Panasonic has announced the world’s first 4K TV featuring HDMI 2.0, as the Panasonic 65WT600 is officially unveiled during the company’s IFA 2013 press conference in Berlin.
Featuring an impressively thin bezel,
Panasonic 65WT600 Features
Jumping the gun slightly, with the 65WT600 Panasonic has pre-empted the HDMI Licensing Group’s formal unveiling of the new HDMI 2.0 connector which is expected in the coming days.
The new HDMI 2.0 port will support 50HZ (PAL) and 60HZ (NTSC) at resolutions up to the full 3840 x 2160 pixels of Ultra HD. This is a key addition as existing 4K televisions on the market use HDMI 1.4, capable of only 24 frames per second at full resolution.
The Panasonic 65WT600 has several other key features, notably a DisplayPort 1.2a connector for high resolution PC gaming – an impressive demo featuring an NVIDIA-powered computer was on the stand. We will endeavour to get a reaction from the Santa Clara graphics giant at their press conference on Thursday morning.
The WT600-series also has Panasonic’s 4K Media Player hardware to enable playback from USB (2.0 or super-speed 3.0) or SD card as well as 4K YouTube. Panasonic also claims that its 4K Fine Remaster Engine can upscale existing 1080p content “to deliver an entirely new level of lifelike content viewing.”
Far from the only company to jump on the HDMI 2.0 bandwagon, Sony has confirmed that its own leading television lines will also make use of the new connections.
“Sony confirms that the currently-available BRAVIA X9 4K LED television is to gain support for the brand-new HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) Version 2.0,” and official Sony spokesperson has confirmed.
It added: “Available from the end of 2013, an online firmware update future-proofs the acclaimed Ultra HD TV, allowing it to display 4K (3840 x 2160) 60p video signals.”
Panasonic 65WT600 Release Date and Price
Pricing and availability for the UK was unavailable at the time of writing but Panasonic USA has the 65WT600 listed as launching in October with a suggested retail price of US$5,999.99 (£3845).
Read More: Best TVs 2013
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
