Panasonic is launching a new HiDef web series called “LIHD Celebrity Hookup” will debut at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday exclusively at  LivingInHD.com.

The TV series-style online program that will feature an inside look at how some of today’s most visible celebrities, athletes and entertainers utilize the latest in consumer electronics to enhance their lives. The first webisode will feature TV and film actor, Kevin Connolly, star of HBO’s critically-acclaimed series, “Entourage.”

LIHD Celebrity Hookup is hosted by lifestyle technology expert, Janna Robinson, who discovers from each featured celebrity their current consumer electronics needs and then “hooks up” their home with the products they need to meet those needs. Following select shows, the featured celebrity will conduct a live web chat on LivingInHD.com to discuss the show. New webisodes will run approximately once each month and are expected to include a range of popular stars from TV, film, entertainment and sports. Details on future webisodes and celebrities will be announced on LivingInHD.com at a later date.

First launched in August 2007, the Living In HD program was created to help people get the answers they need about the emerging HD, and now 3D, products coming to market by communicating with real people who are actually using the technology in their everyday lives. More than 90 families have been given a suite of interconnected Panasonic HiDef products, including Viera Full HD 3D plasma IPTVs, 3D home theater systems, Blu-ray Disc players, Lumix digital cameras and HD camcorders. They provide feedback on how they use the products in their everyday lives and share their own inspirational and creative project ideas through the LivingInHD.com community web site.

“We are very excited about the debut of LIHD Celebrity Hookup and think our LivingInHD.com members and visitors to the site will really enjoy this new facet of the LIHD community,” said Tom Murano, Panasonic’s Director of Brand Management who directs LivingInHD.com. “The goal here is to show consumers that everyone, celebrities included, are enjoying the benefits of all of the amazing, cutting-edge technology that is out there from Full HD 3D Home Theater and connected TVs with Skype video calling, to amazing digital cameras and HD camcorders that really open up your creativity, keep you connected with loved ones on a whole new level, and deliver entertainment into your home unlike anything ever seen before.”

– By Scott Hettrick

ESPN is teaming with Major League Baseball to offer more HiDef streaming of live sporting events as the 24/7 Internet broadband service ESPN360.com transforms to ESPN3.com next month.

ESPN360.com announced today that it will collaborate with MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) for its technology infrastructure and operations support when the network’s name changes on April 4th.

As part of the deal, the network will use Adobe’s Flash Media Server (FMS) as its core technology. New features and enhancements include customizable widgets with scores, chats, schedules and more. ESPN3.com will also offer more HiDef streaming of live events and additional viewing options via picture-in-picture and split screens.

“ESPN360.com carries a wide variety of more than 3,500 live sporting events online, and continually improving that experience is our top priority,” said John Kosner, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Digital Media. “This new agreement with MLBAM, which deepens our seven-year relationship, brings two leaders in sports video streaming together on the same platform.”

“Our long-term collaboration with ESPN has been defined by a common thread to serve fans first and supporting the new ESPN3.com with our live streaming technology underscores our continued commitment to this goal,” said Bob Bowman, president and chief executive officer, MLBAM.

Programming on ESPN3.com will remain the same, with access to replay, HiDef-quality streaming and milestone markers for select events, geo-targeted ads and more. The network is available at no cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. It is currently in 50 million households — a majority of U.S. broadband homes — and accessible via dozens of Internet Service Providers nationwide, including AT&T, Verizon, Cox Communications, Comcast, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Charter, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and more.

Jay Leno recently drove the new 2010 Mercedes AMG SLS (gull wing) on a Hollywood street cirucit of his own devising in a 6 1/2-minute HiDef Internet video shot by Jeremy Hart using HiDef cameras.

Check out “The Fast and Famous” video homage to the cult favorite 8 1/2-min. “Rendevous” short made by Claude Lelouche in 1976 featuring a supposedly single take of a high-speed dash through the streets of Paris at dawn from the view of a single camera mounted on the front of the car, a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9.

Leno also did his 13-mile drive in a single take just past dawn on a Sunday morning, but he also provided running commentary and did two other drives on two other mornings, with Hart mounting three cameras on the car for cutaways (two HiDef Iconix mini cameras used in studio 3D movies and for other special effects, and one HiDef Sony camera). The set-up can be seen in the 5 1/2-minute making-of video beneath the primary video below.

– By Scott Hettrick