At ISE 2026, Panasonic used its latest round of product announcements to underline a clear strategic direction: reducing complexity in professional AV while expanding performance and flexibility across display, projection and broadcast workflows.
At the centre of the move is the continued evolution of Panasonic Projector & Display Corporation as a standalone business, a structural change that CEO Yousuke Adachi says is already accelerating decision-making and sharpening customer focus. By carving out a dedicated global organisation, Panasonic has simplified communication between regional teams and headquarters, allowing product requirements from system integrators and partners to feed more directly into R&D.
Speaking to Inavate, Adachi said: “That speed of communication is very quick now. This is very much helping our operation and is appreciated by our partners.”
LED designed to behave like LCD
That partner-centric thinking is most evident in Panasonic’s latest LED launch: a 55-in dvLED display panel designed to slot into existing LCD workflows. By integrating the controller directly into the panel and supporting standard VESA mounting, Panasonic is deliberately positioning the product as a familiar upgrade path rather than a specialist LED deployment.
The 55-in format, combined with horizontal and vertical installation options, is intended to allow integrators to reuse existing brackets and infrastructure, reducing installation time and cost. Treating LED “like an LCD monitor” is a deliberate attempt to remove barriers that have traditionally slowed LED adoption outside high-end flagship projects.
Bridging the gap in projection
A similar philosophy underpins Panasonic’s latest projection announcements. The new PT-HTQ20 projector brings Rec.2020 colour performance to a 1-chip DLP platform, narrowing the gap with 3-chip systems traditionally reserved for premium immersive applications.
Adachi positions the launch as a recalibration of the product stack. High-end use cases that demand extreme brightness and zero compromise will continue to rely on advancing 3-chip architectures, while progression in 1-chip technology expand what is possible in the mid-market.
“High-end products will stay with 3-chip DLP,” he said. “But the middle will be covered with single-chip DLP, where we will continue to bring something new.”
Alongside this, Panasonic introduced the VMQ85 Series, its first 4K LCD projector, targeting simulation environments such as golf simulators but with a clear eye on broader applications. Adachi was keen to stress that immersive use cases are not replacing corporate or education markets, but raising expectations across them.
“Students and office workers will not be satisfied with Full HD in the near future,” he said. “4K is becoming natural, and this technology will apply to conventional markets as well.”
Integrators at the centre
Across all categories, a consistent theme emerged: design decisions driven by the realities of system integration. Weight, form factor, power consumption and ease of handling are framed not just as end-user benefits, but as practical considerations for distributors, installers and service teams.
“We always think of partners,” Adachi said. “Not only end users, but system integrators and distributors. Making products lighter, more compact and easier to handle benefits everyone in the chain.”
That approach is reinforced by increased emphasis on training and cross-division collaboration, with Panasonic bringing together projection, display and camera teams in shared solution centres to support hands-on partner education.
Focused investment, long-term view
Adachi was clear that Panasonic’s roadmap has remained firmly focused on long-term investment in core technologies. The breadth of launches reflects development cycles stretching back several years rather than short-term reactions.
“Our team members always focus on how to contribute more to customers and partners,” he said. “That is why we can introduce multiple strong products today. We keep investing in technology and focusing on the business.”