Panasonic will sponsor 3D and HD broadcasts of the...

Panasonic will sponsor 3D and HD broadcasts of the London 2012 Olympics in 3D, Panasonic and NBC Universal announced Monday at CES. The sponsorship includes 3D cameras and broadcast equipment for 200 hours of 3D footage, including opening and closing ceremonies, company executives said. Panasonic is also continuing its sponsorship of DirecTV’s 3D channel. Vic Carlson, Panasonic vice president of consumer marketing, reinforced Panasonic’s support of 3D TV, saying adoption of 3D has been “extremely fast” and five times that of HDTV. This year 7 million 3D TVs and 9 million 3D Blu-ray players are expected to ship, representing 20 percent of all TV units sold this year, Carlson said, citing CEA figures. In Panasonic’s 2012 line of TVs, 93 percent of plasma TVs will be 3D, as will 40 percent of LCD models, Carlson said. Four of six Panasonic Blu-ray players will be 3D, he said. Citing the chicken-and-egg situation, “This is the year of 3D content,” Carlson said. Panasonic also announced a partnership with MySpace for MySpace TV, a technology that enables users to watch live TV while communicating with friends on a PC or tablet. Users can sync tablets and TVs at the touch of a button, said Tim Vanderhook, CEO of MySpace TV. Initial channels on MySpace TV will be music-focused, Panasonic said, and will expand to include movies, news, sports and reality channels, including broadcast and on-demand content. Users will be able to view programs, chat about what they're viewing in real time and invite friends to watch with them virtually. A companion app will be available on tablets and smartphones, providing instant sync capabilities, the company said.