At the pre_CES New York Press Preview today, Panasonic began showing off its first LCD home theater projector to offer 1080p resolution. The trippingly-named PT-AE1000U features an all-new optical system, next-generation non-organic C2Fine LCD panels for improved black level performance, and an improved version of Panasonic’s Dynamic Iris. The PT-AE1000U offers a brightness of 1,100 lumens and the highest contrast ratio of any projector in its class: 11,000 to 1.
“In collaboration with leading Hollywood colorists and image experts, we’ve developed cutting-edge projector technology to meet the growing demand for superior home entertainment, particularly high-definition content,” said Thomas Zitelli, president of Panasonic Projector Systems Company. “For home theater connoisseurs and audio video professionals who desire the richest colors and the best image quality, our new PT-AE1000U LCD projector enables consumers to easily enjoy movie theater-quality entertainment at home.”
The new projector also offers a waveform monitor to measure the brightness output of a video source so users can adjust it for home theater use; the system also offers 14-bit gamma correction and Panasonic’s Smooth Screen technology which reduced the grid-effect of black lines appearing between individual pixels. The PT-AE1000U also offers a 2x optical zoom, a 16:9 aspect ratio, and can cast a 100-inch diagonal image from as little as five feet away.
Panasonic plans to have the PT-AE100U available later this month via authorized systems dealers; expect a price around $6,000.
