JJ Lighting & Electrical - Home Electrical Centre

Yesterday,  Paul and myself had the chance to visit Panasonic’s 2010 Roadshow up in Cholchester.  The roadshow is an oppurtunity for Panasonic to showcase its range of new products to the retailers who will be selling them.  It was also the first chance to see the new 3DTV system in operation.

To be honest, much of what was there we had seen before,  either in store or at previous events.  What we were really here for was the new Washing Machines and the 3DTV.

Firstly the washing machines.  we saw a brief demonstration of a machine running empty at 1600rpm,  which was extremely impressive.  Any empty machine will be quiet,  but his was easily as silent as any top end machine I’ve heard.  The trainer on the stand explained the various benefits of the new range over the competition.  The main differences between the Panasonic machine and, say, a Siemens,  is the Panasonic features an angled drum.  This enables it to use less water,  and in combination with a triangular paddle,  move the clothes around the drum a lot more,  to give better wash results.  Obviously it’s impossible to compare said results with something like a Siemens,  but I got the feeling the product was ready to enter the market place at that level and compete.  The machines feature a double glazed door,  which obviously helps keep noise down,  but also reduces the risk of a child burning themselves on the door during hot washes.  Small details like the door hinges showed a very robust design.

The actual operation of the machine was extremely simple.  Again,  much like the competition,  you select your material, spin speed and temperature independently.  The machine wasn’t over loaded with buttons which was reassuring.  The trainer also mentioned (not in great detail I might add) that the washers use something called “inverter technology” to help gauge the wash load and decide on the best speed, water level and wash length to use.  Again,  nothing the competition haven’t been doing for a while,  but  a sign that the machines will hit the ground running when they are launched in the next couple of months.  At this time price seems to be between £450 and £550,  with 2 year warranties confirmed.

The other main event for us was the 3DTV.  You may have already read about my opinions of 3DTV HERE but I was willing to be proven wrong.

So,  we were led into  a darkened room,  which had a 50″ screen showing a blurry image.  as we walked in we were handed a pair or 3D glasses.  Each pair of glasses are electronic,  and they had a button on the side to sync them to the TV.  We put them on,  and whilst they were comfortable,  you knew you were wearing them.  With the screen still blurry,  we pressed the button,  and the image (just a menu) lept out of the screen.  So,  initally,  it works.

Garry,  the demonstrator then put on a clip showing a variety of specially prepared scenes from a Western scenario.  The first of which was a horse and coaches entering a square in an old western town.  Immediately the depth of the image jumped out at you,  and the impression of the characters being “in” the scene rather than watching a flat screen was clear.  As the image changed to  a side view of a steam train it was clear that the 3D worked.

We had it explained to us WHY the Panasonic 3DTV’s used electronic glasses and why Cinema’s don’t.  The main reason is HD.  Using the same method as a cinema screen,  you could easily produce a 3D effect without the need for expensive glasses.  However this effect would only be SD quality,  and that simply isn’t good enough for the marketplace.  So,  the Panasonic system runs at 120 frames per second,  and seperates the image into two “scenes” of 60fps each.  These two scenes alternate on screen,  and the glasses synchronise to this to produce two seperate images,  one for each eye.  This is what produces the 3D effect.

As we watched,  the benefits of this styem were clear.  Colours were rich and vibrant,  with none of the greying the old red blue 3D systems produced.  Becasue its not a projector system the image was clearly brighter than a Cinema based 3D movie too.  We then had an opportunity to view the same panel,  showing the same content in 2D,  and it was spectacular.  What Panasonic have done is produce one of the best 2D T’v’s the marketplace has seen… and made it 3D.  I’m not sure the competition will be able to match this level of quality,  esspecially using the inferior LCD system.

Watching a scene of a Coral reef in 2D,  Garry then turned the 3D system on,  and I won’t lie.  it was excellent

BUT

There was a feeling that despite the image being 3D,  it was more of a series of flat planes placed at varying distances than objects looking and feeling solid.  Perhaps it was just the footage they showed,  but it felt more like one of those “Magic eye” pictures style 3D than a tangiable solid effect. In fact it reminded me a lot of the old Holgraphic arcade games when I was a kid.

Don’t get me wrong,  it was very impressive, but perhaps not as immersive as it could have been.  Mind you thats down to the size of the glasses and screen as much as anything.

Overall, my view hasn’t changed dramatically.  It was impressive,  but will be a very niche market.  Gaming could be VERY interesting,  but feature films and major sports will be the only other use that I can see.  The problem at his point,  will be lack of content.  For the minute I’m gonna sit on the fence and see how well its supported,  and would suggest if you are buying the latest gadget or want the top of the range set,  you won’t be dissapointed.  However,  like HD,  unless you specifically WANT 3D,  I would probably wait and see what the market brings.  Keep up to date with all the latest developments HERE

Overall,  from what I’ve read and seen so far this year,  the Panasonic 2010 range looks to be one of the most exciting for years.

Mook