Panasonic has announced that it will offer a new line of DivX Certified HDTVs from Panasonic that are available in Europe (why not in other parts of the world?), and they will consist of the Panasonic VIERA Z1, V10 and G15 series that boast cutting-edge 1080p full-HD flat panels to enable consumers to easily playback high-quality DivX video straight onto the television. I guess there is much more reason to get those terabyte-class external hard drives and storage solutions now, while keeping your computer on all night long to download full HD movies (just make sure these are legit copies and not bootlegs – we don’t condone piracy here at Coolest Gadgets) in DivX format for viewing later in the living room.

Despite these times of economic hardship, some of us would still find that upgrading a TV to keep up with the Joneses (or just to have a better home entertainment experience) is at the top of the priority list, and Panasonic hopes to have a HDTV for every budget with their new VIERAs. The Z1, V10 and G15 series will consist of nine different models, and all of them will incorporate its next-generation plasma display panels (PDPs) known as NeoPDP technology to offer superior picture quality, higher efficiency and thinner dimensions. Thinner dimensions are good – as the world’s population continues to grow, urban areas get more and more crowded, so the lack of breathing space among the populace will indirectly result in smaller living room for all, so thin displays are more than welcome. Not only that, the VIERA CAST online content service will also be made available in Europe for the first time ever.

In order to view your favorite DivX video, all you need to do is load up your SD/SDHC memory card with the said video, insert it into the SD/SDHC memory card slot directly on the VIERA HDTV and you’re good to go. A 4GB SDHC card is able to store more than six hours of high-quality DivX video (not High Definition, mind you). Not only that, DivX content can also be streamed directly from a network as long as you have a DLNA server. This makes life much simpler for folks who prefer to playback their entire library of favorite videos straight from the PC to the TV without going through the hassle of transferring such content to the SD/SDHC memory card.

Press Release