Micro Matic v-POD weds beer dispenser and LCD TV

It's two things that are inevitably tied to one another each Sunday -- LCD TVs and alcohol. Now, Micro Matic is bringing them together like never before, and only the most serious of in-home bartenders need apply. The v-POD comes in a couple of shapes and colors to best suit your needs, with the stainless steel Kool-Rite boasting a half-dozen taps, stereo speakers and an inbuilt 10-inch LCD. Now, if only these were available with slightly larger HDTVs and price tags nowhere near the three grand mark, we'd be talking.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

[rick @ Dec 1st 2008 5:40PM]

How many times have you sat behind the tap at a bar and been blocked from the TV.

-Good Invention

[Aguiluz @ Dec 1st 2008 5:46PM]

Considering the taps are at the back, you won't see the TV at all when you get beer.

[jupiterthunder @ Dec 1st 2008 6:21PM]

At the risk of looking stupid b/c I have not RTFA, it looks like the TV is on the wrong side to be useful to the fella working the tap.

[George @ Dec 1st 2008 6:06PM]

@ Aguiluz

This obviously wouldn't be for the bartender....when was the last time you served your own beer at a bar?

[rick @ Dec 1st 2008 10:08PM]

At the restaurants I frequent, they don't give you access to the taps.

[midiwall @ Dec 1st 2008 6:21PM]

@rick: It's not a TV, it's an LCD panel linked to a dedicated video player driven by media on a CompactFlash card. It's meant for advertising loops. From the read link: "Video excitement at the Point of Dispense! The new v-POD is a blank canvas - ready for promotional potential. Guaranteed to attract the customer's attention for draft beer and more".


@George: I think Aguiluz is thinking about taps that at the back of the bar space; NOT sitting on the front bar.

[Google @ Dec 1st 2008 8:55PM]

And I thought I'd have to temper either my alcoholism or my television addiction -- praise the lloyd.

[Alpinerover @ Dec 1st 2008 5:48PM]

I can see this going in the back of someone's cavalier on pimp my ride.

[Aguiluz @ Dec 1st 2008 5:50PM]

I just tapped "READ" and said "Whoa, my goodness!" at the price.

Save yourself and buy a big TV and set it high up the wall. Then you can see it everytime you go to the beer station..

[midiwall @ Dec 1st 2008 6:18PM]

Yeah, but that $3000 isn't that much considering what's here... This is a 6-tap system in _stainless_, with an LCD panel, and a video player, and a Glycol based cooler.

[Jack H @ Dec 1st 2008 6:25PM]

im getting the gist that youre a bartender?

[J-Rad @ Dec 1st 2008 5:58PM]

Uhh.... utterly perfect

[Samboini @ Dec 1st 2008 6:07PM]

Apart from it is not.

[AJR @ Dec 1st 2008 6:18PM]

Wow looks Like I'm going to have to start Drinking again. NOT!

[kevin @ Dec 1st 2008 8:40PM]

Wow looks like I'm going to have to start capitalizing Random words in the Middle of sentences again. NOT!

[Jack H @ Dec 1st 2008 6:24PM]

and now we introduce our next innnovation, the cooler grill!
this is stupid

[BigDave @ Dec 1st 2008 6:39PM]

Umm. These have been on the micromatic website for at least 4 years. And this link is from engadget china? WTF..

Maybe I've built too many kegerators, but you guys are WAY behind the times.

[Rainier @ Dec 1st 2008 6:40PM]

For a moment I read "weed" instead of "wed". Maybe that will be available for the green LCD TVs.

[william @ Dec 1st 2008 6:45PM]

we have had these in New Zealand at most sports bars for years

[ScooterDe @ Dec 1st 2008 7:40PM]

perfect for watching TV...when passed out on the floor.

[allgoodnamestakenup @ Dec 1st 2008 8:48PM]

I know what I want for christmas....

[Casper42 @ Dec 1st 2008 11:13PM]

They seem to be using 4:3 ratio LCDs though.

How Quaint

Seriously though, the entire freaking universe is on a Widescreen revolution. Why would you release anything using 4:3 or SD?

Actually I just read the Read link. Apparently you just hook it up to a "Digi Viewer" which "Accepts a variety of memory cards" using "MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, MP3"

WTF, no live TV even from an external Tuner?

These guys are seriously on crack.
But hey, you can show a SLIDESHOW of your favorite game footage!

[Gary @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:52AM]

they have had these in bars for ages now!!

[Joe @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:03AM]

they have these in pretty much every sports bar in the UK.

[John @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:36AM]

Xanadu!