Panasonic upgrades connected TV platform

Panasonic has used the CES show in Las Vegas to unveil Smart Viera, a new iteration of its Viera Connect connected TV platform centred on networking, easy operation, picture quality, ecology and design elements. The platform will include a cloud- based service, providing online movies and sports, as well as new apps in categories such as games, kids and health and fitness.

Smart Viera gives the user access to weather reports and news, and a number of video-on-demand services. The appearance of social networking TV apps including Facebook and Twitter are designed to make large screen communication more comfortable for the consumer, according to Panasonic. A sidebar on the screen displays the wall and timeline for these social media sites, so viewers can directly write in SSN comments and tweets while simultaneously watching TV.

Panasonic has developed a new Viera Touch Pad Controller, included with its VT50 and WT50 series sets, for easy web browsing and a newly developed application called Viera remote App allows an iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone to be used as a remote control. Some 2012 Viera HDTVs – the VT50, GT50, WT50 models – will support multitasking by making it possible to open several web pages simultaneously and switch between them.