
"Panasonic's priority continues to be an absolute pledge to provide the consumer with the highest quality entertainment options," said Henry Hauser, Vice President, Panasonic Marketing, Display Group. "We firmly believe that both LCD and Plasma are terrific display technologies and Panasonic is in a unique position to provide the definitive in-home entertainment experience, regardless of the consumer's choice of TV technologies."
The 2011 LCD-LED Line-Up expands from one series and two models in 2010 to five series and eight models in 2011 (TC-L37DT30 and TC-L32DT30 are Full HD 3D models). The 2011 line-up introduces five LCD-LED series - the DT30, D30, E30, E3, and the C30, which premieres a new 19-inch screen size. The LED Series (with exception of the C30 series), produces 1080p resolution, features an IPS Alpha panel; VIERA Connect (the E3 and E30 Series include Easy IPTV), DLNA compatibility, multiple HDMI connectors, USB ports, a PC input, VIERA Link (HDMI-CE Control),and VIERA Image Viewer, which allows you to view digital photos and movies recorded on an SD Memory Card.
The C30 series incorporates a new screen size into the 2011 Panasonic family of LCD-LED HDTVs. The 19-inch class (18.5" measured diagonally) TC-L19C30 is a 720p, 60Hz panel, with one HDMI connection, a PC input, VIERA Image Viewer and VIERA Link.
The E3 series presents three screen sizes- the 32-inch class TC-L32E3 (31.5" measured diagonally); the 37-inch class TC-L37E3 (37" measured diagonally) and the 42-inch class TC-L42E3 (41.6" measured diagonally). With the exception of the 42-inch model, all the E3 series incorporate the Alpha IPS panel. The E3 HDTVs provide the consumer with four HDMI connections; two USB ports; DLNA connectivity and a PC input. The three E3 televisions utilize 60Hz technology with 1080p resolution. To further increase the entertainment, experience, the E3 series features Easy IPTV.
The TC-L42E30, a 42-inch class (41.6" measured diagonally) HDTV featuring an IPS Alpha panel with LED backlighting and 120 Hz Motion Picture Pro 4, for fast motion response speeds. In addition, the TC-L42E30 also has Easy IPTV offering multiple entertainment solutions for the customer. The TC-L42E30 easily connects to other CE devices by offering four HDMI inputs, two USB ports, DLNA connectivity and a PC input. The TC-L42E30 also features a clear panel to enhance contrast and reduce ambient light reflections.
The top of the line TC-L42D30 has a 1080p IPS Alpha panel with 120Hz Motion Picture Pro 4 technology contributing to the set's overall pristine picture quality. Panasonic's proprietary IPTV solution VIERA Connect is featured. In addition to such favorites from last year such as Amazon VOD, Netflix, Skype, Twitter, You Tube and Pandora, the 2011 service introduces a number of new interactive and entertainment sites, including Napster, Hulu, Facebook, CinemaNow and access to such sport sites as NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS.(2)
Also included in the feature package is VIERA Image Viewer with H.264 decoding for viewing JPEG and movies recorded on a SD Memory Card.; DLNA connectivity; VIERA Link; four HDMI connectors; three USB Ports and a PC input.