Hi. It's been a while, but it's me, mino. It has almost been a month since CHITEC 2007 has ended. I'd like to write a summary at this point to give closure to the CHITEC blog entries.

CHITEC 2007 was held in Beijing from the 25 - 29th of May in temperatures rising above 30 degrees Celsius. Last year, 2,048 companies participated in the exhibition, but this figure grew to 2,200 this year. And the attendance increased greatly from 230,000 to 250,000.

I spent my days there busy in the "secret back room" located behind the stage of this big event, reporting and writing my entries. When I got back, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment, that I had "managed to complete my task," but looking back after some time, I find myself thinking that I could have done better, that "there must have been a better way," or "I should have written about some other topics as well." I am trying to gain closure by telling myself those are areas for improvement for the next exhibition.

As I indicated in my previous entry, it had been more than 20 years since I was in China last. It was a great experience for me, as I was able to feel (perhaps only a little bit) the momentum China has as it is undergoing rapid change in the face of the Olympic Games. This I sensed from the buses packed full of people I saw on the main road during rush hour traffic, and the people who worked from early morning on the many construction sites of buildings in various areas of the city (there was a building under construction across the street of my hotel; all I had to do was open my curtains and there they were).

Although the air of excitement engulfing the people who energetically traveled from one booth to another, and the seriousness with which they spoke to the booth staff are true for many exhibitions around the world, this heat at the exhibition in Beijing seemed to be on a different level. I don't think this was just a figment of my imagination. There is so much power and energy here – the city and its people.

As I've described in my previous entry, many companies have various ways of presenting their concepts on stage, but Panasonic's stage presentations were extremely refined (as is represented by the main stage presentation) drawing the attention of many who came to the exhibition (I'm saying this from a subjective perspective).

I don't know if this would be proof to that, but on CHITEC's official website, results of visitors' polls for how they evaluated the exhibition booths were posted. Panasonic was ranked No.1 in 2 divisions, "The award of best brand," and "The award of best spot mutual-acting."

I tried my best to give you a better idea of what the exhibition was like, and to bring to you a live real-time sensation, but what did you think? I'm not too confident about how well I've done, but thank you for reading my entries. I look forward to meeting you again on the Cyber Showcase Blog soon!

Hi hiro.

This is mino, the writer for the blog for CHITEC 2007 held in Beijing last month.

Thank you for your encouraging entry while I was in Beijing.

And now it's your turn!

As I looked at the photograph in the entry you had written from the set up of the booth at Interop, I felt a bit strange when I saw that the same blue facade and the "Panasonic ideas for life" sign that had decorated the Panasonic booth in Beijing will also welcome visitors to its booth at Makuhari Messe.

hiro, I wish you luck over the next 3 days!

CHITEC 2007, which has been held over 5 days from the 25th of May has just ended. Panasonic, among many others, has begun dismantling its booth; the atmosphere is one of rambunctious confusion.

I arrived in Beijing 2 days before the opening day, and began my journalism from the set up of the booth, sometimes writing from the secret back room behind the Panasonic booth, sometimes from the hotel.

I hope you were able to get a feel for what the atmosphere at the CHITEC 2007 Panasonic booth was like.

It was the first time that I have ever been this up close and personal to a single exhibition. And it was also the first time that I updated the content real-time like this. When the exhibition first began, it felt as though I was being chased by a great wave of time, but with the help of people from Panasonic China and the staff onsite, I was able to get through it all. I really appreciate their help. And above all, thank you for visiting the blog.

Watching the many people who came to the exhibition over the 5 days walk about the booth energetically, earnestly asking the staff questions gave me a taste of the "energy" that China has. I was very fortunate to have been able to experience what a great change this country is going through.

Once my head has cooled off, I would like to write a summary about the CHITEC 2007, or update you with information I wasn't able to finish writing about during the exhibition, so I hope you will keep checking up on the blog!

The digital video camera corner at the CHITEC 2007 Panasonic booth is overcrowded with people. The centerpiece of the exhibition here is the high definition digital video camera that can record high definition footage in AVCHD format.

AVCHD format enables you to record beautiful footage in high definition onto a DVD or solid-state media using highly efficient codec technologies. Panasonic, which has taken part in the establishment of this format has already made available to the Chinese market, "DX1," which can record in high definition onto a DVD. In addition, the "SD1" video camera that can record in high definition onto a SD Memory Card is on sample exhibition here.

Both models have a CCD dedicated to the 3 primary colors of light (R/G/B), so it comes embedded with 3 CCDs. It can faithfully reproduce the fine details because it employs highly sophisticated image processing technologies.

I envy people who have a high definition digital video camera because they can go and film the excitement in the Host City during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and capture their precious moments with their family in high definition. I was born in 1964, the year the Olympic Games were held in Tokyo (right in the middle of it as a matter of fact), but I don't have any videos of my childhood. Back then, only a very small group of people had video cameras (8mm). So I do believe that capturing memories in a form that may be preserved is very important. It would have been fun if I had videos of the town where I was born, the Olympic Games back in 1964, my parents when they were young, and myself as a baby.

The footage can be displayed in beautiful high definition on the large-screen plasma TV, "VIERA." Such a small compact digital video camera for consumer use can capture images in high definition. You can really do amazing things nowadays.

Photo: 3 CCD and 1 CCD. You can check to see how the images captured by the 2 cameras differ by switching the footage on the monitor from one to the other. The difference was clearly evident.

Most people who visited CHITEC had their own digital cameras with them. Or, as is the case in Japan, they took photographs with their mobile phones.

As far as I could see, it seems that digital cameras have already become well rooted here; there were many people in the digital camera, "LUMIX" corner.

By the way, have you ever tried to take a picture of your friends in a room, but you couldn't fit them into the frame, or thought that you had taken a photograph of the majestic landscape, but the photograph didn't do it justice at all, not even capturing even a trace of the vastness of the landscape?

When you can't step back any further to take photographs like in a room, or when you're traveling and taking photographs of the landscape, you wish you had a wide-angle lens that will give you an ever wider range. For example, you may wish to take pictures of many of the magnificent and sublime sights in China such as the Great Wall and the Tiananmen Square. The wide-angle lens is great in expressing the vastness of such sites.

A photograph of Beijing taken with the "LUMIX" from the top of the Jing Shan Park on the northern side of The Forbidden City on my trip out with the video report shooting crew. Aren't you impressed with the 28 mm width?

Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy and hazy so the visibility wasn't so great.

It is great news that the latest major models of the Panasonic's digital camera, "LUMIX," come embedded with the 28 mm wide-angle lens. Footage communicating the allure of the 28 mm wide-angle lens is showcased in the "LUMIX" corner; many people were glued to the beautiful images. What's more, Panasonic's digital camera may be set at 16:9. It is an excellent match for taking wide-angle photographs.

I went to the exhibition corner to take a look at Panasonic's very first digital SLR camera, "LUMIX L1."

Here, the most cutting-edge technologies and the inner-architecture that are well explained with panels and a sample cut in half. Some of the amazing features outlined include the "LEICA D Lens" comprised of 16 elements in 12 groups with MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) that prevents blurring of images due to hand movement, the "Live MOS Sensor," which is an image sensor that combines the advantage of both a full frame CCD and CMOS sensor, built in the durable and very light magnesium body, and the "Venus Engine III," which offers a significantly higher image processing capabilities.

People who visited this corner were taking an in-depth look at the cameras, holding it in their hands, adjusting the aperture ring. They seemed to spend a longer time here than any other corner. I remembered that at the exhibition for cameras held in Japan a while ago, I saw many people taking a close look at the L1. I believe camera fans are the same anywhere in the world; they examine the equipment to determine if they can have a long-term relationship with it.

We all have taken pictures, which have turned out blurry due to hand movement. Or in the case of video footage, you may have felt nauseous because of the bumpy handshaking footage.

Panasonic's digital camera, "LUMIX," and digital video cameras utilize the "Optical Image Stabilizer" with the gyrosensors. At each corner Panasonic mounts the camera on a vibrating platform and illustrates on the monitor the difference in performance when the optical image stabilizer is on and off. As the saying, "proof is in seeing," goes you will see that it is amazing, preventing blurriness without degrading the image quality.

The "LUMIX" mounted on vibrating platform takes the picture of a model of a moving Ferris wheel and compares the resulting images for when the optical image stabilizer is on and off.

Similarly, the video camera is set on a vibrating platform to show how the optical image stabilizer functions. The camera is taking a video footage of the mascots for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, "Fuwa." The name means children who bring good luck.

The "LUMIX", which is used to photograph stable images rather than moving images, has an additional function called the "Intelligent ISO Control" that detects subject motion. It prevents blurring due to subject movement when taking pictures.

These are all great features, but I think it is also important to master the basics of how to point a camera, especially when shooting in the dark or with a zoom. Well, actually it's me that has to master these techniques…

The "LUMIX" event takes place in between the Corporate Stage performances.

On the stage, the 103-inch plasma display dynamically exhibits high definition quality images captured by the "LUMIX." The event introduces the key features of the "LUMIX" while playing a quiz game with the audience. Many people such as parents with children gather around each time the event takes place.

The large screen TV usually is the star fixture in your living room. But when you're with your friends and family, not everyone can sit directly in front of the TV. That is why plasma TV's wide-viewing angle is said to offer a great advantage.

It's always better to check it out for yourself! So I went to test out up to what angle I could still see the images clearly.

I looked at it from unbelievable angles, but I could still see the content clearly!

Even at all sorts of angles, the way the color appeared and the beauty of the footage was the same as when I looked at the screen straight on. The viewing angle is so wide because the plasma panel has self-emitting pixels. Of course, because it looks great from any angle, it is also gentler on your eyes.

Because it's a large screen TV, you want to enjoy watching content, such as the Olympic Games with many friends and family. Why not try this with the plasma TV, "VIERA"?

One of the joys of the Olympic Games are the "Opening Ceremonies": the elaborate performance created by the various host countries, and the march-in ceremony of the top athletes of various countries dressed in a diverse range of colors. Many of you may look forward to the Opening Ceremonies of the Games.

Do you remember the dancing performers dressed in garments like those seen in the Beijing opera who came into the arena as the baton was passed over to Beijing at the Closing Ceremony for Torino 2006? The make-up and costumes were all very colorful, and I think these performers may appear again at the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. I can't wait to see what great performance they have in store for us.

The "VIERA Technology Lab" discusses the "color reproducibility and the great gradation performance" of the plasma TV, "VIERA."

The reason why the colors look vivid and beautiful is that the color reproducibility covers 100% of the HDTV standard for digital high definition broadcast.

This picture illustrates the high color reproducibility of the "VIERA." The range of colors it can reproduce covers 100% of the color reproducibility range for the HDTV standard established for broadcasting in Japan. Plasma TVs have the ability to realistically express multitudes of colors that exists in the natural world.

And what I also thought was interesting was the steps of gradation of the color "black." There are many shades of black; onyx-like raven black, twilight black, the kind of black that changes hues. The gradation performance determines how precisely such hues may be reproduced.

Often times in Opening Ceremonies, the venue (stage) may be dimly lit, and from the spotlight, the main performers may appear. The "VIERA" is capable of richly expressing such a performance.

Why does the black look blacker? This is because each of the individual pixels in a plasma panel is self-emitting, and thus can choose to not emit light. An LCD reproduces blackness by shutting out the backlight, so its difficult to completely shut the light out. That is why when you compare LCDs to plasma panels, the black looks blacker, and the steps of gradation richer.

We have the opportunity to enjoy the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in high definition. It would be great if we can fully enjoy the beautiful footage of the moving performances and the rest of the Opening Ceremony, which will certainly be flooded with a great breadth of colors.

	You can see the richness in the steps of gradation for the color black by comparing the shadows.
	The colors are reproduced naturally and vividly.

"BB Technologies" stands for "Black Box Technologies." This refers to technologies that are so unique to a company that its production process is completely veiled; such technologies cannot be easily imitated. Panasonic, too, has many excellent black box technologies, which help create various digital products. Let me introduce the black box technologies embedded in the "VIERA" that are introduced at the CHITEC 2007 Panasonic booth.

First we have the "fast moving image response."

The Olympic Games are full of fast action sequences such as athletes running at top speed towards the finish line, soccer players diving past the opponent with excellent dribbling skills, and the water spray and the intense yet elegant performance of the synchronized swimmers. The "fast moving image response" is key at times like this. There is residual image when the subject moves quickly if this performance is poor.

One of the most distinctive features of the plasma panel is that it has a "fast moving image response." This is made possible because each of the pixels in the plasma panel is self-emitting and the pulse driver rapidly turns the pixels on and off. At the exhibition corner, Panasonic drew attention to its superior performance when it comes to moving images, that give rise to little residual image. It also offered a comparison in performance of the present and past models with respect to fast action sequences, such as sports.

Moreover, research findings have proven that watching residual images for a long time is strenuous for your eyes. This is quite important if you enjoy watching long sports competition like a marathon, soccer match, baseball game, or gymnastics. This is a very intriguing matter for those people in China who are thinking about purchasing a new TV before the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The 3 characters shown in the photograph below in bold print may be found all over the place in the Panasonic booth at CHITEC 2007. They are on the panels and the demonstration footage. Do you know what they mean?

In Chinese these characters represent "Full High Definition." If you're familiar with Chinese characters, it does make sense. And of course the exhibition theme for Panasonic is "Living in High Definition", thus these letters form the key word. So it's not surprising that you see it all over the booth.

The world of high resolution, high definition formed around the plasma TV, "VIERA," is introduced, on the "Living in High Definition" stage.

The Blu-ray Disc Player and the set-top box for "Beijing Gehua CATV Network Co., Ltd." which will allow viewers in Beijing to watch the Olympic Games in high definition, are on sample exhibition. These introduce the allure of the world of high definition, which is surely expected to become widespread in China in the near future.

Moreover, the stage performance introduces the convenience of the "VIERA Link," which allows you to operate all the various equipment, such as the "VIERA," "Blu-ray Disc Player," "Home Theater System," "Digital Video Camera" with just "VIERA's" remote control by linking them with the HDMI Cable.

Many people listened keenly to the 2 companions who explained the joy and convenience of the "VIERA Link" in their demonstration.

Over the last few years, many people are beginning to set up home theaters so that they can reproduce the dynamic experience of a movie theater at home. It is a natural desire to want to experience "an even more real video and sound." But with the advancement of various media and technology, the variety of products available now ranges from very premium equipment to something more affordable, and this is further stimulating the installation of home theaters in people's homes.

In this corner, you can enjoy a premium theater experience with 7.1 ch surround sound, which will introduce the allure of the Blu-ray Disc Player to be launched in China in the future.

I watched a trailer for a CG animation produced in high definition. The star of the animation, an animal character and the world that he lives in was displayed on the 65-inch plasma TV. I could see each hair very finely; it looked very real. There was depth to the texture of the surrounding landscape. Honestly, I was dumbfounded. It seemed as though the imaginary animals were actually running around the real world. I really was impressed with the high definition quality images. This seems very popular with the visitors; the theater is always crowded.

The "Premium Blu-ray Theater" is always full of people.

I have already talked a bit about the 42-inch 1080p full high definition plasma TV, "VIERA," in my previous entry. As I mentioned, it has become available in stores in Japan since April this year, but at CHITEC 2007, it is on exhibit as a sample product.

Of course, full high definition footage comes to life more, the bigger the screen, but the addition of the 42-inch model is great news to the consumers (and to me as well since my living room is quite small) as it offers them an even wider range of products to chose from.

If you actually look at the screen, there are twice as many pixels as there were before; a befitting quality for enjoying content on a large screen. I didn't really notice the pixels even when I put my face right up close (a couple dozen centimeters away) to the screen. It seems that I am not the only one that wishes to have a TV like this at home; many people who came to the booth stared intently at the beautiful screen, and asked the staff there many questions.

At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, people in the host city will be able to watch the Games in high definition quality for the first time in history. High definition broadcast is planned to be delivered to homes in Beijing through the widely available cable television service. Panasonic developed a set-top box for the "Beijing Gehua CATV Network Co., Ltd." The prototype is on display in the Panasonic booth at CHITEC 2007.

In Beijing, a world of high resolution images of the Olympic Games will unfold on the other side of this small box packed with high definition technologies.

Set-top box for Beijing Gehua CATV Network (prototype).

Continuing on from the previous entry.

Panasonic has supported the Olympic Games as the TOP (The Olympic Partner) Sponsor, the highest tier of Olympic sponsorship since Calgary 1988 with its audio-visual technologies.

At CHITEC 2007, Panasonic introduces how its audio-visual technologies will support the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games relative to 3 scenes inside its booth, which are the Venue (a passionate competition at the venues), Broadcast (communicating the passion with broadcasting technologies), and Home (recreating the passion at home). Panasonic communicates its message, "Sharing the Passion" (sharing the dreams and passions of the athletes with people all over the world), in all three areas.

The star presence here in this part of the booth is the "DVCPRO P2-HD" series (i.e. broadcasting cameras), which has been selected as the official broadcasting equipment of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. As a solid-state memory card is used as the storage medium, it is resistant to impact and vibration, and is highly compatible with IT equipment. Therefore, it is a revolutionary system that allows the crew to speed up and reform the workflow at the various venues where the Olympic Games will beheld. Perhaps Panasonic's technologies have been selected as the official broadcasting equipment again because of the innovative change the "DVCPRO P2-HD" will bring about, and because of its high credibility established at the past Games.

The passion of the athletes at the venues will be captured with the "DVCPRO P2-HD" broadcasting camera and delivered to giant screen "Astro Visions" in venues and street corners together with dynamic sound reproduced by the "RAMSA" sound system, sweeping the crowd in a flurry of excitement. And such footage will be delivered to homes all over the world and compellingly displayed on the large screen "VIERA." This certainly embodies Panasonic's desire for "Sharing the Passion" with people all over the world.

Looking back on history, you could argue that broadcasting technologies have evolved in conjunction with big sporting events. And the Olympic Games is one of the largest sporting events in the world; the entire planet explodes with excitement.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is the first time in the history of the Games that the competitions will be recorded and delivered in high definition. In other words, the "international signal" broadcast to countries all over the world will be in high definition.

What this means is that if you have a high definition TV, such as the "VIERA," you can enjoy high resolution, high definition footage in a highly realistic environment at home (of course this may differ a bit depending on the country you live in). The impact this has, perhaps, is equivalent to when color TV broadcast began.

Panasonic, who has concurred with, and supports the Olympic Movement upholds the slogan, "Sharing the Passion." From this message, we can get a feel for Panasonic's passion and commitment, which seems to say that with the latest broadcasting equipment, Panasonic will deliver the serious contest and passion of the athletes competing at the venues to giant screens known as "Astro Vision" and various broadcasting networks, let you dynamically enjoy the footage in high definition quality on "VIERA's" large screen in your living room, and share the passion with people all over the world.

Photo: The slogan, "'Sharing the Passion,' Panasonic supports the Olympic Games with high definition technology" is written in English and Chinese.

Among many other memory cards, SD Memory Card boasts the highest global demand. With respect to moving images, still images, and music, evolutions in high resolution, high sound quality is rapidly taking place due to the high resolutions in digital cameras and the widespread of semi-conductor movies and digital audio.

This gave birth to the SDHC Memory Card, which meets the needs for higher speed and higher capacity. I think this is the storage medium befitting this high definition era; it is the same size as a SD Memory Card and it is compatible to high speed continuous shooting and recording high definition quality footage. The SDHC Memory Card starts from 4GB, and the capacity is said to increase in the future. So small… but so powerful.

The reduction in size of the memory cards is another development in progress. The microSD Card is about 1/10(!) the size of the existing SD Memory Card, and is used as external (not embedded) memory cards for mobile phones.

Assembly of evolving SD Memory Cards is exhibited here. I am impressed once again with the technological improvements that allow us to store huge amounts of high quality music, footage, and photographs on this tiny, stamp sized card.

As I have mentioned in the previous entry regarding the 7.1ch "Premium Blu-ray Theater," Panasonic has on display Blu-ray Discs as a sample exhibit here at CHITEC 2007. The Blu-ray Disc corner located right in front of the theatre has a sign that says "Panasonic Provides Total Blu-ray Disc Support," and features the ability to store 50GB (dual layer) of content on a disc the size of a DVD, or the possibilities for expansive application in the future.

Moreover H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compatible high definition encoding, which is expected by many to serve as a high definition video format for Blu-ray Discs and broadband broadcast, and service for creating stream, as well as the business structure for Blu-ray Disc authoring are introduced here.

In collaboration with the Hollywood entertainment industry, Panasonic is currently undertaking Blu-ray software production on a global scale. Let's hope that the latest titles will be made available and also that those from the past we have been appreciating will be reborn in high definition, as a multi-functional Blu-ray Disc, and made available in the near future.

Panasonic offers its products to a wide range of users. Therefore its manufacturing principle focuses on the concept of universal design; easy to understand, easy to use, and safe for all.

At the Universal Design Corner in the Panasonic booth, the results from one of their studies are introduced. This illustrates the findings from their research on what colors have the least variance with respect to how it is perceived by individuals, even people with color perception deficiency. These results have been put to use for product development that is why Panasonic uses the colors, yellow and blue for major buttons and screen displays (yellow for the actual buttons, and blue for backgrounds to afford a better contrast) on their home electronic equipment.

Panasonic also developed goggles that simulate how people with cataract, which is said to affect 70% of the people over 65, sees things, and it applies such findings to product development. There was a corner where visitors could try on the goggles, and where case studies on how it has contributed to development of products, which the elderly could see more easily.

I'll reveal the true identity of the mysterious panel I talked about yesterday.

The panel is exhibited in the corner, which introduces the environmental measures undertaken by Panasonic. And it describes in simple terms Panasonic's commitment to making "lead-free" plasma panels for the "VIERA."

First let's talk about the 33 airplanes on the left. This expresses how much lead is used in cathode-ray TVs.

On average, about 3.4 kg of lead is used for each cathode-ray TV. If we multiply this figure with the number of Panasonic TVs sold globally, the weight would equal 13,600 tons! And this weight is approximately equal to the weight of 33 commercial airplanes!!

Now, let's talk about 187 automobiles on the right. This is how much lead was used in the Panasonic's very early models of the panels used in plasma displays.

The panels only used 70 g of lead per display; this is dramatically less than the amount used for cathode-ray tubes. However, if we multiply this figure with the number of Panasonic TVs sold globally, this amounts to 280 tons. So in other words, the weight is equivalent to that of 187 automobiles.

But in 2006, Panasonic developed lead-free plasma panels that may be used in all the new models. Panasonic is the first company in the world to make all 140 models it sells all over the world lead-free. This is amazing!

Environmental issues are also a great concern for China, who faces many due to its rapid economic growth. This corner on the environment introduces various measures undertaken by Panasonic. I will discuss Panasonic's commitment to the global environment in more detail in my future entries.

If I think about it, my TV at home is still a cathode-ray. I didn't realize this much lead was used.

Images introducing the colorful buildings and landscapes of China are displayed on the screens in the exhibition corner for the plasma TV, "VIERA." Many people stop in front of the screen and gaze intently at the images displayed, struck by the powerful performance of the large-screen and the sharpness of high definition quality resolution.

You will also find here the world's first 42-inch 1080p full high definition plasma TV, which was introduced as a prototype at CES in Las Vegas in January this year, and then made available to general consumers in Japan in April.

Here you will find a wide range of full high definition models starting with the 103-inch, 65-inch, 58-inch, 50-inch, and the 42-inch.

One of the remarkable features of a plasma TV is that it has an impressive fast moving image response; therefore it can beautifully display fast action sequences, such as sports. Plasma TV's popularity in China is certainly expected to increase even further as the Beijing Olympic Games will be held here next year.

Many people who don't ordinarily follow sports become glued to the TV, enthralled with the Olympic Games. I am one of those people.

Once every 4 years, top athletes from multitudes of countries come together to meet head on, fighting for their "honor," "world/national records," sometimes even their "life meaning." There is so much that is dependent on a single contest when it comes to the Olympic Games, and that is where the "excitement" and "emotional highs" are born.

The Olympic Movement aspires to "contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practised without discrimination or any kind, in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." And the Olympic Games are the highest echelon of such activities.

Panasonic has concurred with such aims of the Olympic Games, and became a TOP (The Olympic Partner) Sponsor, the highest tier of Olympic sponsorship, since the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games and through to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Panasonic has supported the games with state-of-the-art video and audio technologies for over 12 games or more than 20 years.

The TOP program was launched for the Calgary 1998, and only 4 companies have continued this relationship from the very first year it was launched. Panasonic is one of them. Panasonic really has had a long-standing relationship with the Olympic Games.

Panasonic's business philosophy is to "devote ourselves to the progress and development of society and the well-being of people through our business activities, thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world." This creed seems to be quite in line to the objectives of the Olympic Movement, and it makes sense that Panasonic has been a long-term sponsor of the Olympic Games.

At Panasonic in Action at the Olympic Games, you can learn more about Panasonic's involvement with the Olympic Games. You can also watch highlights of the great historical sporting moments from the past Games.

The Olympic Emblems from when Panasonic first became a TOP (The Olympic Partner) Sponsor of the pinnacle global sporting event are displayed within the booth; you will find emblems from the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

There are a total of 12 emblems, including both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games. All these emblems displayed side by side is truly a spectacular sight. What do you think? How many do you remember? If you look at each of them closely, they are all excellent, each simplistically expressing, the unique characteristics of the various host nations. I remember that personally, the stereoscopic design of the emblem for Torino in 2006 left a strong impression.

Many of you may have already seen the emblem for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing." People familiar with Chinese characters will see it immediately, but the emblem uses the second character, meaning "capital" found in the word, "Beijing," to resemble an athlete.

Moreover, the artwork is such that it looks as thought it is a seal or calligraphy. The emblem seems to embody the traditional Chinese culture, hospitality for the visitors who will come from all over the world, and the pursuit of the spirit of the Olympic Games.

I watched Panasonic's corporate stage performance, which may be considered to be the "centerpiece" of the exhibition. A huge crowd suddenly gathered in front of the stage as soon as the countdown finished and the opening performance began.

A performance with 3 male performers using a basketball conducted synchronously with the footage displayed on 4 103-inch plasma displays. And 2 female dancers who dance with exuberance and power complement this performance. The performers and dancers' movements and the video footage of the performers, the basketballs, and Panasonic's products presented on the plasma display tell a synergetic story, creating a fun and mysterious world, where fantasy and reality are intertwined.

With this performance, Panasonic's AV equipment beginning with the plasma TV, "VIERA," as well as other topical products such as the Blu-ray Disc, and SD Memory Cards are introduced. Moreover, it describes how Panasonic supports the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as the Official Worldwide Partner with its high definition technologies, and illustrates Panasonic's commitment to the global environment.

It seems that the performers who handle the ball adeptly are called "ballers." The 3 ballers who appeared on the stage are all highly professional performers, who have performed on numerous brilliant stages in the U.S. I'm sure these performers will magnetize many visitors who come to the Panasonic booth.

	This is the "Living in High Definition" stage, introducing the "VIERA Link," which links Panasonic's high definition products together around the plasma TV, "VIERA," placed in the center of the stage.
	The broadcast camera and editing devices, which has been selected as the official broadcasting equipment of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is introduced in this corner. It also showcases Panasonic's relationship with the Olympic Games, which has continued over 20 years.
	This is the exhibition corner for the digital camera, "LUMIX." A line-up of cameras including the FX100 introduced recently may be found here.

So what did you think? Did you get an idea of what the Panasonic booth at CHITEC 2007 is like? I'll talk about these corners more in detail in my future entries.

As you know, CHITEC 2007, "China Beijing International High-tech Expo," has begun today. Let's take a brief tour around the Panasonic booth.

	The main stage is the first thing that leaps out at the visitors' eyes. A dynamic corporate stage performance is held here daily.
	And this is the Environment Corner, which introduces Panasonic's commitment to the global environment.
	Here is a line-up of "VIERA" TVs including the 1080p full high definition plasma TVs ranging from the 103-inch to the 42-inch model.
	The features of the plasma TV, "VIERA," and the black box and environmental technologies that support it are introduced in the "VIERA Technology Lab."

And onto the next entry.

Panasonic's brand signage stands out prominently at the CHITEC exhibition hall.

The base color blue has a mysterious translucency. And the while Panasonic logo is vividly foiled against the background. The small blue mosaic pattern is said to have been designed to represent a "digital" feel.

The base portion of the facade is actually made of cloth. The soft texture of the cloth combined with the cool image gives a rich demeanor befitting to express the global brand slogan, "Panasonic ideas for life." What's more, because it's made of cloth there are many benefits, one of them being reusability. But don't you think that the color hues give it a great deep color?

Panasonic's exhibition theme for CHITEC 2007 is "Living in High Definition."

I've touched upon this in an earlier entry, but people will be able to enjoy high quality high definition images from home during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. This exhibition theme embodies Panasonic's ideas for life, which, with the synergy of various equipment around the plasma TV, "VIERA," will propose a new way of life and let you enjoy high definition quality images at home.

The Panasonic booth at CHITEC 2007 showcases Panasonic's involvement with the past and current Olympic Games, and will also introduce various new offerings from Panasonic, which envisions the true dawning of a high definition era. I will keep you updated with live information, so come back soon!

May 25, 9:00 – the "China Beijing International High-Tech Expo" has just begun.

A huge crowd is pouring into the exhibition hall already. Many are navigating rapidly through the halls with a brochure in one hand in search of their desired booth, but the venue is so expansive that you'd never get around it in time unless you prioritize your destinations and devise a plan. It will be exciting to see how many of these people will be visiting the Panasonic booth.

Fortunately, the weather here in Beijing is wonderful, and this is expected to last all day. Many more people will surely be coming to the exhibition. And I'd better get cracking on my reporting!

The exterior of the Olympic National Stadium is almost complete, and having heard that it is quite a unique edifice, I briefly left the CHITEC exhibition hall where preparations are underway, and headed in a taxi towards the Olympic Green located in the northern area of Beijing.

As you can see from the photograph in this morning's entry, the skies are not very clear due to the yellow sand phenomena. The entire park was still under construction. This is the view that I saw after 5 minutes of walking around the periphery of the park where the men working on construction busily went about their work. This is today's view of the "Bird's Nest" stadium, the main venue for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It's hard to see in the picture, but as the name suggests, it truly resembles a bird's nest made of steel. It is a very unique shape.

	I saw it from between the gaps in the perimeter fencing surrounding the construction site!
	Walking about for another 3 more minutes, I was able to get a closer view of it from the pedestrian overpass.

This venue will be used for the Opening and Closing ceremonies, for track and field events, and football matches. It is quite enormous as its capacity is approximately 91,000. The exterior is almost complete. Interior construction is still underway. I look forward to its completion, which is scheduled to be by the end of the year.

This is a picture of one corner of the Panasonic booth where I found a panel with many airplanes and automobiles attached. Why? I'll write about it in detail in tomorrow's entry, so don't forget to check in with us again tomorrow!

I am currently in the "secret back room" behind the Panasonic booth. This is what they call the small working room set aside for blog writers at the venue. It is quite the antithesis environment in comparison to the bright and gorgeous booth and stage. But I have Internet connection here, and it is proving to be a great frontline base for writing my entries.

There is less than 1 day to go before the exhibition opens its doors. There are many booths that are still under construction and it's a bit worrying as I wonder if they will be finished in time for tomorrow (I'm sure they will be alright).

The Panasonic booth… is just fine. The preparations seem to be progressing steadily, and the display of large products are complete. Now they are putting up panels and starting rehearsals on the main stage.

Although they are just rehearsing, many people from the other booths have gathered in front of the main stage drawn by the high level performance of the dancers and performers. I can't wait to see how the turn out will be once the exhibition begins.

The rehearsal on the corporate stage 17 hours before the exhibition.

CHITEC 2007 (China Beijing International High-Tech Expo) is about to begin tomorrow, on the 25th, at 9:00 am. I happened to take a picture on the major road leading up to the Beijing International Exhibition Center from the hotel. It says CHITEC in Chinese, and these banners line both sides of the road for a few hundred meters. You don't see this very often at exhibitions in Japan.

Traffic jams in the mornings in Beijing. This is a photograph taken from a taxi window.

Over the past 10 years, the Internet has rapidly pervaded our lives in Japan. How are people in China using the internet? I asked a Japanese staff who is helping me in Beijing about this. He has lived here for 6 years now, and he gave me much insight. (Of course, this is one person's perspective, a person who is not native to China, so there may be a difference in awareness or misconceptions.)

Over the past few years, the Chinese government has been committed to making the Internet and broadband widely available in people's homes. In big cities like Beijing, it's becoming quite the norm for each family to have 1 PC at home, and the broadband environment is coming into place more and more year on year.

Moreover, in large cities, there are many Internet cafés. You will find at least one in places where young people gather, or in big shopping centers, and people use them to play online games and to chat with their friends. The prices range from 2~6 yuan per hour but there are some that are as much as 15 yuan per hour. The prices seems to differ depending on the location of the Internet environment (as of now, 1 yuan = about 16 yen).

The Internet wave had also hit the shores of China. According to the newspaper article I read, there are plans to stream some parts of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on the Internet. The Internet environment will probably become even more advanced in view of the Games next year.

And lastly, the person who gave me insight into China told me an interesting story. Many things in China have developed and is still developing rapidly, and it is quite normal to say after a little time, "What? It's changed that much?!" So, he said that they don't know how long the information he told me would stay valid. Having said that, although it is rapidly developing, once you step into an ally, you will still see the old traditional side of China. He seems to enjoy living in China and watching this gap and "China's ever changing state where the old and new blend together."

My curiosity for China, which is undergoing rapid transformation, has become even more pronounced.

In just over 3 hours, I arrived at the international airport in the capital of China, Beijing. It is very close to Japan. I only had to turn back my watch hand 1 hour. From this entry forward, the local time will be set in Beijing time.

At the international airport in Beijing, there are banners with the Olympic emblem, and signs counting down the time to the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (443 days to go); you can get a feel for how excited people here are.

I may be able to experience exhibitions and events held in conjunction with the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games during my stay here for CHITEC.

	A big signage placed in the front entrance area of the airport waiting lounge counting down the time leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. There are only one year and a few months to go until the games begin.
	I found a giant screen right outside the airport entrance! It's hard to see in the picture but there was a lot of content related to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games aired on the giant screen.

The CHITEC 2007, "China Beijing International High-Tech Expo," will begin at last on Friday, May 25. But to get a head start on my research, I am going to leave tomorrow, on the 23rd, for Beijing.

I will continue to update this blog with entries from China from tomorrow until the 29th (Tues), the last day of the exhibition, so don't forget to check it out.

Now, I'm off to pack my things!

It has been 20 years since the last time I visited China. I was a student at that time and traveled from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, then to Shanghai. It was my first trip abroad. The journey was filled with surprises; a Chinese man who I met in the air plane over let me stay in his home for a few days, and I was supposed to meet a friend of mine at a very well known hotel in Shanghai, but I couldn't even get near the hotel because the hotel was closed off to the public for a Spielberg film shoot. I also remember that I saw many elderly men wearing Mao caps, and that there were hardly any women wearing skirts.

I didn't get to go to China's capital, Beijing, during my trip to China 20 years ago, but now, I get to go; it must be bubbling with excitement as it will host the Olympic Games next year.

I can't wait to see how things have changed in China after it has undergone economic growth over the past few decades!

Let me tell you a little bit more about CHITEC 2007 that Panasonic will be taking part in.

According to the official website, the organizers of the exhibition are: Ministry of Science Technology, P.R.C., Ministry of Commerce, P.R.C., Ministry of Education, P.R.C., Ministry of Information Industry, P.R.C., China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, State Intellectual Property Office, P.R.C., and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality.

As I wrote in my first blog entry, CHITEC stands for "China Beijing International High-Tech Expo." Having said that, not only high-tech companies, but also multitudes of other companies from China and from all over the world handling a wide range of products will take part in this exhibition. Last year 2048 companies and approximately 230,000 people took part. These figures compare favorably to those from the world's largest exhibitions; it is an exhibition of a grand scale.

The official website tells us that CHITEC has played an important role in being an interface for domestic Chinese and foreign companies.

The 10th exhibition to be held this year is bigger in scale; the exhibition venue is composed of 9 halls, measuring over 60,000 m2! Many renowned economists, scientists, and top corporate executives have been invited to the exhibition, and numerous keynote speeches and forums will be held.

CHITEC is one of the largest exhibitions in China. And it is held in Beijing, where the Olympic Games will be hosted next year. We can certainly expect a powerful presentation from Panasonic as it is the Official Worldwide Partner for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

I am excited already. I wonder what an exhibition that attracts over 200,000 people will be like…

By the way, click here for the CHITEC official website in Chinese and here for English.

Information about the CHITEC 2007 is available on the parent website of the Cyber Showcase Blog you are reading. You can check out the exhibition theme, booth outline, and exhibited products in both English and Japanese at this exhibition information website, the Cyber Showcase.

The website will be updated with more detailed information as the opening of the exhibition nears; so don't forget to check it out. You can also jump to the Cyber Showcase website by clicking on the countdown banner on the left.

The locally incorporated Panasonic corporation has created this website. It is quite a dynamic and energetic site; you can feel their spirit and enthusiasm. More information will be available on the website in the near future. True to our expectations, a more detailed venue map and booth position are available on this website.

Hi! I'm mino. CHITEC 2007 is the first exhibition I will be in charge of as a new writer for the Cyber Showcase Blog.

The official designation for CHITEC is "China Beijing International High-Tech Expo". This 10-year old exhibition is an integrated exhibition where products and services from the electronics industry as well as from a wide range of other fields are introduced. The expo will welcome many highly advanced high-tech companies not only from China, but also from all over the world providing a platform for these companies to introduce their latest, best and brightest technologies. Panasonic, too, is making preparations to tell people in China about the allure of its products.

Needless to say, China is a country marked with breakneck economic growth. As it will host China's first Olympic Games in 2008, Beijing in particular is undergoing great transformation; the physical transfiguration is caused by the great construction boom. China is also a massive market, with a growing wealthy population. This year's CHITEC will be held in such a fervent environment. Those of you who are always up to speed with what's new and hot can't afford to miss it!

The exhibition will take place from May 25 to May 29. Over the 5 days of CHITEC, I hope to give you information about Panasonic's products and bring the atmosphere of the exhibition and the passions of the people to you.

It will be my first trip to an exhibition in China, but I'll share with you behind-the-scenes information and the atmosphere of the city, so please stay tuned!