Criss Angel Selects Panasonic to Provide Visual Solutions for All-New MINDFREAK® Show at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Las Vegas

World-Renowned Illusionist Deploying Panasonic PT-RQ32KU 4K+ Laser
Projectors, TH-84EF1 Professional Displays and AW-HE40 PTZ Cameras to
Create a One-of-a-Kind Immersive and Interactive Audience Experience

NEWARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Panasonic announced that world-renowned illusionist Criss Angel has
selected its professional visual solutions to help create his vision for
an over-the-top theatrical spectacular: Criss Angel MINDFREAK^®
at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Las Vegas. The brand new production,
in the newly-renamed Criss Angel Theater, will feature more than 75 of
Angel’s iconic signature illusions – with 20 never-before-seen effects –
and integrate some of the most innovative visual technology provided by
Panasonic. Through the partnership, the show will utilize ten PT-RQ32KU
3-Chip DLP™ SOLID SHINE 4K+ Laser Projectors, 16 EF1
Series 84″ Professional Displays and three AW-HE40
integrated HD PTZ Cameras to support the production.

To kick off his multi-year residency at Planet Hollywood Resort &
Casino, Angel reached out to Panasonic with the goal of deploying
state-of-the-art visual technology that would realize his vision of a
one-of-a-kind experience for his audience. With a 90-minute production
that will run five days per week over the course of Angel’s five–year
residency, excellent durability, outstanding efficiency and unparalleled
reliability were essential requirements for the projectors, professional
displays and professional cameras that Criss chose.

“With the launch of MINDFREAK Planet Hollywood, my goal was to create
the most technologically sophisticated show, incorporating the most
cutting-edge equipment, and Panasonic was the obvious choice. I look
forward to a long relationship that will push the envelope with the
continuous addition of next generation technology from Panasonic
throughout my tenure at Planet Hollywood,” said Criss Angel.

Angel’s previous production at Luxor Hotel & Casino used lamp-based
projectors that were bulky, threw off heat and required continual
maintenance and output power loss. By switching to Panasonic’s PT-RQ32KU
3-Chip DLP™ SOLID SHINE 4K+ Laser Projectors, the team will no longer
have to purchase and change lamps regularly. These 4K+ laser projectors
are capable of virtually maintenance-free operation for up to 20,000
hours thanks to air-tight and dust-resistant optical units and cooling
systems negating the need for air filters, saving the production time
and money. Offering an impressive 27,000 lumen*¹ maximum
brightness (center-screen, high mode operation) at 5120 x 3200-pixel*²
for 4K+ resolution, this all-in-one projector incorporates Quad Pixel
Drive technology, which quadruples pixel density and renders the finest
details in exquisite 4K+ resolution. With the PT-RQ32KU’s 4K+
capabilities, 20,000:1*³ dynamic contrast ratio and 240Hz
high frame rate, images will be sharp and realistic to fully engage the
audience with the projected images and virtual world created in Angel’s
performance. The need for custom mounting-frames has also been
eliminated with new frame-free stacking or i-bolt rigging capability,
significantly reducing overall weight and space requirements, making it
easier to support multi-projection 360° mapping applications. Because
the PT-RQ32KU laser projectors have a smaller footprint than Angel’s
previous technology, the Criss Angel Theater is able to include more
projectors in the space, therefore enabling projection edge-blending to
fully immerse the audience. The projectors will also be projecting
images on a smokescreen as the audience enters the theater, where they
will begin to be introduced to Criss’ virtual world even before the show
begins.

Additionally, Angel has positioned three AW-HE40 PTZ cameras throughout
the theater to engage guests in the performance and create an
interactive experience both on-stage and in the audience.

From the time attendees first enter the theater lobby until the final
illusion, they will be immersed in the MINDFREAK experience as a result
of Panasonic’s visual solutions. With the outstanding picture quality of
the 16 EF1 84″ Professional Displays located throughout the lobby,
show-goers will step into the world of Criss Angel and experience
MINDFREAK while getting a sense of Criss’ professional journey.

“Criss has said his new show features more surface area of video than
any other production in the world! Panasonic is delighted to team with
Angel on this industry first, and provide the show with the 4K video
projectors, and HD displays and cameras to help make his
never-before-seen illusions possible,” said John Baisley, senior vice
president, Professional Imaging & Visual Systems, Panasonic System
Solutions Company of North America. “Panasonic has a legacy of supplying
technologically-advanced products for high-quality, truly immersive live
entertainment experiences in staging and theatrical presentation, and I
am excited to view how Criss takes our visual solutions to a new level.”

To see Panasonic’s visual solutions in action, attend the Criss Angel
MINDFREAK experience, which is currently playing preview shows in the
Criss Angel Theater, formally known as the PH Showroom, at Planet
Hollywood Resort & Casino Las Vegas. Shows are Wednesdays through
Sundays and tickets can be purchased at CrissAngel.com
and Ticketmaster.com/crissangel.
For groups of 10 or more, please call 866-633-0195 or email Sales@BASEentertainment.com.

*1 Luminance measured at center of screen in High Mode. Operation in
High Mode may reduce maintenance timing in comparison to use in Normal
Mode.
*2 Resolution 5120 x 3200 Pixels (QUAD PIXEL DRIVE:
ON).
*3 With Dynamic Contrast Mode set to 3.

About Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America
Panasonic
System Solutions Company of North America, a division of Panasonic
Corporation of North America, delivers game-changing technology
solutions that deliver customized experiences to drive better
outcomes—for our customers and our customers’ customers. Panasonic
designs and manufactures reliable, flexible and dependable products and
solutions to help create, capture and deliver information of all types,
especially where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of
Panasonic professional solutions for government and commercial
enterprises of all sizes addresses unified business communications,
mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale,
office productivity, audio and visual systems (projectors, displays &
digital signage) and professional video production. To learn more and
Panasonic’s business products and solutions visit: https://na.panasonic.com

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Newark,
NJ-based Panasonic Corporation of North America is a leading technology
partner to businesses, government agencies and consumers across the
region. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka,
Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and leverages its strengths in
Immersive Entertainment, Sustainable Energy, Automated Supply Chains and
Connected Solutions to provide secure and resilient integrated solutions
for B2B customers. Panasonic was highlighted in Forbes Magazine’s Global
2000 ranking as one of the Top Ten Best Regarded Companies for 2017. The
ranking is based on outstanding scores for trustworthiness, honesty with
the public and superior performance of products and solutions. Learn
more about Panasonic’s ideas and innovations at https://na.panasonic.com

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About Criss Angel
For more than a decade, Criss Angel has
dominated the world of magic as the biggest name on the planet. From his
role as star, creator, executive producer and director of Criss
Angel MINDFREAK on A&E, to countless critically acclaimed
television specials, best-selling books, top-grossing retail products,
sold-out touring shows and more, Criss is the most influential and
imitated magician of the modern era.

His acclaimed series MINDFREAK on A&E is the most successful
magic show in television history, resulting in more hours of magic
during prime time than any magic show ever. His decade-long live show
residency at Luxor Las Vegas was hailed as the “#1 Best-selling Magic
Show in Las Vegas” (Extra) and “The #1 Magic Show of All Time!”
(Las Vegas Review-Journal) and generated $150 million in revenue
in 2010 as reported by Newsweek.

Angel is also the most watched magician in television and internet
history, a YouTube sensation. His “Walk on Water” clip has generated
over 60 million views alone, and all of his clips combined have
generated more than 300 million views. Criss has the largest social
media following of any illusionist, with over six million followers.

Criss has been named “Magician of the Year” an unprecedented six times,
was the youngest magician inducted into the International Magicians
Society Hall of Fame, was named the first recipient of “Magician of the
Decade,” as well as “Magician of the Century” and “Innovator of the
Decade.” Most recently, Angel was given the highest honor in the magical
arts – the Lifetime Achievement Award from the largest and most
prestigious magic organization in the world (the nearly one
hundred-year-old International Brotherhood of Magicians). It has only
been given five times in the IBM’s history, and Criss is the youngest
artist ever to receive it and the only magician performing today that
has been presented with this award.

For more information, visit CrissAngel.com or follow
him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CrissAngel.

Contacts

Cynthia Pawlowski (Panasonic): 201-392-6800, cynthia.pawlowski@us.panasonic.com
Amanda
Clardy (Racepoint Global for Panasonic): 919-882-2059, PanasonicVisual@racepointglobal.com