Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

iPod integration is absolutely everywhere and hooking up an iPod to a television is pretty much a trivial task.  However, controlling the iPod may not be too easy from across the room using the iPod’s small screen.  Panasonic has introduced its VIERA X1 LCD line of televisions at three different sizes, with a 26-inch, 31.5-inch, and 37-inch models.  The VIERA X1 comes with a proprietary iPod dock that allows for control of the iPod on the television through an Apple approved user interface.  You can see the UI in the video below.

Download:
iPod/iPhone version (mp4) | HD version (m4v)

Now why would a product like this exist?  Panasonic’s Aki Todoroki (of the Consumer Marketing Team for North America) told me that Panasonic designed this particular LCD as a second television.  The smaller displays can show off iPod quality video with an image that is good enough.  The dock does not upconvert the video, so a 320 x 240 video will be stretched to fill a larger screen. 

The dock allows for the iPod to be controlled using the television’s remote.  The UI was simple to use and had a logical layout.  Unfortunately, Panasonic only supports the iPod Classic, a couple of generations of the iPod nano with no official support for the iPhone.  However, while testing the dock with an iPhone 3G, the Panasonic VIERA X1 was capable of navigating the device.  Docking the iPhone 3G did not always work and support for that device is planned for the future. 

If you decide to hook up other HD sources to the X1 line, the X1 tops out at 720p resolution.  However, at these small sizes you probably won’t notice the difference between a 1080p and 720p display unless you sit extremely close to the screen.  The 26-inch costs $549.95, the 31.5-inch version is available for $599.95, and the 37-inch model costs $799.95. 

Product Page: [Panasonic VIERA X1]