NEW YORK, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its commitment to providing the most technologically superior HD plasma televisions for every room size and viewing environment, Panasonic, world leader in plasma manufacturing and sales, has once again raised the bar on HDTV performance with the release of two 58-inch, 1366 x 768-pixel resolution models capable of displaying nearly 29 billion colors with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.

Scheduled to ship in early summer, both models feature Panasonic's HDAVI (EZ-Sync) technology for single remote/one-button control of TV, DVD recorders and home theater systems, and incorporate an integrated SD Memory Card slot for instant, cableless viewing of digital images and slide shows.

"The new 58-inch plasma is the perfect complement to and rounds out Panasonic's existing line by providing a screen size that fits nicely between our 50-inch and our soon to be delivered 65-inch 1080p plasma," said Andrew Nelkin, Vice President of Panasonic's Display Group.

"We exceeded all our expectations in 2005," Nelkin continued. "It was an extraordinary year in which Panasonic made enormous gains in technology, sales, and industry recognition. This past year saw Panasonic's plasmas rated at the top of a number of media best of the year awards, and we fully expect to repeat those results this year.

"Now that we've increased the number of our panel's displayable colors from eight billion to nearly 29 billion with 3072 shades of gradation and upped our maximum contrast range from 3,000:1 to 10,000:1 to achieve the blackest blacks and whitest whites in the industry, we feel very confident of retaining our top ranking with both HDTV plasma buyers and the consumer electronics media."

With such user-friendly features as SD Memory Card slots, EZ-Sync control of multiple components, HDMI inputs for single-cable routing of uncompressed high-resolution audio and video signals, TV Guide(TM) Electronic Program Guides(3), PC input(3), and CableCARD(3) compatibility, the new 58-inch TH- 58PX600U and TH-58PX60U models continue Panasonic's drive to make access to all digital entertainment features as seamless and intuitive as possible.

"We believe that products facilitating the emerging Digital Lifestyle must be designed from a human engineering as well as an electronic engineering point of view," Nelkin added.

"Take our new EZ-Sync. At first glance, it might look like just another so-called universal remote. But universal remotes are really not 'universal' at all. What they do is combine a bunch of incompatible controllers into one case. Playing a DVD with a DTS soundtrack with a universal remote requires pushing just as many buttons as using three separate remotes.

"With EZ-Sync, you press one button and the TV turns on, the DVD player turns on, and the home theater surround sound system turns on and automatically selects the right inputs and settings to use for the DVD."

Nelkin added that such features as built-in memory card slots, single- cable connection to such components as DVD recorders and Media Center PCs and integrated CableCARD ports were all part of Panasonic's goal of making "the digital experience easier and more enjoyable."

"Our customers are in the process of learning how to create a host of new experiences using Panasonic plasma TVs with the increasing number of services and applications newly available for their enjoyment," Nelkin said. "This is not just the domain of the technically literate early adopters anymore. Increasingly, it has become the general public's market -- a user group of families, young singles, and retired couples who have come to appreciate the benefits and enjoyment inherent in the plasma-centric Digital Lifestyle.

"With this in mind, Panasonic's 2006 Plasma TV models were designed with great attention to reducing and, in many cases eliminating, the whole concept of a learning curve."

To meet the expanding worldwide demand for plasma TV, which is expected to top 25 million units in 2010, Panasonic is continually increasing its investment in every area of plasma technology from R&D to manufacturing.

Recent initiatives include the announcement of a new plasma panel factory, the company's fourth, scheduled to go online in 2007 at Amagasaki, Japan. The new facility will increase Panasonic's production capability by 170,000 panels a month, bringing the company's total capacity to 592,000 42-inch-equivalent panels per month.

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company 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. Information about Panasonic products is available at http://www.panasonic.com/. Additional company information for journalists is available at http://www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

Editor's Summary:
* Ninth-generation plasma panels feature nearly 29 billion colors and 10,000:1 contrast ratio at full HD 1366 x 768 resolution.

* Twin HDMI inputs with proprietary HDAVI (EZ-Sync) Control Function for one-button control of multiple components.

* Integrated SD Memory Card slot and Photo Viewer Technology(1) for cable- and computer-free viewing of photo slide shows.

* Integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM(2) tuners.

* State-of-the-art video noise reduction, motion-adaptive digital comb filter, 3D color management, and motion pattern noise-reduction technology.

* BBE(R) ViVA HD3D Sound with four speakers plus passive radiator(3)

* TV Guide On-Screen(TM) Electronic Program Guide(3), single-tuner split- screen display, and CableCARD(4) slot(3)

(1) Allows display of JPEG still images that are compliant with DCF specifications.
(2) Optional external over-the-air antenna may be required for ATSC reception.
(3) Model TH-58PX600U only.
(4) Contact your local cable company for information regarding the availability and costs of CableCARD-related services.
CableCARD is a trademark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Specifications subject to change without notice.