In a game of consumer electronics one-upmanship, Panasonic will celebrate New Year's Eve by turning on the world's most obtrusive television set, a building-size TV in Times Square that replaces a smaller screen by Sony.
Sony, not to be upstaged, moved down the street to the Virgin Megastore, where the consumer electronics giant has opened an indoor theater complex.
It's a branding war with implications that go well beyond New Year's Eve festivities: Approximately 20 million tourists visit Times Square annually, passing by both venues. But Tuesday evening's fete will pull in a massive audience. The giant video screen will be center stage as 500,000 revelers pack the plaza for the ball-lowering ceremony while an estimated 300 million people around the world watch on television.
The biggest and brightest of 50 such "supersigns" in Times Square, the new Panasonic Astrovision screen boasts a viewing area of 891 square feet - 27 percent larger than the Sony video display it replaces. It will broadcast 18 hours of programming daily, including news coverage by MSNBC and entertainment by the local NBC affiliate. But the screen will be a silent giant - a spokesman for the Times Square Business Improvement District said there will be no accompanying audio except during special events.
The giant boob tube uses Panasonic's florescent discharge tube (FDT) technology, which generates a picture that is about 20 percent brighter than the best competing technologies such as cathode ray tube elements or incandescent bulbs. With a resolution of 3,000 pixels per square meter and the ability to display millions of colors, the screen can generate a clear picture in direct sunlight, the company claims.
While the Times Square idiot box is the biggest of its kind in the US, such sights are not uncommon in Japan, where video billboards are more accepted. In Tokyo's Shinjuku entertainment district, for instance, an Astrovision broadcasts commercial messages 24 hours a day.
More than 160 Astrovision screens are permanently installed in stadiums, arenas, racing circuits, and advertising areas worldwide.
NBC will control 70 percent of the Astrovision programming, which is expected to operate from 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. daily. Panasonic will control 30 percent of the Astrovision programming, which it will use to promote its products and for community service messages.
