Big flat tv is mighty thin at IFA, blue ray also

Quick, take a two euro coin out of your pocket. That would be about the size of a quarter. Panasonic this morning is talking about a 58 inch neoPDP technology flat panel. The demo is of an IPtv network and how it will change distribution of content. Panasonic says for ipTV to work you need a television centric (no,surprise as it is Panasonic). Demo shows how to share contents uing remote control. One button gets you to what they call Vieracast and includes YouTube. You may never need to get off your couch again. Also includes Picasa interface and you view your Picasa photos on your flat panel. Now they have brought Jacques Raynaud, vice-chair of Eurosport on the stage. He is talking up HDTV and the use of HD for sports. They will have the sports content on Viera cast in 2009.They call it the personalized sports experience. Now they need to include pizza ordering on their remote. Every day they will offer 500 sports videos.

They are done talking TV and now talking Blue Ray and championing

Saying Blue Ray in Europe will be all Blue Ray by 2012. Calling it the HD value box concept.

Three legs of connectivity, picture quality and environmental friendly. Reached three million DVD recorder in Europe in 2007. Blue Ray disk players being introed at IFA and now intro the first Blue Ray recorder in Europe, they claim. Will be available this Fall in France. This will allow HD recording and watching at same time, 500 gigabytes capacity, can create HD network, store all content on one device. Michael Friedrich, product marketing manager says the intro is in France because they have the HD content. The recorder has been in Japan and Australia for some time.

My mini analysis. Every major vendor is trying to become the HD hub provider. The HD recorders are essentially a computer playback, recorder and distribution hub. They clearly don’t want to let this opportunity to go to H-P or other computer vendors.