Panasonic Europe Ltd. announced that it will be expanding its VIERA CAST service to include new content from Arte, IPLA, MeinKlub, myTVScout and Valuetainment.
For more information visit: www.panasonic.eu
Unedited press release follows:
Panasonic to Announce New VIERA CAST Partnerships at IFA
Berlin, Germany (September 1, 2010) – Panasonic Europe Ltd. has announced that it will be expanding its VIERA CAST service to include new partners like Arte, IPLA, MeinKlub, myTVScout and Valuetainment. VIERA CAST was first launched in Europe in May 2009 and is now available on Panasonic’s VT20, V20, GT20, G20, D28 (37- and 32-inch models) and D25 VIERA TVs, as well as Panasonic’s 2010 line-up of Blu-ray Disc and DVD players and recorders. This innovative feature allows users to access online content directly from the living room via an Internet connection without using a computer. VIERA CAST already offers contents from the video on demand service Acetrax, the German news broadcast format ARD-Tagesschau and Germany’s largest news and entertainment portal Bild.de. Additionally it offers Skype, YouTube, Google Picasa, Twitter, Eurosport, DailyMotion, Euronews, Qtom, Nova (Czech), Startlap TV, Bloomberg TV and Weather.
The new VIERA CAST partner Arte is a European public-service cultural television channel that offers a broad range of topics and programme genres, including documentaries, feature films, TV films, music, theatre, informative programmes and more, that allow viewers to experience culture in Europe and better understand political and social developments in today’s world.
IPLA is an interactive TV platform that offers live video feed, as well as Video on Demand content for the Polish market. IPLA widget was launched as part of VIERA CAST and is a source of thousands of free Polish TV series, programs, news services, concerts and sports events that can be viewed on Panasonic VIERA televisions.
The new VIERA CAST partner MeinKlub offers up-to-date, exclusive news on all the soccer teams that play in Germany’s Bundesliga, including game dates, results and standings for the current season. Thanks to the integrated live ticker, soccer fans are able to enjoy seeing all of the goals scored and follow the yellow and red cards that are issued.
myTVscout is the television portal for local television networks and informative programmes. Viewers can look forward to receiving plenty of interesting information from the region in addition to news as Video on Demand offerings from their own surrounding area.
The Swiss Valuetainment AG is yet another new VIERA CAST partner that specialises in developing and marketing film rights, as well as world-wide distribution of documentary films, reports and features. Valuetainment also specialises in marketing documentary films in 3-D all over the world.
Current VIERA CAST Partnerships
Acetrax is yet another VIERA CAST partner that offers top Hollywood movies on demand. Viewers can either rent or buy movies from the comfort of their own sofas and immediately view them on selected Panasonic VIERA TVs. The growing range of genres that Acetrax covers includes action, thrillers, comedies or romantic movies.
ARD-Tagesschau is Germany’s most-watched news program and broadcasts the latest around-the-clock news, in addition to hosting a ticker with the day’s top themes and weather reports.
Germany’s largest news and entertainment portal, Bild.de offers VIERA CAST users access to current news and exclusive information from the world of entertainment and sports, in addition to other exclusive events at the simple push of a button.
Bloomberg TV is an International news channel that broadcasts the latest news on the economy and financial markets via VIERA CAST.
DailyMotion lets viewers watch the best online videos on their Full HD VIERA TV. More than 10 million user-generated, creative and official videos on 16 different topics can be searched, browsed through or watched. Consumers can even upload their own creative work to the website and show their videos on TV.
Euronews is the leading international news channel in Europe and a full multimedia platform for viewers on the move. VIERA CAST users can look forward to receiving up-to-the minute news bulletins every 30 minutes with the day’s top news on sports, business and European affairs, as well as the weather forecast and live breaking news as it happens, 24 hours a day.
Eurosport broadcasts major sporting events and opens up an unparalleled world of exciting interviews and summaries of important sporting events. Sports fans can also view internet coverage of their favorite sporting events anytime very easily.
Google Picasa lets viewers watch and manage their own Picasa™ Web Albums directly on VIERA TVs. Friends and family can share the photos taken during their holidays on their own VIERA TV at home, once they’ve been uploaded to Picasa.
Panasonic’s VIERA CAST partner Qtom customizes music videos to suit the listener’s own personal needs. Owners of VIERA CAST systems can shape their own music channel and listen to the music that best suits their own personal tastes around the clock.
Now, using Skype1 on the large screen of a VIERA HD TV via VIERA CAST will be even more fun thanks to Skype phoning. Consumers can make free Skype-to-Skype calls – with video, of course. This means they can see their friends or family on the large TV screen even as they speak with them. All they need to do is add the Panasonic HD Communication Camera (TY-CC102), then select and connect to the person they want to talk to on the screen via the TV remote.
Twitter is a real-time information network powered by people all over the world that lets them share and discover what’s happening now by simply connecting their keyboard to their TV via USB. With Twitter, VIERA CAST users now have access to one of the best-known social networks and can easily stay in touch with their friends or follow interesting entries and discussions.
Thanks to VIERA CAST, YouTube brings popular videos right to the screen. The owners of these televisions will love having seamless and easy access to originally created videos from YouTube in the comfort of their own living room.
StartlapTV is a Hungarian VIERA CAST add-on that offers on-demand video contents and lets VIERA CAST users watch videos on various types of channels (motoring, women’s lifestyle, celebrities, news). These include StoryOnline.hu, Vezess.hu and Cafetv.hu.
Nova is the largest commercial television station in the Czech Republic and, at the same time, one of the most successful and profitable commercial TV stations in Europe.
Weather complements the broad range of services that can be accessed through VIERA CAST by providing today’s weather forecast. It offers both local information for the surrounding area, as well as weather-related information on other major cities.
Panasonic’s partners will be showcasing their services at IFA in Berlin from September 3 – 8. By forming partnerships like these, Panasonic is demonstrating how its most advanced televisions have the potential to become not just the center of people’s entertainment experience, but rather the focal point of communications experiences.
1 Online registrations / account sign-ups are required prior to accessing this service on VIERA CAST
2 To use the Skype service on VIERA CAST, please ensure that a Panasonic HD Communication Camera TY-CC10 (sold separately) is connected to a VIERA CAST enabled VIERA TV.
About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 7.42 trillion yen (EUR 56.6 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2010. The company’s shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE: PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company’s website at http://panasonic.net.