Mitsubishi To Add GalleryPlayer Feature

SEATTLE — GalleryPlayer said it has reached a deal with Mitsubishi Digital Electric America to make select 2008 Mitsubishi televisions compatible with its galleries of still-image content.

GalleryPlayer said Mitsubishi has "fully implemented" its spec, even enabling viewing image credit and background data with each image.

Mitsubishi has built into select LCD TV and DLP rear-projection sets a codec that will enable set users to unlock and display protected images and credits.

Interested users can call up the GalleryPlayer Web site on their computers and select, purchase and download imagery to a USB thumb drive, which will plug into the television set to access images. GalleryPlayer said it offers tens of thousands of images to choose from.

GalleryPlayer images feature galleries of classic art, famous photos and unique images in full 1080p high-definition resolution. Images can be displayed on TV screens when not in use, to turn the set into a virtual picture frame.

GalleryPlayer will supply each compatible Mitsubishi set with a set of seven sample images, featuring the classic artworks "The Mona Lisa" and "Girl With A Pearl Earring," and various photos. GalleryPlayer sells additional images for $0.99 apiece or as part of packs, which typically run $15 to $20 for 30 images or starter packages with 1,500 images starting at around $50. Collections can be sold by themes, such as exotic beaches, extreme sports, travel shots, classic art and others.

Last year, GalleryPlayer reached a similar deal with Panasonic, which offers GalleryPlayer compatibility in its Viera product line. Mitsubishi will be the second TV line with GalleryPlayer in the market, the company said.

At International CES, Sharp and Samsung were also announced as future partners, but exact launch plans for those lines have not been disclosed.

GalleryPlayer also offers its content as video-on-demand offerings through Comcast cable systems, where it ranks in the top 25 percent of video-on-demand purchases, GalleryPlayer said.