News OEM Stands Out From
News OEM Stands Out From Competition East Kit has reported strong interest all week in its doublesided LED flat panel display. European, Chinese and Japanese manufacturers have been visiting the stand. ADVERTORIAL The unit presented the company with some design challenges. According to Bob Xu, the company’s Sales Division Manager, the secret lay in working hard to reduce heat generation within the displays, and also moving some heat sources into the pedestal. Seeing double with East Kit Yet despite producing an innovative piece of kit, the company is not planning to launch its own brand. “We have a long reputation for OEM manufacture, and prefer to work with one or two key brands in each territory,” Xu said. East Kit has been at IFA since 1999. “We come here to meet customers and also to see new ideas.” East Kit started as an import and export firm more than 20 years ago, but has since then become known as an OEM producer for some of the largest global brands. Hall 25 Stand 155 The HD 449 headphones Headphone Haven Sennheiser promises feelgood sound and stylish design from its new headphone range The new HD 400 headphone range from Sennheiser boasts a feel-good sound, accompanied by new, stylish designs. Sennheiser says that the HD 419, HD 429 and HD 439 feature a punchy bass response, while the HD 449 guarantees a detailed, balanced sound image. The new headphones of the 400 series are on show here at IFA. According to Sennheiser, the closed design m e a n s that these headphones keep background noise out, while providing the optimum sound for every music fan. “ With the new headphones from our HD 400 series, we offer music fans an outstanding sound experience, no matter whether they are at home or on the move,” said Sennheiser Product Manager, Antonia Tan. “The new models boast particularly attractive designs that make them a real eye-catcher out on the streets,” The HD 429, HD 439 and HD 449 also come with an adaptor for a stereo system. The single-sided cable ensures that all models offer maximum freedom of movement. Hall 3.2 Stand 135 Chinese OEM display expert East Kit stunned flat-screen manufacturers large and small by presenting a doublesided LED flat panel display. The double-sided LED is, at around 35mm, slim enough to be mistaken for a traditional display. Yet the display, which the company is showing off in table-mounted, standmounted and hanging forms, contains two 32” screens that point in opposite directions. In this prototype version, both displays must show the same input. Yet in two months East Kit will be producing a dual-source version, showing different channels on opposite sides. The potential for use as an information or entertainment display in airports, hotels, stations or any large public space is obvious. And, it could be used modern houses with open-plan kitchens, in which a screen could be placed in the middle – allowing the parent to watch TV while cooking and the kids to play video games simultaneously. Hall 25 Stand 155 Small And Special Tivoli unveils neat and funky range of portable radios “Advanced DAB technology wrapped in classic design” is how Tivoli Audio is describing its latest portable radio. The company says that the PAL+ is the ultimate expression of its dedication to cutting-edge technology and beautiful design. Brightly coloured and compact, with classic proportions and robust sound, the PAL+ features the latest DAB and FM reception technologies and a new easy-to-read digital display. The water resistant finish makes it perfect for use in the great outdoors. The PAL+ is the latest generation of the company’s popular PAL series, and as such it retains familiar looks. However, inside, there have been some changes. It supports DAB, DAB+, DMB and FM radio, and devices such as MP3s and games consoles, iPod and iPhone can be played through the 3.5mm AUX input socket. Furthermore, it provides timer, alarm, and remote control functions. Hall 1.2 Stand 110 14
Exclusive Interview FABIEN ROTH Fabien Roth is Panasonic’s General Manager of Consumer Group/ TV Group. He joined the company in 2006, as a Marketing Manager for the European TV division, and progressed to Senior Marketing Manager, Europe. He gained an MBA from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Paris and subsequently studied at Insead in Fontainebleau and IMD business school in Lausanne. Now, Roth is responsible for Sales & Marketing for Consumer TV in Europe. Charged with driving the Consumer TV business in 35 Countries as well as defining channel and pricing strategy, interfacing with European accounts and defining product strategy and the road map, for up to 18 months ahead with Japanese R&D. Also driving ATL/BTL communication with the Marcom Team TV Spot, developing product promotion tools, online strategy, managing press events, and developing Vieracast connected TV and 3D TV. Also in charge of content acquisition. PANASONIC Panasonic’s Viera TVs are consistently among the highest rated in consumer tests, and the Viera Connect market, announced at IFA will extend the range’s Smart TV capabilities, as well as introducing an app store. The cloud-based system will be powerful enough to handle complex multiplayer games. Visitors to Panasonic’s IFA booth have been enjoying a racing simulator with 3D graphics, designed to be played over the Internet with up to four other people. Panasonic is deeply committed to sustainability, and is aiming to become the world’s greenest electronics company by 2018. Connectivity Is The Future Panasonic plans to simplify the connected experience This is a highly productive time for Panasonic. Firstly, the Japanese electronics giant has announced the launch of its new Viera television range at IFA, including 3D with the addition of the 42-inch 42VT30 and 46-inch 46VT30 as well as the 55VT30 and 65VT30 HbbTV-compatible, Neo Plasma. It has also announced that its cloud-based service, Viera Connect, will be included in its Blu-ray line-up this autumn, with customers being able to access new gaming, sport and social networking apps. Quality and a seamless media experience for the user are central to the Panasonic’s future plans, as Fabien Roth, General Manager, Consumer Group, TV Group Marketing Europe, explains… What are your main goals at IFA? Our main goal is to demonstrate high-end picture quality in 2D and 3D. Our Neo-Plasma technology optimises black levels and reduces crosstalk in 3D. What we’re saying is that, when you choose a Panasonic plasma TV, you choose quality and now we’re adding to that the smart TV world. We’re also expanding the LED/LCD range because customers are increasingly asking for LED/LCD TVs. What are your latest developments in the smart TV arena? We are opening an app store so that anybody can develop their own applications on TV. Inside this app store is a transaction model, so you’ll be able to buy apps or upgrade some of the features on your TV, for example. You can also buy games on the store now. And when you buy those apps they come straight onto your home screen and install. We are interested in quality and providing a seamless media experience for the users. So we offer a single remote control, ease-of-use, and speed. That’s the key, and using our proprietary portal is much quicker than if you use other app engines. What are your customers telling you that they want? Customers want more and more choice and they want to be able to watch TV, when they want, how they want. They also like web services and social networking. They’re happy to watch tablets and mobile phones but they would be happy if the devices could all communicate together, which is exactly what we’re trying to do now. We’ve made tablets such as iPads compatible with the TV, and used that as an interface as well on the TV, providing a new Smart TV experience. As an official partner of the 2012 Olympics Panasonic will be ensuring live 3D coverage of the event. How do will you leverage this partnership? The London 2012 Olympics are a showcase for our products. The Olympics is something we want to explore on the retailers side, to show them the power of 3D and live broadcasts. Connected TV and apps are quite a shift for some A full house at the Panasonic press conference at IFA 2011 consumers. How are you getting the message across? We want to support the retailers and to change the demonstration values. It’s very important for us to be able to showcase products in an easy-to-understand way for the consumer, including connected TV, because that’s a challenge at shop front. Panasonic now has more than two million TVs that are connectable, and more than 30% of them are connected. What we want to do is to tell people about connected TV, because they can get so much out of it. Hall 5.2 Stand 101 Fabien Roth General Manager Consumer Group / TV Group “Customers want to be able to watch TV, when they want, how they want.” www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Wednesday 7 th September 2011 15
