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Panasonic to Deliver the Passion of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games Through its Latest Digital Video and Audio Technologies

For the first time in the history of Olympic Winter Games, the broadcasting equipment in Torino will be completely digital.

For the first time in the history of Olympic Winter Games, the broadcasting equipment in Torino will be completely digital.

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TORINO, Italy, January 4/PRNewswire/ -- As the world's top winter sports athletes push themselves to the limit at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Panasonic will be using its technological expertise to help capture and deliver the intense competition and record-breaking achievements to billions of spectators around the globe. As an Olympic Partner (TOP) for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Panasonic's sponsorship has been extended beyond the current Video and Audio categories to include car navigation systems and related multi-media equipment, as well as supply of security equipment for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

For the first time in the history of Olympic Winter Games, the broadcasting equipment in Torino will be completely digital, making it the most technologically advanced ever. As the official supplier of standard and high definition recording equipment for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Panasonic will be providing the Torino Olympic Broadcasting Organization (TOBO) DVCPRO P2 solid-state memory devices as well as DVCPRO HD and DVCPRO50 recording equipment for the Torino Games. The P2 card, as a solid-state device, has no moving parts, making it an ideal choice for the Olympic Winter Games, because it is reliable and robust, even in severe weather. This digital solid-state recording technology is regarded by many in the industry as potentially the most significant change to news and broadcast acquisition since the arrival of videotape over 35 years ago. Panasonic will also be providing 200 DVCPRO professional VTRs, 100 video cameras and camcorders and 600 monitors for the International Broadcast Centre, specific Olympic Games venues and broadcasting companies.

Through Panasonic technologies, the most vivid and true-to-life sights and sounds of the Olympic Games will be brought to audiences in Torino as well as to living rooms all over the world. Panasonic will be providing 25 Astrovision giant outdoor video screens at various Olympic venues, including the Stadio Olympico, where the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held, continuing a tradition of providing Astrovision screens for the Olympic Games that began in 1984. Panasonic will also be providing 75 RAMSA audio systems, featuring line-array speakers that have been developed to cope with extreme conditions and minimize sound leakage. The line array speakers will be used for the first time at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

In addition, Panasonic will be providing no fewer than 8,800 color televisions and monitors, including 200 plasma TVs, for the Main Press Centre, the International Broadcast Centre, the Media and Olympic Villages Panasonic is the world leader in plasma TVs, which are currently revolutionizing the TV industry. Large-size flat-panel TVs are expected to gain further popularity with improvements in digital broadcasting services expected during 2006. Panasonic expects the global plasma TV demand to reach 25 million units in 2010. To meet the accelerating demand, the company has just opened the world's largest plasma panel-making plant in Japan. Moreover, 620 "SUPER-DYNAMIC III" surveillance cameras will be provided for the first time to realize safe and secure Olympic Games operations.

Supporting the Olympic Games has become a part of the tradition of Panasonic. Since the inception of the TOP Programme by the International Olympic Committee, Panasonic has been a TOP Sponsor and has supported the Games in the following capacities: the Audio Equipment Sponsor in the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary and Seoul (TOP I), the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville and the Olympic Games in Barcelona (TOP II); the Video and Audio Sponsor in the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta (TOP III), the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano and 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney (TOP IV), and the Video and Audio Equipment and Recording Media Sponsor in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (TOP V). Panasonic has already committed to support the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (TOP VI) as a TOP Sponsor.

For more information on Panasonic's 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games activities, please see:

http://panasonic.co.jp/olympic/

About Panasonic

Best known by its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of US$81.44 billion for the year ended March 31, 2005. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, New York (NYSE:MC), Euronext Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.co.jp/global/index.html.

Source: Panasonic