SECAUCUS, N.J., April 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic, a
leader in Blu-ray Disc technology, announced today an exclusive
agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on a
promotion celebrating the release of James
Cameron's epic movie, AVATAR, on Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD. This
will offer consumers a $25.00 rebate
with the purchase of a 2010 Panasonic Blu-ray Disc player or
entertainment system as well as AVATAR on either DVD or Blu-ray
Disc.
The promotion, which begins today nationwide(1), is a mail-in
offer which gives consumers a $25.00
cash rebate. Panasonic Blu-ray Disc player and entertainment
systems included in the promotion include the DMP-BD45, DMP-BD65,
DMP-BD85, DMP-B100, DMP-B500, SC-BT230, SC-BT330, and the SC-BT730.
Panasonic Hollywood Labs, a leader in authoring and encoding
Hollywood theatrical releases to
Blu-ray and DVD format, authored the AVATAR Blu-ray and DVD
releases.
Panasonic has a long history of involvement with AVATAR,
collaborating with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and
Lightstorm Entertainment on the global promotion of AVATAR as the
film's exclusive audio visual partner. As part of that
relationship, Panasonic provided the production with its latest AV
technology products.
Since its global theatrical release last December, AVATAR has
continued to make motion picture history. Written by James Cameron and produced with his long-time
collaborator Jon Landau, AVATAR
stars include Sam Worthington,
Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle
Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi,
Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder,
Wes Studi and Laz Alonso. The Oscar® and Golden Globe® winning
epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over
$2.7 billion in worldwide box
office.
Director James Cameron takes
audiences to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a
reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as
he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. AVATAR
delivers a fully-immersive cinematic experience of a new kind,
where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film
disappears into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature
of the story.
Panasonic also supported the big-screen release of the film by
launching a global advertising campaign in December 2009 tied to AVATAR and promoting
numerous Panasonic AV products, including Panasonic's award-winning
Full HD 3D Home Theater Systems which debuted in March 2010. Panasonic's Full HD 3D Home
Theater System was among the first to be certified under the new
Blu-ray Disc Association(2) (BDA) 3D standard.
"Panasonic is proud to be a partner with Twentieth Century Fox
Home Entertainment and to have played a part in the big-screen
launch of AVATAR and its tremendous success worldwide through our
technological and promotional contributions," said Bob Perry, Senior Vice President, Panasonic
Consumer Electronics Company. "We are equally proud to work
with Fox on the next step in the AVATAR legacy by helping to
promote the launch of AVATAR on Blu-ray and DVD. AVATAR is
perhaps the purest example of the tremendous benefits of Blu-ray
Disc movies which allow consumers to enjoy stunning Full HD,
true-to-life imagery as the movie creators intended it to
look."
"There are millions of households with high definition TVs that
are ready for the high definition Blu-ray experience," said
Mike Dunn, President Worldwide,
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "AVATAR will be their
first Blu-ray purchase, and Panasonic will be their first Blu-ray
player."
For complete promotional offer details, please visit
www.panasonic.com/promos/avatar. Official rebate form found inside
AVATAR Blu-ray or DVD discs. For more information on
Panasonic Blu-ray Disc products, visit www.panasonic.com.
About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Secaucus, N.J.,
Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company (PCEC), a market and
technology leader in High Definition television, is a Division of
Panasonic Corporation of North
America, the principal North American subsidiary of
Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S.
marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic
is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's
natural resources and protect our environment through the company's
Eco Ideas programs. Information about Panasonic products is
available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for
journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.
About Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory
Founded in 2002, Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL) is a video
research lab located in Hollywood,
the movie capital of the world. It builds on the more than 15 years
that Panasonic has been conducting on-site research into
technologies such as digital conversion for film-based movies,
compressing DVD images, authoring, and digital cinema. In 2009,
Panasonic announced Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory Advanced
Authoring Center (PHL-AC). The Center is focused on 3D Full HD (3D
FHD) Blu-ray format-establishment and development and will work
directly with Hollywood studios
providing 3D title development services for 3D FHD Blu-ray
titles.
About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a
recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.
Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking
from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales
and distribution company for all Fox film and television
programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray
Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The
company also releases all products globally for MGM Home
Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly
enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass
merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce
throughout the world.
(1) This promotional mail-in rebate offer will be available to
consumers in the United States
through July 10, 2010.
(2) Panasonic's BDT300 3D Blu-ray
Disc Player is certified to be in compliance with the 3D Blu-ray
standard created by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). The Blu-ray
Disc™ name and Blu-ray Disc logo are registered trademarks of the
Blu-ray Disc Association.
SOURCE Panasonic