A major press event by Toshiba – to explain the company’s “Multi-Vision” Strategy – attracted around 200 journalists from all corners of Europe to the ultra-modern ME Hotel in the Spanish city of Barcelona.

Speaking to Consumer Lifestyle News at the event, Toshiba Europe’s President, Alan Thompson explained: "A major concern for consumers is how to use content across their devices, and in particular how to enjoy their digital multimedia on more than just one screen.”

Originally, Mr Thompson pointed out that the company had a “Three Screen” vision, from pocket devices, through laptop PCs through to TVs. Now, however, other devices for other complementary applications and activities have been added to the recipe, so the company now calls its strategy “Multi Screen”.

The day-long press event on 15th April began with an opening press conference, including presentations by Mr Thompson, Thomas Teckentrup, General Manager, Product Strategy and Development – Computer Systems Group EMEA, Toshiba Europe GmbH, Marco Perino, General Manager, EMEA Digital Life Products and Services and Sascha Lange, Director of European TV Marketing. This was followed up by workshops on image quality and sustainable development initiatives by the company.

Toshiba Survey Spotlights Consumers’ Wish to Share Multimedia Files Between Devices:

According to a recent European-wide Toshiba survey, consumers want to exchange their personal multimedia between devices, and close to 50 percent already do so. "We expect this percentage will increase significantly," concluded Thompson. As such, Toshiba created an ecosystem with a wide selection of technologies, applications and devices that enable content sharing with ease of use as the main focus. According to a press statement, the focus is: “Making the transfer of content between devices easy: closely aligned technologies, applications and devices form a diverse ecosystem with the laptop at its heart.”

New Laptops at Heart of Toshiba Marketing Thrust

Toshiba’s laptops are at the heart of Toshiba’s Multi Screen Vision. To this end, the company announced several new additions to their range during the Barcelona Press Event and underlined the importance of well established interfaces such as USB, WLAN, Bluetooth, Mobile Broadband, HDMI, and SD-Card slots, while pioneering technologies including Intel Wireless Display and upcoming technologies such as TransferJet.

Simplicity is Key

“Users do not want to think about technology and how they should transfer content from one device to another. They simply want it to work without a complicated set-up,” said Thomas Teckentrup. “The Toshiba Media Controller and Intel's Wireless Display make it possible to do so – delivering benefit-rich technology features with an easy-to-use graphical user interface.”

Based on DLNA, the Toshiba Media Controller facilitates the distribution of multimedia content such as music clips, videos and photos in DLNA-enabled home networks by an intuitive drag and drop operation. The Toshiba Media Controller Plug-in for Internet Explorer lets users stream Flash videos stored on YouTube to a connected DLNA-capable TV. With one click, Intel Wireless Display replicates the laptop’s screen on the big screen of an Intel Wireless Display enabled TV, making it very easy for users to share all kinds of content with others. The Satellite A660, Toshiba’s first European laptop with Intel Wireless Display onboard, debuted at the Barcelona event.

The TV - centre stage in users’ digital lives

TVs are another essential building block in the Toshiba Multi Screen Vision as outlined in the press event. “We’ve added many new connectivity features, based on DLNA and Windows 7 compatibility, to our latest TV sets. These give customers the freedom to seamlessly move multimedia content onto large screens, making it particularly enjoyable to share with others,” said Yasuhide Ozo, Vice President Sales Toshiba Consumer Products, Europe.

They include interfaces such as WLAN, USB, HDMI and SD Card. With DLNA certification, these TVs play an important role in the Toshiba Media Controller ecosystem, while Windows 7 compatibility – Toshiba today introduced Europe’s first Windows 7 compatible TV sets – allows them to receive multimedia streams from laptops by using the Windows 7 “play to” function.

Toshiba Tablet Device Adds to the Picture…

“Home multimedia tablets like the JOURN.E TOUCH will play a prominent part in families’ digital lifestyles. They also play a crucial role in the Multi Screen Vision, both in terms of consuming media and as a flexible media ‘control panel’ in the living room,” stated Marco Perino, General Manager Digital Products and Services EMEA. The JOURN.E TOUCH now features the Toshiba Media Controller. This further expands the device’s usefulness, turning it into a ubiquitous remote control for content sharing in the home multimedia network.

The Important Role Of Retailers

According to Mr Thompson, the convergence of IT and CE devices continues, although distribution channels through retail have not changed. Mr Thompson held up the example of Best Buy in the United States, where a central island in the store harbours demonstrations of how various devices can all work together, with buyers then able to go to the various departments of interest following this to buy their products, once they have a firm grasp on what they really need.

Mr Thompson says at least one major European CE retailer is planning to set-up a similar presentation system which, he says, avoids customers bringing back unwanted products to the store, as the have a better understanding in the first place of what they need. Mr Thompson says he is, however, against the idea of bundling.

Waiting for the Cell

The much-awaited Cell TV, featuring what the company says is by far the most powerful on-board processor of any TV on the market to date, already on sale in Japan since December 2009, was not on display at the Barcelona Press Event, and, according to Marketing Director, Sascha Lange, will most likely first be seen in Europe at IFA Berlin. However Toshiba did announce 5 new TV lines set for release in coming months in Europe, including the new SL, VL, WL and XV series, as well as the RV733 MultiScreen series. All except the XV series feature LED backlights. The mid-range LED models are edge-lit, while the top of the range models feature direct LED backlighting with Local Area Dimming.

3D TV from Toshiba

Toshiba’s 3D TV product roadmap builds on two pillars. In the third quarter of 2010 Toshiba will debut its first 3D capable REGZA LCD TV sets with Edge LED backlight and support of active shutter glasses. Shortly afterwards, the CELL TV, targeted at high-end enthusiasts, will hit the European market.