Panasonic Canada invites Canadians to enter a new era of immersive visual entertainment with the launch of its top-of-the-line Full HD 3D VIERA VT25 Series Plasma televisions and fully-featured 3D Blu-ray Disc player.

And this isn’t your father’s 3D. Delivering full 1080p resolution image to each eye to produce excellent picture detail, the best moving picture resolution, and exceptional picture performance in both 2D and 3D, Panasonic’s 3D plasma technology guarantees consumers the highest, most true-to-life visual experience – exceeding cinema quality.

“We’re very proud to unveil our 2010 Full HD 3D line-up – a home entertainment system that will revolutionize the television viewing experience in Canada,” says Barry Murray, Director, Marketing, Panasonic A/V Group. “As the global plasma leader, Panasonic has been on the forefront of the 3D revolution, from developing the world’s first 3D Full HD Plasma home theatre system prototype to our Full HD 3D VIERA VT25 television being named the 2010 Best of Show winner by CNET at the Consumer Electronics Show. So it’s exciting that Canadians now have the opportunity to test-drive the best of our 3D technology in their own living rooms.”

Beginning today, Panasonic’s Full HD 3D Plasma Home Theatre Suite³ of products, including the HD 3D TV, 3D Eyewear, and 3D Blu-ray Disc player, are available in select dealers nationwide, with a large-scale roll out following shortly after. While supplies last, television and Blu-ray Disc player purchases will be bundled with Coraline and Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – two never before released 3D Blu-ray Discs offered exclusively to Panasonic customers.

And Canadians are ready. According to an independent poll conducted by Leger Marketing, commissioned by Panasonic, currently one in four Canadians are interested in purchasing a 3D TV, and this number jumps to 35% if you’re between the ages of 18-34. So what’s on the wish list for these early adopters? In order of priority, realistic picture quality, excellent picture detail, crisp moving pictures and consistent vibrant colours.

And guess what? Forty-one per cent of us would only consider purchasing a 3D television for home use if it made 2D regular viewing better.

“Unless it’s a special movie or sporting event like World Cup, most of us will still watch our favourite television programs and films in 2D,” says Murray. “Most people are surprised to learn that with a simple touch of a button, Panasonic’s 3D models convert effortlessly to 2D for the best picture and easy viewing preference.”

Enter Panasonic’s award-winning NeoPDP 3D advanced technology, exclusive to selected VIERA televisions. Canadians can now view the best possible 2D picture available and experience fully immersive 3D images, in the comfort of their living rooms.

With faster screen phosphors, high speed 3D drive technology and 600Hz sub-field drive, the new plasma displays output alternating images at 60 frames per second to each eye. This innovative technology results in faster response time and ghost-free viewing experience. Infinite Black Pro, the best contrast ratio available today, produces blacker blacks, billions of consistent, vibrant colours, and realistic picture quality.

In addition to its new 3D technologies, all four VIERA VT models incorporate a rich set of advanced features and services, including:

• VIERA CAST™ – Internet programming package offers VIERA users access to information and communication capabilities such as Bloomberg News, Google’s YouTube, and Picasa, and new this year Skype™ video calling

• VIERA Image Viewer™ – a function for easy viewing of digital still photos and videos on an SD card

• Panel life span of 100,000 hours; lead and mercury free; Energy Star 4.0 compliant

• High level support with VIERA Concierge including toll free hotline, 48 hour in home priority service and optional extended warranty

Accompanying the VIERA VT series is Panasonic’s BDT350 Blu-ray Disc player which displays stunning and immersive Full HD 3D imagery on compatible televisions for the ultimate home cinema experience. It also handles a wide variety of 7.1 audio formats and up converts all standard video formats to 1080p Full HD. The BDT350 also uses Panasonic’s proprietary UniPhier LSI chip technology, enabling the player to flawlessly process the large quantity of visual information needed to create a Full HD 3D image in 1920 x 1080 resolution. Adaptive Chroma Upsampling insures that colours will be faithfully reproduced; and all native digital DVD formats are up scaled to 1080p resolution quality. The BDT350 also offers dual HDMI outputs, VIERA CAST and Wi-Fi capability.

Full HD 3D VIERA VT25 Plasma televisions and fully-featured 3D Blu-ray Disc player will be on display for consumers at retailers across the country.

“Panasonic is the plasma worldwide leader for a reason – quality that can’t be beat, free of motion blur and excellent black levels,” adds Murray. “More than 45 per cent of Canadians have viewed some form of 3D in the past year, and for those who want to buy a 3D TV realistic picture quality and clarity, top the list. With the fastest moving picture resolution and excellent picture detail, our 3D plasma TV are poised to fulfill this need.”

Panasonic Full HD 3D Product Line Up and Pricing:

• At the same MSRPs, or lower, compared to last year’s 2D models, the VIERA VT25 Plasma 3D HDTV Series will feature four display sizes: TC-P50VT25 50-inch class (49.9” measured diagonally) at an MSRP of $2,999; TC-P54VT25 54-inch class (54” measured diagonally) at an MSRP of $3,499; TC-P58VT25 58-inch class (58” measured diagonally) at an MSRP of $3,999; and TC-P65VT25 65-inch class (64.8” measured diagonally) at an MSRP of $4,999

• Each VIERA VT25 Plasma 3D HDTV comes with one pair of Panasonic 3D Active Shutter Lens Eyewear (TY-EW3D10U). Additional pairs of 3D eyewear will be available for an MSRP of $149.95

• Skype™ video calling allows users to make video phone calls in high resolution (1,280 x 720). Feature requires “Skype Service” and Skype-enabled camera be connected to the USB port found on all VIERA VT televisions. Panasonic’s Skype enabled cameras (TY-CC10) will be sold separately; available in June for an MSRP of $199.99

• Along with Panasonic’s innovative new series of Full 3D HD televisions, the home theatre suite will also include the Panasonic 3D Blu-ray Disc Player (DMP-BDT350), available at an MSRP $599