Panasonic shows world's first 4K OLED TV

IDG News Service - Raising the bar for image quality on television sets, Panasonic unveiled a 56-inch OLED TV that shows images at 4K resolution, four times the overall resolution of current 1080p high-definition TVs.

The new TV was shown Tuesday during the keynote speech of Panasonic President and CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga at the International CES show in Las Vegas. Tsuga said the TV set is the world's first 4K OLED TV.

By combining the latest TV technologies available, Panasonic wants to provide a more exciting and interactive "next-generation TV experience," Tsuga said. Consumers want better quality images, and also a better social and content delivery experience on TVs today, Tsuga said.

Panasonic's 4K OLED TV falls under a new generation of high-definition TVs referred to as UltraHD, which can display images at a resolution of 3840-by-2160 pixels. UltraHD TVs, also referred to as 4K TVs, display deeper and more colorful images than current high-definition TVs.

Samsung, Toshiba, LG and Sony also announced 4K LCD/LED TVs at CES. Panasonic's new TV is an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) set, which is widely considered to be the successor to LCD and LED TVs available today. OLED technology allows TVs to be lighter, thinner and more power-efficient, Tsuga said. However, not many OLED TVs are available and those that are cost considerably more than LCD TVs.

The 4K OLED TV shown by Panasonic weighs 12.2 kilograms (27 pounds) and is less than 12.7 millimeters (0.5 inches) thick, said Joe Taylor, CEO of Panasonic North America. Taylor did not say when the TV would be available or what it would cost.

Panasonic is also revamping its TV-set home screen to make it more interactive and personal, Tsuga said. The new interface will bring together broadcast channels, video-on-demand and a rich social experience to TVs.

With the new interface, users can shout "home screen," and a camera that incorporates face recognition will detect a user and load a personalized home screen. Icons at the bottom of the home screen will show news feeds, images from the cloud and social network feeds.

Panasonic is also thinking of new ways to bring content to TVs. A guide will recommend programs based on what movies and TV shows users and their friends have seen in the past.

Based on user data, advertisers will also be able to deliver relevant ads to TVs. Panasonic is teaming up with with broadcast partners and other companies to deliver ads and content recommendations to TV watchers.

Panasonic also introduced Viera TVs at CES this year with new features such as voice interaction. Users can use voice commands to control a TV or search for content.

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