Newspaper App for Sharp Aquos TVs

The previews have started rolling in from CEATEC Japan 2009, opening next Tuesday in Makuhari Messe. CEATEC JAPAN is the Cutting-edge IT & Electronics Comprehensive Exhibition held annually to the trade. It’s best known for first look technology in the world of electronics. The show runs from Tuesday, October 6 through Saturday, October 10. No we won’t be there, but our tech experts will be keeping a close watch on show developments as they unfold.

Sharp said it will demonstrate an electronic newspaper service designed to deliver print-style newspaper pages to specially enabled Aquos LCD television sets. Sharp introduced their first LED LCD TVs in July and continue to innovate.

Testing for the system, Mainichi Shimbun x DoTV, started in Japan Tuesday and will enable local Aquos TV viewers to read the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun via "DoTV," which is NTT Communications' portal site for TVs, on the same day the paper is issued. The service is provided by The Mainichi Newspapers and NTT Communications, and is targeted at Internet-enabled Aquos TV sets.

The system presents five pages of the morning edition of the newspaper beginning at 5:30 every morning in the same layout as the print edition. Viewers can enlarge the paper on screen for easier reading using the set's remote control. Better yet, the system will audibly read the main articles of the paper for the viewer using automatic voice-synthesis technology. But which five pages? The front page plus four? What about the other sections?

The companies said the test service will be offered in Japan for free for six months beginning Tuesday, as they try to gauge the response of consumers. Look for a subscription fee to follow a favorable viewer response.

What about the U.S.? Is there a play here for WSJ or New York Times? Local papers? I’m seeing one piece of integrated software delivering local newspaper content to equipped TVs. Alternately, this could be a strategy for cable companies who should be able to deliver the appropriate content to their subscribers.

Good solution for TV addicts, but not a lifesaver for the newspaper industry.

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