Though we’re still skeptical that slimmer is better in an economy in which being able to afford any type of flat screen is an increasing rarity, the paper-thin TVs continue to spill forth at this year’s show. The latest, and admittedly most impressive, looks a little familiar, though. Panasonic’s hot new Z1 plasma looks uncannily like that ultra-thin Pioneer plasma that debuted last year, and given the companies’ new relationship, we wouldn’t be surprised if there were quite a bit of Pioneer tech inside.
The Z1 is a 54-inch plasma that uses Panasonic’s new NeoPDP plasma panel technology, and measures only an inch thick, giving it a jaw-droppingly thin side profile. That’s not all the NeoPDP has enabled, though. Panasonic also claims it has richer black levels than its previous plasmas and a 40,000:1 contrast ratio, plus uses a third of the energy to produce the same level of brightness. Not bad, we would say.
There’s also news on the connectivity front: the Z1 is completely wireless. All connected components plug into a separate box which can be nestled away from the actual screen. It broadcasts using the WirelessHD standard, which delivers seamless 1080p video quality that should be completely on par with hardwired connections.
Panasonic will launch the Z1 series with the TC-P54Z1 model in the summer of 2009 with a price that has not yet been announced.
