Vol.01 VIERA PZ800
A full-flat screen supported by a horizontal arch. Introducing a new design for a new generation of VIERA flat-panel TVs.
The VIERA Series of flat-screen TVs is renowned for its continuous creation of new models combining incomparable beauty with the latest leading-edge technologies. First released in 2003, the VIERA Series is now in its sixth year of production. Today's sixth-generation VIERA PZ800 Series has introduced a dramatic design change that has further enhanced the beauty of our highly acclaimed full-HD plasma screens.
The theme of this new product lineup — a culmination of the philosophy underlying the VIERA range — is “A single sheet of glass.” Its focus is on establishing an image of outstanding visual beauty. To this end, the gap between the screen and frame of PZ800 Series TVs has been eliminated through the use of a clear, single-layer picture panel that transforms the screen into a single whole.
This “single sheet of glass” effect is enhanced by an arch positioned below the screen of every new VIERA model. These two structural design elements combine to create a visual effect of the screen floating in the air while projecting images.
Led by senior designer Mitsuru Takami, the AVCN Home Group VD Team set out to discover a new design for a refined, high-quality screen featuring a visual effect like floating in air. After producing countless sketches in pursuit of the image they envisioned, the team finally arrived at a design employing a “horizontal arch” structure.
Despite its delicate appearance, this silver arch meets high standards for strength while offering a striking contrast to the sharp lines of the black screen. The attractive texture of its metallic color combines sensations of peace and delicate refinement. This combination reflects a fusion of the design team's aesthetic sensibilities with the latest material processing technologies.
Every new-generation VIERA model has a distinctive arch cut out immediately below the screen as a characteristic feature. A mirror finish applied to the space opened below the screen as a result permits the TV to blend pleasingly into its surroundings, and creates a startling visual effect of the screen floating in the air.
These design themes that define the PZ800 Series engender an impression of lightness and slenderness, combined with width, that adds up to pure visual beauty.
In designing the PZ800 flat-screen TV series, we paid the strictest attention to ease of use and functionality, with a particular concern for incorporating detailed processes.
The new VIERA Series' powerful audio reproduction system employs six “invisible” 3-way speakers. The choice to use bamboo fibers as diaphragm parts reflects both a concern for audio characteristics as well as the environment, and the positioning of the newly developed speakers below the screen directs viewers' line of sight straight to the screen without detracting from their experience of the rich sound quality of the VIERA's exceptional audio system.
One of the VIERA Series' most impressive features is the ability to play back video from an SD card in full Hi-Vision. An otherwise unnoticed blue indicator lamp shines through the silver arch when an SD card is inserted into the card slot.
Moreover, the series features a host of other features reflecting careful consideration of the balance between design and ease of use. VIERA owners soon acquire easy familiarity with the full range of these attractive features in the process of using them.
The PZ800 Series' innovative features are not limited to appearance or technical details, however. When it comes to a large-screen television — often the largest electronic home appliance in the living room —such factors as safety features and environmental concerns must also be considered.
The stands supporting VIERA PZ800 Series' televisions, dark gray in color with a hairline finish, exude an image of superb quality. Each has been subjected to rigorous testing and developed with no safety consideration overlooked.
Most significantly, the stands are constructed with a stress on stability to prevent them from toppling over. Metallic lines running around them contribute to styling that is both light and slender, supporting the image of lightness accompanying the slim-lined construction.
The PZ800's clear picture panel, developed based on the “single sheet of glass” concept, limits screen reflections and allows for optimal viewing. Ample screen strength is maintained at the same time, creating a balance of picture quality with safety.
The metal and glass employed as key materials in the new front panel frame have been selected for their convenience in recycling.
Thus, the PZ800 Series reflects a balance between safety and ecological concerns and high-quality design. Though this concept is expressed easily in words, actually putting it into practice in the form of a viable product requires designers to overcome many hurdles. The VIERA design team overcame them all successfully on its way to realizing an elegant solution — the new PZ800 Series of flat-screen TVs.
The VIERA name was chosen to express our spirit of “Forging a new era in vision.” This spirit originated with the first VIERA model with its “single panel of intelligence” design concept and went on to revolutionize the television set repeatedly, with the balance between technology and design always taken fully into account.
The “single sheet of glass” concept adopted for today's sixth-generation PZ800 Series has led to the creation of a new window affording a view from the living room onto the outside world.
By further enhancing the relationship between viewer and vision, this latest design for VIERA flat panel TVs has blazed a trail to new frontiers. We have adopted the latest advanced Hi-Vision technologies in our quest for the best way to develop innovative products with full attention paid to all these concerns.
