Panasonic’s recent unveiling of a number of new models under the Viera line made clear the subtle yet important differences that can be discerned between quality displays versus those with a lot of marketing fluff. The Viera line was convincingly demonstrated and tested right in front of the attendees at the lunch event held at The Renaissance in Makati.

It is not often that we get to attend a Panasonic event, not as often as say, Samsung or Sony. Yet we can always expect a revelation every time we do attend, and this occasion was no different. Most notable during the event was a demonstration of the Panasonic Viera line’s “TUF Panel” technology, which used a metal ball attached to a swinging bar to test the impact resistant properties of a typical glass-reinforced plasma panel in the Viera line. Suffice to say that we wouldn’t have wanted to be Mr. Patrick Raza (Category Manager of Home Appliance A/V) who did the actual act of dropping the big metal ball onto the center of the undoubtedly expensive panel on display. Yet drop it he did, with no adverse results. Few can say the same of their own panels that has met with unfortunate “accidents” of the thrown remote or kicked-ball kind.

                                             Mr. Raz explaining the TUF demo (a bit nervously?)

                                             Higher! Mr. Raz didn't want to risk it however.

                                             No discernible damage, and the display continues running.

Other features as important as this safety demonstration was also displayed, including dynamic moving-picture adjustment with over 900 lines of resolution when viewing action-filled scenes with lots of movement. High contrast and a more gentle treatment for the eyes, are both results of a native Plasma panel’s inherent technology, that of individual pixels being lit instead of an LCD’s backlighting requirement. Adjusted lighting according to each individual scene is also another advantage of a Panasonic plasma, and we were able to see a very notable difference in picture quality when compared to another brand of display. It may be cliché-ish, yet it’s true that one must see it to believe it.

                                             Other Panasonic products were also on display.

Other Panasonic products were also on display. LCD products were demonstrated on the floor, with the primary focus being on contrast ratio (a somewhat more challenging proposition on LCDs than on a Plasma due to an LCD’s inherent design) and viewing angles, ably demonstrated by tilting the screens towards/away from the audience. This was another demonstration that produced wide eyes and nodding heads among the guests; comparison between models revealed a big difference between stated viewing angles over actual in the competition’s models. The Panasonic on the other hand retained a large portion of its viewability, thanks to the IPS “Alpha Panel” technology.

                                             Mr. Iwaki, Marketing Director of Panasonic Philippines, poses with local executives.

Near the end of the event, we were reminded of Viera’s four pillar concepts: impressive picture quality, easy operation, brilliant sound, and environmental consciousness. Design is also factored into the equation, producing a display series that’s very attractive for the consumer. With some common-sense features combined with the best technology applied to creating the best viewing experience, Panasonic’s Viera line, with its newest additions to the Plasma and LCD lines, is set to make waves in the consumer display market. Watch out for one of these beauties in our print edition of HWZ soon!