Panasonic introduces wireless, 1-inch thick TC-P54Z1 VIERA plasma

Here at the Panasonic press conference at CES 2009, the company finally woke us up with a stunningly thin 1-inch thick plasma: the all new Z1, or the TC-P54Z1 VIERA, in particular. Little is being said about the panel for now, though we are told that it'll be wireless (via an undisclosed standard) right out of the box. In related news, we're also told that VIERA Cast-enabled sets will soon be able to suck down Amazon on Demand content, so it's good to see Panny keeping up with the Jones family in that regard as well.

Gallery: Panasonic introduces wireless, 1-inch thick TC-P54Z1 VIERA plasma

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[MrFairladyz @ Jan 7th 2009 6:32PM]

LCD's are still thinner :P

[Jamma @ Jan 7th 2009 6:35PM]

As sexy as that looks, i really don't see the obsession with a TV that looks great from the side, and as Toshiba said, it's not like your average plasma is too thick

[gonintendo @ Jan 7th 2009 6:39PM]

Exactly. The only change that needs to be made is weight. I dream of a day when I can easily pull my 50 inch plasma off a wall mount to connect a device without some fancy expensive mount.

[poldim @ Jan 7th 2009 7:55PM]

This is great if your TV is in the middle of the room, similar to the way fireplaces are now sometimes placed centrally. Even though this currently probably applies to less that 1% of all TV's, that's not to say it can't change.

[AVG @ Jan 7th 2009 6:42PM]

The "first" wireless TV?

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-13855_1-9840183-67.html

[Epiphany @ Jan 7th 2009 6:50PM]

The "first wireless TV?
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12760_7-9673322-5.html
Samsung had one a year ago.

[Dave @ Jan 8th 2009 1:55AM]

I want a TV to be as thin as a sheet of paper so I can simply glue it to the wall.

[Madpa @ Jan 7th 2009 6:51PM]

PANASONIC VIERA Plasma HDTV

Z1 Series

The flagship VIERA plasma in 2009 is the Z1 series, with a revolutionary one inch thin panel design and Wireless HD connectivity to deliver the ultimate sleek, uncluttered HDTV viewing experience. Also included on the VIERA Z1 is VIERA CAST web menu with the new streaming HD movie rental capability via Amazon Video-on-Demand. The Neo PDP design of the VIERA Z1 produces a brighter picture, deeper blacks, improved native contrast ratio (40,000:1) and Full-Time 1080 TV lines of motion resolution. Other Z1 model features include; 1080p resolution, a THX Certified Display; an Infinite Black panel; 600Hz Sub-field Drive; and VIERA Link, and VIERA Image Viewer for playing back digital still images and AVCHD videos recorded on SD Memory Cards. The Z1 series will be available in the summer of 2009 in the new TC-54Z1, 54-inch class screen size (54" measured diagonally).

[a ham sandwich @ Jan 7th 2009 7:01PM]

wireless as in....wireless power? or do they not count the power cord as a "wire"?

[Matt @ Jan 7th 2009 7:28PM]

I sure hope we wont have to recharge this every 30 minutes...

[pr_master @ Jan 7th 2009 7:03PM]

Nice Panasonic, now make me a 4-inch thick 42-inch plasma that sell for only $300.

[Maxville @ Jan 7th 2009 7:24PM]

Just don't get it ...
why don't we have a Network (wifi) streaming .. Media (MP4,MKV 1080p) playing LCD/Plasma in the market as yet ?
And they Talk about convergence !
I wouldn't mind my TV to be the thickest LCD, if it had media playing/streaming capabilities

[Matt @ Jan 7th 2009 7:30PM]

I just wanna listen to the tech support call saying why they can't see the picture on suck a small 1inch screen... And then being told to walk 90 degrees around the television... hehehe

[Matt @ Jan 7th 2009 7:31PM]

Such*

grr, me hates the spelling monster

[xB Owner @ Jan 7th 2009 7:45PM]

So why no "live coverage" of the Panny event like you did with all the other bigs?

[Derinahon @ Jan 7th 2009 9:03PM]

That thing’s going to break as soon as one of my numbskull mates drops in and leans on it. How much for a razor-wire surround?

[Ed @ Jan 8th 2009 3:36PM]

Panasonic has released their press release on PRNewswire. It contains all the information to their 2009 Plasma TV lineup: Z1 Series, V10 Series, G10 Series, S1 Series, X1 Series.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20090107/NY5649507012009-1.html

Here is a comparison chart (jpeg) of all the different series based on that press release:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f14/spawn135/PanasonicHDTV2009.jpg

[Ed @ Jan 8th 2009 7:14PM]

Actually, this comparison chart is bigger and clearer: http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f14/spawn135/9967143b.gif