Broadcasters ban Panasonic 'smart' TV commercial

broadcasters here said "split screen ...may confuse viewers" - well now that they have told me how i should react.

a lively and competitive broadcast scene?

samurai drama, salaryman drama, eat food shows, travel and eat local food shows, eat foreign food shows...

Japan has a lively and competitive broadcast scene and a thriving Internet culture.

i'd agree if i can even find 0.001% truth in it.

Anyone have the youtube link?

wanderlust You forgot dog eating food, dog meets local, dog eats local food. Cat eas local, and cat eats food, cat....

I believe the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lgk5ui-nHTk

Any time the Japanese government or other vested interests talk about "confusion", it's about protecting their vested interests.

I just bought a Sony TV to use almost exclusively as a computer screen, and the options were poor. There is no single button to switch between TV mode and auxiliary (computer) mode. You can access player stats during soccer games, but there's no splitscreen function. The screen doesn't pivot vertically to allow for watching from a desk and from a couch.

This objection another example of dinosaurs not understanding the fungibility of data and the wishes of the consumer.

Trying to protect their own interests at the expense of the consumers. I don't blame them, but this sounds wrong.

Bucket, sand, head. No confusion

and a thriving Internet culture.

But still immature and relatively ignorant population regarding the internet.

It will be interesting to see if these "Broadcasters" also will not allow their own news programs to report this story. Although this is just a small blip.... and in fact this may work in Panasonic's favor due to free press it is getting. Its not like Panasonic has been banned from selling these TV's altogether.

They are fighting a lost battle. Internet TV is the future.

I live in Australia, and watch a lot of travel/food documentaries on a channel called SBS, except I watch them days or weeks after they originally air. But I am forced to watch ad breaks in the middle that I can't skip, but I'm perfectly happy to watch a few ads, for the convenience of watching the shows I like on VOD.

My prediction is that within 5 years, most of the TV watched in the developed world will be internet TV.

The broadcasters claim the IPTV violates ARIB (Association of Radio Industries and Businesses) guidelines.

This just proves it must be an outstanding product.

Just wait one cotton pickin minute! Is it a darn TV or is it a computer ?? I'm so darn confused that I do believe I need the J government to step in and explain it to me!! Hahaha !!??

This is a review in English http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXdNiZ8clo I only watch hulu these days.

Saw advertisements for Panasonic's "smart" TV on the train. It has facial recognition technology. Couple that with Panasonic's aircon which can detect where individual living bodies are in a room, and you've just invited Big Bro into your house. Get snarky about the status quo and Skynet will send a gang of Asimo bots to sort you out.

Big deal. All tvs have an HDMI outlet where you can hook up your pc anyway. Then you can just hit the button on your remote to switch between tv (eating shows as said above, LOL) and internet.

"the split screen... may confuse viewers"

Not only confuse 'em but give 'em a splittin' headache!

Private broadcasters—in a rare case of turning down a major advertiser—have said they will not show commercials for the product, claiming the split screen simultaneously showing broadcast content and web pages may confuse viewers

Private broadcasters have the right to refuse business and it's obvious that they are worried about the competition. Their excuse is extremely flimsy though. The only confusion the consumer will experience is why they are still using broadcast TV. I've been using my computer to view everything I need for the past 8 years. Don't miss TV at all.

Right now, I bet they are trying their hardest to get the government to either enforce some obscure broadcasting rule that will shut down Panasonic's TV or making up a new one.

What's so confusing about split-screen monitor/tv? Plug a cord from your computer and your cable box into the tv, turn on, enjoy both worlds. Besides, there's nothing good on tv anyway.

BS! They just haven't cemented the rules on how to collect fees for such a service yet.

@squeeks, it's a different kind of confuse as in confuse them into watching programs on the internet instead of over their broadcast channel.

As noted above, it's already a lost battle. For better or worse, the internet will win.

Now millions of people, even from outside Japan, will WANT to see this ad.

Either the broadcasters were dinosaurs from the analogue era where if you don't show it on TV it doesn't get seen, or Panasonic team are geniuses who planned for this ad to be banned as a publicity stunt.

Similar thing with Justin Timberlake's newest raunchy music video. I'm the last person to buy his music, but the banned music video got shown on breakfast TV here in Aus, and I've now seen the video.

The most interesting part of the article is:

"“LG, Samsung have already released similar televisions a long time ago, but they cannot bring them to Japan,” said another posting by tairaomote, referring to Panasonic’s South Korean rivals."

Why can't they bring them to Japan? Who prevents them from coming?

I saw such televisions in the UK where everyone I know seems to have a Samsung.

@Moondog, The internet already won.

Talk about being whiny babies. Shouldn't have much to fear if the broadcast content didn't suck so hard!

So does that mean using two or more monitors on a PC is also confusing? Split screen TV and VCRs were around back in the 80's and 90's but that was okay because we consumers were smarter then or was it because the broadcaster controlled both screens in the split screen mode? SOOOOO BUSTED!!!

There you have it, NHK and the likes assume we the viewers are stupid cows that get easily turned around now. IF this does anything to help the stupid broadcasters' support I'd be surprised and have the look of a deer startled by headlamps. I don't and I doubt I will...

This is a last ditch effort to save their profits and in the free world this is blatantly a desperate hail Mary that will FAIL and lose them the remaining on the fence subscribers. Talk about control freaks!!!

Japan has a lively and competitive broadcast scene and a thriving Internet culture. Really? Says who? And on what basis?

Now i have to go to Joshin to relieve the "confusion"

samurai drama, salaryman drama, eat food shows, travel and eat local food shows, eat foreign food shows...

And still they want you to buy a 4K HDTV for those and they have no idea why it won't sell , no wonder also why they plan to charge people by court and regulation, sane people do never pay for such of programs.

Japan has a lively and competitive broadcast scene

Actually, broadcasters reactions to this product show Japan's broadcast scene to be neither lively nor competitive.

on no, confusion in the market place

Stupid Japanese TV companies!!

Vested interests in Japan, like these broadcasters, are one major reason why Japanese companies haven't hit a Walkman-like home run since the 1980s. There are many stories out there of Japanese companies coming up with innovative solutions, but unable to translate those potential blockbuster technologies into market success.

Japan needs to enforce its antitrust laws against the vested interests who are holding back the nation's innovation and success in global markets.

I have always said that it seems that Japan is moving "slow in the fast lane" in regards to technology advances being given to the masses.

they will not show commercials for the product, claiming the split screen .... may confuse viewers,

So why, every TV show, we must have a little split screen in a corner with a nodding talent head in it? Not so confusing, I think. Maybe very irritate, but I'm not confuse.

TV broadcasters are already losing their viewership all over the world. The US is actually trying to counter this by producing movie quality shows. What has Japan done ? More talentos screaming "umai" the top of their lungs, and more shows with "2-jikan special" appended to their titles ...

Once I paid a considerable amount for a state-of-the-art FM tuner, only to find that you get 15 minutes of music per hour --- if you're lucky --- interspersed with 45 minutes of mindless yakkity-yak. Then I got a digital TV, only to see exactly the same "entertainers" being aired every night of the week who I saw back in the 1970s, only with more cosmetics to cover their wrinkles. If Japan were Egypt, hundreds of thousands of people would be demonstrating daily in Hibiya Park demanding decent entertainment. Instead they have just tuned out the world by crawling into the tiny screens of their keitai denwa and pulling the covers over their heads. Anybody who willingly puts up with the mind-numbing crap that attempts to pass for entertainment on TV here is* inscrutable.

Parts of this article are incorrect (because citing incorrect forum users). To be more precise - LG have their Smart TVs in Japan for few years. The fact they are not so popular among Japanese consumers is something different.

Samsung went out of Japanese market for business reasons. I remember it was yearly LCD TV era when I looked at Samsung TVs in Yodobashi - they were levels worse than Sharp and Sony. A year later Samsung stopped selling in Japan and few years later to my surprise they were the world leader.

Panasonic 2013 model line have rearranged home screen making more intuitive use of the media and on-line functions. They are on of the best ranked models at review sites. Function-like even their last year models offer the same - just it haven't reach the consumers widely...

The broadcasting companies are really just trying to prevent the inevitable. They could combat the loss with compelling TV, but another food show, silly animal or talento show in Japan just carries on the banal tradition.

I use netflix, iTunes, and will pick up Hulu at some point. Who needs cable and broadcast TV in Japan?

Now this Panasonic TV could be cool if you don't need an application to run the internet provider's content. If the TV works like it should, you wouldn't need a Apple TV, Roku box, or Slingbox hardware to view your internet content. And Skype would work through the TV. If not, it is because the Panasonic solution uses a half-baked browser good only for those who regularly use facebook or check ni-channel.

My guess, the TV internet browser is a gimmick that doesn't do internet well and only delivers a small fraction of the capabilities needed for a real internet connected TV.

Like Zichi said, I use my high end gaming PC hooked up to a massive LCD tv for all my entertainment. Movies, series, and TV all I need for probably half the cost of this "smart" tv.

The monopoly and anti-trust laws in this country need serious revision.

More like trying to deter consumers from changing to IPTV...

down with free-to-air! absolute garbage...

@viking68... I agree totally with you! Simply get a good VPN get yourself Netflix and Hulu, heck you do not even need a VPN for Hulu Japan.!!! When it come to the news I search for places to see the news or read it, after all who can trust a man reading a news paper with red lines on it in the morning anyway!!

But the tv companies will just loose money in the end!!

Paulinusa; You have just described ALL BIG BUSINESS.

I have 10 year old Sony, I can split the screen and put whatever I want on the split including my laptop.

it is not only Japan doing this. But of course, as a Commercial TV, refusing a an advertiser who would like to air their product through commercial TV is a violation of Commercial-TV ethical standards. Commercial TV Ethical Standards is about accepting or refusal of advertisers' endorsement, how the product would affect the standard norms of the viewers, whether the commercial will be attacking one's religion, political views, welfare of the children etc. Commercial TV Ethical Standards does not mean or does not cater protection of the Broadcasting industries itself or its survival.

If Japan broadcasters would like to protect their industries, they should lobby to the legislators to level the playing field, just like in the article below about "Big Cable Moves to Scoop up Streaming Rights, Pressure Netflix, et al."

They havent worked out how to get money out of users yet, until then, please dont buy anything that gives you a free service please! After we charge you ridiculous amounts of money, we promise to let you watch useless shows about 'other people chewing, slurping and regurgitating food and of course the best informative channels of celebrities pretending to be experts on any available world topic. Dont forget our priceless TV shopping channels 24 hours a day!

Eat food shows, panel shows with lots of tarento's faces being shown in small box, travel shows with amazement at what outside Japan is like, samurai series and lots of "detective" or "police" shows made in the 1960's and 1970's (those are actually quite cool to see how Japan was). Actually having Internet could be useful to allow tarento's to tweet their "eeeeeh" and "sugoi" and "umaii" and so on. Even with emoticons.

If viewers see this then the they may feel constipation. According to broadcasters...

TV here is an endless rotation of the same タレントpopping up numerous times in a single day on different shows on the various networks talking about the same crap 24/7. Is it any wonder the networks feel threatened?

Yet, from 3 yrs(?) ago they put 'the talento' face in the corner, so we can delight in their facial expressions. THAT is confusing in a very basic common sense kind-of-way. Viva la t'nternet!

I've seen this commercial on the train several times. Wasn't confusing in the least.

The other downside of these TVs is that they assume everyone is watching DVDs, so you have this ridiculously wide aspect ratio. The computer window only takes up about 3/4 of the screen, which moots the widescreen. On top of that, watch a movie from your computer and you get screwed vertically, ending up with only 2/3 of the screen filled.

If the internet was like Japanese television, 30% of all websites would be food related, 30% tarento related, 20% baseball related, 10% samurai drama related, 10% other.

I don't think Panasonic worry about this action, There is no such action in USA. It will continuously show us split screen just like any Japan Inc. ads in USA. It does not matter which Japan Inc. products in USA. People just buy available Japan Inc. products when Ford GM and Chrysler are only USA companies trying to appeal their made in China cars to Calif. residents. Panasonic will concentrate sales in USA where it has been able to compete other Japan Inc. electronic manufacturing giants. Split screen ads are competing each others. No split screen ads? They are ignored.

A good example of the vested interests at work in this country. Condemning the locals to second rate TV while the rest of the world is hitched up to the internet.

A pity that the vested interests just seem to get stronger and stronger at the cost of the average person in the street.

So essentially the Broadcasters have called their viewers stupid...

Split screen commercials? Not 3 screens? Not 5 screens (2 each on top and bottom and one in center).? Losing huge ad income from Panasonic. Maybe Japan Inc. will stop ads in Japan? They sell in USA more anyway.

We live in a new ear of technology! That being said who needs air time for market stag. when you got.....Facebook, Line, You tube, Gawakar, kotaku, ni chanel, reddit, the list goes on!

We have more than split type screens in Facebook, Google, etc Anyone who use i-phone, i-pad can get these bewfore selecting one game or manga, etc. People still watch news on TV. where they can watch 3 commenting from different locations and 2 from accident scenes such as ASIANA accidents. One could be saying AJIANA, One could be saying ASIANA, another in Korean or Chinese. Not confusing as people are not dumb.

I love it when a Corporate "Bigwig" gets a (Metaphorical) Kick on the behind (all be it from another Corp...Or is it something else... ah well.