Panasonic focuses on Blu-ray's bigger picture
Electronics company introduces its 103-inch HDTV set
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 12/7/2006
DEC. 7 | LOS ANGELES—Panasonic continues to steer its stand-alone Blu-ray Disc player into upscale specialty electronics stores, matching its TV merchandising strategies.
Panasonic's 130-inch HDTV set is the world's largest plasma screen.
During a Dec. 5 stop here on its U.S. product publicity tour, Panasonic showed off its 103-inch HDTV set, billed as the world’s largest plasma screen. At the same time, the company drummed up buzz for its Blu-ray player and other plasma TV models, ideally hoping to sell the high-end consumer on a high-definition entertainment bundle.
“The concept is to sell it as a complete package,” said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Panasonic’s VP of corporate development and general manager for the Blu-ray Disc Group. “We have always demo’ed our 65-inch [TV set] with the [Panasonic disc player]. We want the plasmas as well as the set-top to work.”
At the event, the Panasonic TVs rolled various clips of Blu-ray movies, including 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Ice Age: The Meltdown and Kingdom of Heaven.
Panasonic officials did not discuss shipment figures for its Blu-ray player, which launched in September. But sources believe the company will have shipped between 30,000 and 40,000 units worldwide by March.
For now, the company seems content keeping its $1,299-priced Blu-ray player displayed at such specialty outlets as Magnolia, Tweeter and Ultimate Electronics.
“The set-top box is an expensive proposition,” said Tsuyuzaki. “It’s different from the [$499 to $599] PlayStation 3 product.”
Panasonic’s $70,000 103-inch set also is being geared very narrowly toward consumers. Prior to finalizing a deal, Panasonic will send a civil engineer to the intended home or office wall to ensure it can withstand the set’s weight. The company started offering the set to the public this month.
