Panasonic was all about the smart home at IFA 2015, including smart appliances and plenty more future technology. Here are the highlights as they happened.
“Panasonic will make your life smarter, healthier and simpler” – that is Panasonic’s mantra these days. It’s also returned to profitability in 2015, which is great news for the Japanese giant.
Panasonic working with Hollywood colourist on 4K TVs
Joining
Panasonic on stage was Mike Sowa, a professional colourist in Hollywood –
colourists are the guys who make sure the films and TV shows you watch
look natural and faithful to the director’s intention.
Sowa
said he was so pleased with Panasonic’s response to his
feedback that he was happy to come to IFA 2015 to tell everyone about it. Colourists take their jobs pretty seriously, so it’s a strong
endorsement.
But what was he endorsing?
Panasonic announces its first 4K OLED TV
Say
hello to the Panasonic CZ950, Panasonic’s first 4K OLED TV. It’s also
the first OLED TV to be certified by THX and it’s HDR Ready, which is
important with the new standard for 4K Blu-rays supporting it.
The
new TVs will go on sale in Europe in October. We don’t yet have a price on
the new range, but if you need to check your bank balance then don’t
get your hopes up.
Nubo – The first 4G home-security cam
This clever new home camera uses 4G when Wi-Fi isn’t practical. Panasonic also announced a somewhat unusual partnership with insurer Allianz, so that if the system detects any problems in your home – for instance, break-ins revealed by Panasonic’s tech – it will automatically alert Allianz. We’re not sure how all this will work in practice, but we’ll soon find out.
Technics gets into headphones
Panasonic audio brand Technics has announced a new set of high-end headphones, the EAH-T700. There’s no word on price or a release date yet, however we do know that they feature 50mm dynamic drivers and 14mm super tweeters to produce “deep and robust bass right through to subtle and intricate trebles.”
Technics also teased an update to its classic SL-1200/1210 turntables, although there are few details right now – we just managed to grab this photo of the rather sleek-looking device.
Your home could soon be powered by a Panasonic residential battery
Many businesses in Japan have stationary “home batteries” and Panasonic is bringing the concept to Europe in the coming year. The idea is to provide greater stability to energy networks, which means you’re less exposed to surges in demand and have a backup battery when you need one. It will also, presumably, store any power you generate from solar panels for use when you need it.
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Editorial independence
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.