Panasonic PZ850 Series VIERA CAST IPTV Web-Enabled Plasma HDTVs

Panasonic is set to release its web-enabled PZ850 series of VIERA Plasma HDTV's in mid-June. The new models feature VIERA CAST, which provides access to Intrernet content from YouTube, Google's Picasa Web Album, Bloomberg, and other online content direct on the VIERA Plasma HDTV screen. The VIERA 1080p PZ850 series includes the 46-inch TH-46PZ850 ($3099), the 50-inch TH-50PZ850 ($3499), the 58-inch TH-58PZ850 ($4299), and the 65-inch TH-65PZ850 ($7999) HDTV models. All have a Pro Setting Menu with Digital Cinema Color Re-Mastering, and Studio Reference Mode which is said to provide faithful reproduction of the subtle colors intended by film makers. They also boast enhanced native resolution contrast ratio of 30,000:1, a dynamic ratio of 1,000,000:1, and 24p native reproduction.

Gamers should welcome PZ850's Game Mode, which Panasonic claims will minimize the time lag when displaying game images on the Plasma screen, and the four HDMI connections and a PC input for connecting peripheral components to the display.