Panasonic have announced the arrival of the innovative PT-DZ12000E series DLP projector for the Australian market. The projector was awarded ‘Best HD Production Product’ at this year’s InfoComm International exhibition in the US and was previewed by Panasonic Australia at the 2008 CEDIA exhibition on the Gold Coast.
The DLP projector has a built-in function that allows it to adjust images for projection onto spherical, cylindrical and other specially shaped screens, or even a curved wall. It is suitable for permanent installations in large venues such as auditoriums, and for the staging industry.
The four-lamp 12,000 lumen projector is available in two versions, the wide-aspect WUXGA PT-DZ12000E (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) and the SXGA+ PT-D12000E (1,400 x 1,050) pixels. They are lightweight for their class, weighing 35kg, ensuring versatility of installation.
As well as providing high-impact displays, the PT-DZ12000E series offers the image performance and operating reliability that Panasonic’s projector range is known for. These new projectors are manufactured at the Panasonic factory in Japan.
Versatile image projection
The projector offers ‘geometric adjustment’, which allows images to be projected onto spherical, cylindrical and other specially shaped screens and surfaces. Adjustments can be made easily using just the remote control. Used together with Panasonic’s multi-screen features, it is possible to create a wide range of image effects for concerts, performances or other special events.
Multi-screen mode allows up to 100 projectors (in 10 x 10 configuration) to create a single image. ‘Edge blending’ ensures a smooth, seamless image by controlling luminance while blending the edges of adjacent screens.
In addition, colour matching corrects for slight variations in the colour reproduction range of individual projectors. PC software ensures easy, accurate control. Independent, 7-axis adjustment (red, green, blue, yellow, magenta, cyan, white) ensures high precision colours and minimises colour variations.
The optical axis can also be adjusted both vertically and horizontally through remote control, providing better setup ease and flexibility.
Image quality features
Panasonic’s innovative four-lamp optical system uses newly-developed 300-watt AC lamps to deliver 12,000-lumen brightness. The four-lamp system means good reliability – the projector keeps working even if one lamp goes out.
The ‘System Daylight View’ circuit compensates for brighter environments such as a room with the lights switched on, so that images are crisp, clear and easy to see.
‘Dynamic Iris’ achieves 5,000:1 contrast ratio and adjusts the lamp power, iris and gamma curve to reproduce deeper, richer blacks and give images more detailed textures. Use of a full 10-bit picture processing system helps achieve smooth tonal expression.
Complexions and other flesh tones look natural and realistic, with accurate gradation. In addition, ‘3D Colour Management’ provides fine adjustment of colours so they appear faithful to the original when projected onto a large screen.
Easy operation, maintenance and reliability
The supplied wireless remote control can be operated from up to 30m and has contoured surfaces so the control keys can be operated by touch. Connection terminals and controls are illuminated by LEDs, and the remote control is fully backlit for easy operation in the dark
The PT-DZ12000E series is compatible with a wide range of optional Panasonic lenses - including short-throw, long-throw zoom, and fixed-throw lenses for rear projection use - so it is easy to customise the projector to the venue. The lens cover opens completely for easier mounting.
The rear cover is easily opened by removing a single screw, so it is easy to replace the lamp while the projector is still in the mounting bracket – an advantage in tight ceiling-mounted installations. The projector also has grooves on all four sides so it is easier to lift and move.
For reliable operation in a wide ambient temperature range, a pump circulates a cooling liquid behind the DLP chips to absorb heat. This is made possible by the reflective nature of the DLP system, which enables an airtight chip structure that minimises image quality loss due to dust adherence.
Panasonic’s ‘Auto Cleaning Robot’ automatically cleans dust from the air filter at regular intervals to keep the projector running smoothly. The Micro-Cut Air Filter traps particles as small as 10 microns, which considerably reduces the amount of dust entering the projector, helping maintain high brightness and stable operation.
Multiple projectors can be easily monitored and controlled through a LAN or WAN. The PT-DZ12000E series is equipped with DVI-D and LAN (PJ-Link) slots. It also features an array of terminals – including two RGB inputs (D-sub HD 15-pin, a 5-BNC connector), serial in/out, S-video input, two remote inputs and one remote out. In addition to offering DVI-D control, the projector is HDCP-compliant (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection).