CES 2023: Panasonic press conference

The Panasonic MZ2000 OLED TV was the highlight of the CES 2023 Panasonic press conference, but the company had more than just TV tech to announce. Here’s a recap of the Panasonic press conference.

Panasonic press conference at CES 2023

Better experiences are only half the Panasonic story, and host Kal Penn walked everyone through how they plan to improve consumer experiences while keeping their focus on sustainability.

Panasonic Green Impact plan

Pansonic has a strong focus on pursuing sustainability and discussing the Panasonic Green Impact plan made up a major portion of the press conference. They are addressing the issue of climate change through material and product design, carbon-neutral goals, and recycling. To do so, they have created a few initiatives.

• Team Panasonic, an elite group of Olympic and Paralympic athletes including Nathan Chen, Naomi Osaka, and Michael Phelps spoke about how the brand is taking action by designing new energy-saving products and creating sustainable technology solutions. They are launching a new global marketing campaign today called The Panasonic Green Impact 2024. It will achieve net zero by 2030 and reduce 300 million tons of CO2 emissions by investing in renewable energy technologies.
• Hydrogen fuel cell technology will make a huge impact on their green plan. Panasonic has the first full-scale plant that uses hydrogen fuel. They want to offer this technology to other companies who want to use this technology.

Mobility at Panasonic

Transportation counts for 27% of global greenhouse emissions, and by 2030 more than half of all car sales could be electric cars. Panasonic is taking on global emissions and is currently the North American market leader in EV batteries. They have been working with batteries for over 100 years, and as the market grows, they see the increasing battery supply as an opportunity to make a difference.

Panasonic combining Alexa and Siri

Panasonic is improving its EVO audio system to use 67% less power while offering a premium listening experience. They are also adding the Nano X portable air purifier to cars to eliminate odours, and viruses, and reduce mould or allergens. The Nano X will fit into any vehicle’s cup holder.

There’s also a collaboration between Amazon and Panasonic to add voice assistance to their ecars. They are combining Alexa and Siri to a single system because some people want to use both assistants for different things. This is the first industry example of combining multiple voice AI’s into a single device. It gives more choices to customers and device makers, and it made sense to bring this enhanced experience to an ecar.

Panasonic in the home

Shifting to home products, they announced a revamp of a few flagship devices.

Panasonic MultiShape personal care system

To cut down on the number of devices you own, the company has designed the Panasonic MultiShape, a modular personal care system. It’s rechargeable, customizable, and wet/dry so you can use it anywhere. It can be a toothbrush, shaver, beard trimmer, or body hair trimmer.

Panasonic also announced the ‘Take Back For Tomorrow’ program to promote people to recycle used shavers. Instead of throwing your shaver away, you can send it to Panasonic and they will offer you a discount on the MultiShape.  Their vision is to use recycled materials to become Panasonic batteries, and you can send in any brand of electronic shaver and they will recycle it and offer you a discount.

Panasonic OLED MZ2000 series TVs

The newest Panasonic flagship OLED TV is the MZ2000 series. It’s a 4K OLED Micro Lens Array TV available in 77-inches, 65-inches, and 55-inch sizes. The Panasonic MZ2000 has a new state-of-the-art Master OLED Ultimate panel created with a multi-layered heat configuration.

• Offers the best and brightest picture yet, with 150% improvement to peak brightness
• HCX Pro AI processor with Streaming 4K remaster algorithm enhances whatever you watch
• Filmmaker Mode so you can view movies the way the director intended
• Gaming features including HDMI 2.1, AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA GSync compatibility
• VRR 120Hz refresh rate as well as ultra-low latency and input lag
• Upfiring and surround speakers to create a Dolby Atmos spatial sound stage

Panasonic True Wireless headphones get an upgrade

Panasonic has worked to advance the technology behind their Technic true wireless headphones, and they teased a new set that will be released at some point in 2023. The video didn’t reveal any detail other than the possible release window and rave reviews for the previous model.

Panasonic Lumix GH6, Lumix S5II, and S5IIX cameras

It was announced that the Panasonic Lumix GH6 won a CES Innovation Honoree award, but the true focus was on the Lumix S5II and S5IIX. They are hybrid full-frame mirrorless cameras with features content creators have been waiting for.

• New 779 point Phase Detection Auto-Focus (PDAF) is an advanced, precise auto-focus system that’s reliable in low light or backlit environments
• Auto focus object tracking and continuous auto focus during zooming
• Up to 6K resolution for video recording
• All new 24.2-megapixel 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor doubles your signal processing speed and offers advanced stabilization technology
• Durable build with brand new ventilation system so it can continuously record in temperatures from 0 to 104°F
• Large OLED live viewfinder on a 3-inch flip-out touchscreen

Panasonic press conference at CES 2023

That’s a quick recap of what was announced at CES 2023 from Panasonic. Watch Best Buy for the new OLED and Lumix cameras, and keep watching the Best Buy blog for the latest from CES 2023.

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