Japanese broadcasters reject Panasonic Smart TV advert in fit of jealousy (video)

As technology adverts go, this new one from Panasonic isn't bad. We've certainly seen worse. From the POV of some major Japanese broadcasters, however, it's apparently too dangerous to air. According to AFP, they've refused to transmit the ad because viewers might be confused by its demonstration of Panasonic's Smart TV interface, which mixes terrestrial TV with web content courtesy of a rather ordinary split-screen feature. This semi-justification has inevitably led to speculation that the privately owned broadcasters are actually trying to slow the growth of IPTV in Japan, because they're not quite ready to compete. Panasonic seems to have taken the knock-back on the chin, saying that IPTV is a "new area of service" in its home nation and that it's currently in talks to "create new rules for broadcasting." Meanwhile, the mind-boggling material is embedded after the break if you're sure you can handle it.