TOKYO - Panasonic and Google are developing televisions that will display Internet content such as photos and videos.
The televisions, which are set to be released this spring, will allow users to directly browse and access videos from YouTube and view Picasa Web Albums, a free online photo-sharing service from Google, Panasonic said Monday.
"Panasonic's cooperation with YouTube and Google's Picasa Web Albums exemplifies our commitment to leading the natural evolution of the Internet and extending it to the high-definition television," said Merwan Mereby, vice president of Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co.
Late in 2007, plasma TV maker Matsushita said it would take control of a liquid crystal display joint venture and might build a new factory, marking a major shift in its strategy for the flat-panel TV market. Since then, the company has invested in plasma displays, hoping that it is the most cost-effective technology for flat TVs larger than 37 inches, while procuring LCD panels to make TVs for the smaller sets.
