Panasonic on Monday announced it was dabbling with technology that makes walls interactive, adding “larger-than-life technology” to home interiors.
The company is looking to use screens and cameras to create virtual environments on walls. Users will be able to customize wall space on the fly, said Toshihiro Sakamoto, president of Panasonic AVC Networks, a division of Panasonic, during a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
In a demonstration, facial recognition technology on the wall automatically recognized a human passing by and started a TV program on a flat-screen TV. But for now, Panasonic seems to be focusing more on improving the interactive experience with a TV.
During the keynote, Sakamoto announced alliances with Comcast and YouTube that will allow TV users to get better access to multimedia via the Web and cable service.Panasonic’s alliance with YouTube will provide users with one-click access to browse, find and view YouTube videos on TVs, said YouTube co-founder and chief technology officer Steve Chen. YouTube is working with Panasonic to deliver a better interface, Chen said.
Panasonic also announced a tie-up with Picasa for users to view pictures from the Picasa digital imaging site on a television.
Access to Internet-based multimedia services will be enabled by Panasonic’s Viera Cast wireless networking features incorporated in Panasonic’s Viera line of high-definition TVs, Sakamoto said.