Viera panasonic app
The Panasonic Viera TC-P65VT50 is swinging for the fences, and both our objective and subjective tests have shown that it’s a home run. Accurate color, smooth motion, and well above average audio quality are just a few perks this TV brings to the table. Whether you’re just looking for a TV with solid core performance, or are more interested in 3D movies and streaming content, or want a suitable host to your home theater hub, the VT50 is an expensive, but Smart, investment. But don’t take our word for it; the P65VT50’s test results say plenty.
Design
Panasonic’s TC-P65VT50 is straddling the line between conservation and progress. It’s quite thin for such a massive plasma, though it dwarfs smaller televisions who squat within the shadow of this colossus. Despite its considerable weight and size, it’s not the monstrosity it could have been. Panasonic Viera specifically followed a single plate of glass design, to minimize bezel and give the appearance that your display is floating comfortably in mid air. The stand, which upon first glance looks perfectly boring, is actually laid over with a gradient that brightens from black to white from front to back. While this design choice is meant to make the stand more aesthetically pleasing, some might feel it’s more aesthetically cheesing. The on-set controls and ports are tucked away behind the TV, leaving its face free of blemish. We feel that any changes in port or controls placement might have been overkill, but Panasonic hit a Smart middle ground between over-innovating and clinging to safe harbor.
It’s clear that Panasonic has learned a lot from their past design choices; the VT50 is one of their most handsome plasmas to date. Its design has been improved from last year’s VT30, and it’s much slimmer and more aesthetically sound than the VT20 series from two years ago. We feel that people will wax and wane about this plasma’s overall appearance, but there’s no arguing that it sparks the mind’s eye: either to the beauty of the TV, or to the beauty of TVs to come.
Overall Design
We personally feel that this TV looks splendid from the front, but it’s fairly standard from most other angles. The stand choice is interesting, at least, but beyond the slimline front and semi-thin side view, it could be any 2011 Panasonic from the back (which isn’t a bad thing). Our one complaint is that it doesn’t swivel. The no swivel stand design might be necessary; after all, it weighs 127 lbs. Assembling the TV revealed that its modernist stand serves a much more functional purpose, serving as a heavy, industrial grade metal plank that slides up into the back of the TV to keep it in line. But pictures say much more than words, and you’ve got to make up your own mind.
Front
Panasonic’s 2012 design concept for their high-end TVs insists on a sculpted melding of glass and metal to create a natural looking but crisply defined panel display. It still looks like a TV to us.
Sides
While there are much thinner LCD TVs on the market (Samsung’s ES8000 comes to mind), the P65VT50 is actually quite thin for a plasma. Here, you can see the stand’s gradient appearance at work.
Stand/Mount
The stand (which does not swivel) is overlaid with a black-to-white gradient; a plastic cover conceals the metal and screws that keep the television sturdy.
On-set Controls
The hidden on-set controls are a set of six buttons, standard in their size and press response. You can change volume and channel, turn the TV on or off, access input, and work through the TV’s menus.
Remote Control
The Panasonic TC-P65VT50 comes with two remote controls.
The first remote is the standard infrared model for Panasonic’s 2012 TVs that feature 3D and Smart functions. It’s got a dedicated button for just about every extraneous TV function: 3D settings, the Viera Connect Smart platform, quick picture/sound adjustments, a shortcut to the USB/SD menu, and a Favorite button for jumping speedily to your favorite web sites. It’s also got all the usual fixins like volume, channel, and menu control. The buttons are big and respond well; we think it’s an above average remote, at best.
The second remote, new for this year, is Panasonic’s Touch Pad remote. It’s got the weight, depth, and size of a PC mouse, and connects via bluetooth to the TV during initial set-up. The middle area serves as a touch-responsive input pad, allowing for fluid, mouse-like control of the cursor on screen. It can also turn the TV on and off, change volume or channel, and be used to navigate Panasonic’s Smart menu (as well as the on-screen keyboard). In short, it’s just as intuitive and effective as LG’s splendid Magic Remote for cursor control. To see the Touch Pad remote in action, check out the final section of our article on Panasonic’s 2012 Smart TV Platform.
In the Box
In the box, you’ll find the display, stand components, 9 screws, standard remote, Touch Pad remote, 4 AA batteries, power cable, warranty information, quick start guide, and instruction manual. There are no 3D glasses includedthey must be purchased separately.
Connectivity
Directly to the left side of the Panasonic TC-P65VT50, you’ll find common quick-access ports. USB and HDMI ports are usually placed to the side of the TV, as it’s assumed that USB devices and HDMI cables will be switched and changed most often. The P65VT50 has 4 HDMI inputs, and 3 USB inputs. In line with 2011’s port choices, the P65VT50 also features a dedicated slot for an SD/SDXC card. Panasonic’s app store also sells Panasonic products, not the least of which are SD cards.
The lower portion of the L-shaped port cutout on the back of the TV features vertically inclined inputs, the kind which are usually left in place for longer than USB and HDMI connections. Here, you’ll find inputs for an ethernet cable (LAN), a VGA cable for PC connection, the antenna jack for broadcast cable, and a Component/AV splitter. The TV comes with a combined component/composite cable that allows for either an HD (component) connection or an SD (composite) connection. This split connection only allows for one component or one composite connection at a time, so invest in some HDMI cables for your hi-def products.
Compared to the flagship models from LG, Samsung, and Toshiba, the connectivity options on the Panasonic TC-P65VT50 could be called standard. But it still has, on average, a larger array of ports than most mid-range and entry-level HDTVs.
Performance
We find that rating and testing the average HDTVbe it an LCD or a Plasmais often a game of give and take. If a TV has great core performance and screen dynamics, it sometimes has the drawback of using an excess of electricity. If it’s very bright, it’s not very dark. And if it’s got blue ribbon audio and menus, it usually is lackluster in some other feature. It’s rare to see any TV whose excellence in some area (or group of areas) doesn’t result in at least some negligence to one or more key components of its performance.
This is not the case with the VT50. We were excited during initial testingwhile Panasonic’s Smart platform is, in our opinion, poorly designed, everything else that this TV brings with it is top quality. It’s got deep blacks, accurate color, and ear-pleasing audio, but still manages to only add around 20 per year to your electric bill.
While we’d expect nothing less for an MSRP of 3699, it’s always a breath of fresh air to see a TV that doesn’t cut corners.
Contrast
Panasonic’s flagship plasma tested with a great maximum contrast ratio of 3401:1, roughly three times what we consider to be a decent, average score. Put up against the flagships from LG, Samsung, and Toshiba, it definitely held its own.
A black level of 0.03 cd/m 2 and a peak brightness of 102.03 cd/m 2 will give you plenty of black/white differentiation, hands down. on how we test contrast.
Color Greyscale Curves
The P65VT50 tested with average color curves, though they’re a little sloppy. Plasma TVs tend to favor shadow tones over highlights (due to their technology), and you can see that happening in the chart belowthe white, red, green, and blue lines representing those hues are slow to ramp up. White, in particular, showed us an awkward bend that will give less detail to shadow tones, and more to midtones and highlights. Red, green, and blue, on the other hand, will favor shadow tones and harbor less detail in midtones and highlights.
Overall, these curves are pretty smooth, and apart from a little color banding, we’d call this a decent performance. on how we test color performance.
Color Temperature
This is a great color temperature performance, and here’s why. We test a TV’s ability to maintain a 6500° K color temperature across the light input spectrum. The shaded area below represents deviation from that temperature that is imperceptible to the human eye. Thus, we can discern that almost no color temperature error will be visible during viewing.
This is a great resultno perceptible error means this plasma maintains its color temperature integrity 100% of the time. on how we test color temperature.
Color Gamut
We test a TV’s sRGB (white, red, green, blue) performance against the rec. 709 standard for HDTVs. You can see from the chart that the Panasonic TC-P65VT50 was very accurate, with its gamut (the white triangle) almost perfectly matching the ideal gamut (the black triangle).
The mild deviations at the triangle’s corners and white point won’t be overtly visible during viewing. An almost perfect result. on how we test color temperature.
Picture Dynamics
The P65VT50’s tested with fine picture dynamics. Plasma televisions level their black/white saturation based on the amount of each shade on screen, tending to foster brighter whites in small patches, and dimmer whites over larger areas. The P65VT50 showcased a balanced dynamic contrast between those shades, with only mild deviations in brightness or darkness regardless of which held the lion’s share of the screen.
The Panasonic TC-P65VT50 is plenty dark, and doesn’t make use of auto-dimming during a 100% black screen. Overall, good picture dynamics. on how we test picture dynamics.
Resolution Formats
The Panasonic Viera TC-P65VT50 is a native 1080p plasma, 3D, Smart HDTV. It supports all NTSC resolutions and formats.
Viewing Angle
The P65VT50 tested with an impressive total viewing angle of 139°, or roughly 70° from center in either direction. As expected, it outperformed the other flagshipsplasmas almost always have wider total viewing angles than LCDs, and it’s one area where the P65VT50 has the advantage.
This result gives ample space for 5-6 people (in a medium/large room) to experience full contrast viewing.
Motion Performance
The P65VT50 showed us a motion performance that was well above average, just as we expected it would. There was a touch of blurring on highly detailed photographs, but this was corrected by setting the Motion Smoothing to either Low or Medium. Overall, shapes maintained their integrity, blurriness was minimal, and the only artifacting we saw was during a complex montage of banded pixels.
An almost perfect motion performance, to be sure.
Screen Uniformity
Panasonic’s flagship plasma showcased excellent uniformity. During an all white screen, smoothness was the name of the game from centers to corners. The P65VT50’s thin metal bezel kept the white screen from being marred by the shadow which is so common to televisions with thicker bezels. During an all black screen, the P65VT50 did not implement auto-dimming, but was still uniformly black with no banding or flashlighting. A very good performance.
Audio Quality
So far this year, we’ve been repeatedly disappointed by the audio quality of most of the TV’s we’ve reviewed. Granted, none of them have been terrible; the standard speaker set-up for TVs is two 10-watt embedded speakers, and they usually sound okay, but are a far cry from what is possible with a good surround sound system.
We were impressed by the audio quality on the P65VT50. It’s got two 8-train speakers along the lower rim of its bezel, and the back panel is equipped with an integrated sub-woofer. Let us be the first to tell you, it’s notably good audio. The TV is plenty loudwith crisp trebles and satisfying bass tonesat just a quarter volume, and turning it all the way up would probably be more volume than most people cared for. It’s simply got a wider range of sound dynamics than is usually supplied by standard HDTV speakers, and we applaud Panasonic for improving more than just the VT50’s color performance.
Power Consumption
Panasonic has clearly implemented some energy saving technology into the overall functions of the P65VT50. Looking at the chart below reveals that, on average, using this TV 4-6 hours a day will cost you roughly 20/year. That’s not bad at allcompare it to the flagship LCDs we pulled for comparison, or to Panasonic’s U50 plasma, a low-end TV that costs more to power per year than the P65VT50. Don’t let the X-axis on the chart below fool you, the VT50 only costs three or four dollars more, per year, than Samsung’s ES8000.
Calibration
As you can see from the chart below, we didn’t have to change much to achieve an optimized calibration of this TV. As per usual, we set the Picture Mode to Cinema, but the only setting we changed was Sharpness, which we bumped down from 50 to 0 to reduce pixel haloing. It’s rare to see a TV that’s calibrated correctly right out of the box, but the P65VT50 came very close.
All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.
Video Modes
The P65VT50 has 5 video modes: Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Game, and Custom.
D
3D is not so new anymore. Sure, it’s a lot newer than color talkies or wireless remotes, but it’s becoming more and more common to the average family’s TV purchase, and is certainly sweeping through the world of cinemabe that good or bad.
There are a number of things we look for when we’re testing a TV’s 3D capabilities. First and most importantly, how is the native 3D? Native, full, or real 3D is achieved when a TV receives the proper signal from a connected Blu-ray device via HDMI. This is the most immersive, and unfortunately, most problematic area of 3D performance, because it stresses the back, middle, and foreground 3D effects to their limits, often resulting in distracting crosstalk and greatly diminished color and contrast performance. Second, if the TV has an after the fact 2D-to-3D conversion setting (and most of them do), we subjectively test whether it’s convincing or just a tacked on gimmick. Finally, are glasses included? Are they way too expensive for any sane person? Are they comfortable?
Panasonic uses active shutter 3D glasses, meaning they must sync via bluetooth to the TV, and must be charged using a USB cable. They retail from 60 to 100, and you don’t get any free pairs with the VT50. We think this is a huge oversight on Panasonic’s part, especially considering their 3D integration with the P65VT50 is actually rather improved from 2011’s showing.
Overall, Panasonic’s glasses have gotten more comfortable, but they’re still very pricy. Their 3D technology now maintains better color integrity, but at a huge cost to contrast. And the 2D-to-3D conversion is a decent distraction, but simply isn’t convincing enough to stay fresh in the long run.
D Effect Experience
Panasonic’s got a lot of bases covered where 3D is concerned. Their glasses sync quickly with the TV, which manages to maintain good color fidelity while showing mostly crosstalk-free 3D images. Users are treated with numerous warning messages (y’all know not to let your young’ns stare at 3D images all day, right?), and most of the 3D settings (side-by-side, top-to-bottom, depth of field) are hidden away in a menu that isn’t easy to access (pictured below). This is surely Panasonic’s attempt to streamline and simplify the 3D experience. Native 3D looks decent, but is not yet as good as Samsung’s or LG’s.
Essentially, the P65VT50 is neither bolstered nor dragged down by 3D.
Some of the options in the 3D menu
Panasonic’s active shutter 3D spectacles felt more comfortable this time around, but perhaps we’re simply getting used to wearing them; they haven’t changed them in almost a year, despite our complaints. They fit alright over spectacles, if only due to the fact that their nose bridge is slightly wider than usual and their tinted lenses are mildly convex, which adds to comfort. Panasonic’s 3D glasses are light enough to be worn for a long period of time, as long as you’re already used to looking goofy.
Yes, you will look like a dork with these on
D Contrast
One of the biggest problems with 3D is how it affects color and contrast performance. The comparison chart below should make it clear that the P65VT50’s impressive 2D contrast ratio gets clipped at the wings during 3D viewing, which is a shame, but is simply the result of watching content with fancy sunglasses on. The original black level of 0.03 cd/m 2 gets quite a bit brighter, due to the TV overcompensating for the darkening effect of the glasses. But this compensation can’t save the peak brightness dropping by almost 50%.
Long story short, if you want the best possible contrast from the VT50, don’t watch anything in 3D.
D Color
Like its 2D color temperature performance, the Panasonic P65VT50’s 3D color temperature was very accurate. While there were mild deviations from 6500° K across the spectrum, the majority of them are imperceptible to the human eye. An above average result.
While these curves are quite jagged, they’re also rather uniformboth in terms of overall shape, and in how quickly they ramp up. Compared to the 2D color curves, this kind of performance is to be expected. We wouldn’t plan for perfect color while watching 3D content, but we’ve seen a lot worse in the past, too.
This gamut is so-so. The black triangle on the chart below represents the 2D color gamut; the white triangle represents the 3D color gamut. As we saw during 2D testing (you are reading the whole review, right?), the P65VT50 has a highly accurate 2D gamut; its 3D gamut was, by comparison, skewed.
Imperfect color production is a big problem with 3D, and continues to be.
D Crosstalk
Compared to what we saw while testing the Panasonic TC-L47DT50, it seems that Panasonic is perfecting their banishment of the crosstalk banshees. Crosstalk occurs when a 3D image meant for one eye leaks into the other eye, causing that eye to see two images at once; this effect is also called ghosting, because of the translucent effect it has on solid objects. We saw no crosstalk whatsoever during 2D-to-3D conversion, and only a little during full, native 3D.
Browser
Panasonic’s internet browser hasn’t changed from past iterations; a look at the TC-L47DT50 reveals that almost all aspects of Panasonic’s browsing experience have stayed the same. However, the VT50’s included Touch Pad remote, which is surprisingly accurate, makes the browser experience much more positive. Click here for a more in-depth look at Panasonic’s web browser.
Apps
Panasonic features a decent amount of apps, and they’re growing on a monthly basis. The Viera Connect Market hosts a slew of games, news, sports, and various niche apps for download. Some of this contentthe kind you have to pay foris worth your money, and might prove very useful over time. Most of it, however, is lackluster and unwanted. Click here for a more in-depth look at Panasonic’s Viera Connect Market.
Other Media
Panasonic’s media playback hub allows you to play back your pictures, videos, and music from either a connected USB device (such as a flash drive or portable hard drive) or from a wireless device that has been connected to the TV using Panasonic‘s Viera Link software. The playback menu can be accessed either through the Viera Connect platform or by pressing the dedicated USB/SD button on the infrared remote. Once there, your media is automatically sorted by type. For more information on Panasonic’s media playback functions, click here.
Menu Interface
The P65VT50’s main menu is unchanged from previous 2012 Panasonic 3D Smart TVs, featuring sub menus for Picture, Audio, Network, Timer, Lock, and Setup. Most of these menus are fairly self-explanatory to anyone who has done much interfacing with HDTVs in the last few years. We like Panasonic’s simple menu, both its layout and its appearance.
The advanced picture settings menu allows for adjustments to noise reduction, motion smoothing, black level, etc. The Sound menu allows the user to manually adjust the levels of bass and treble, turn surround sound on or off, and to tell the TV how close/far it is from the wall behind it. The Network menu will walk you through setting up various internet features, like whether you’ve got a wired (ethernet) connection or a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection. The Setup menu will allow for overarching changes to certain TV functions, and is also the menu to use should you wish to walk through your initial set-up a second time.
Instruction Manual
The basic paper instruction manual that comes with the P55VT50 and P65VT50 provides a decent amount of information on those products. It will walk you through setting up your panel display on its stand, how to use the standard remote, how to sync the Touch Pad remote with your television, and how to configure cable connections or over-the-air digital channel signals. It’s got a decent amount of information on interfacing functions, such as naming different inputs, and will guide the user step-by-step on how to start using the Viera Connect Smart platform.
A manual for so many TV models, they have to be further categorized by type.
Conclusion
2012 has so far introduced some excellent flagships from LG, Samsung, and Toshiba. The Panasonic Viera TC-P65VT50 may, however, be the finest TV we’ve reviewed this year. Here’s why.
There are three major areas we test when reviewing a TV. The first, and most important, is core performance. The P65VT50 is an excellent core performer. It has highly accurate color, a large contrast ratio, smooth motion, and a wide viewing angle. It’s got everything you’d want in a plasma, no matter the price or extraneous features. On top of that, it tested with well above average audio, and 3D thatwhile not being as convincing as LG’s or Samsung’sdoes not detract from the TV’s overall performance.
The second area is user interfacing. Things like menus, innovative remotes, and Smart platforms. While Panasonic’s Smart platform is organized in a clunky, heavy-handed fashion, their Cloud-based processing is finally coming into its own. The P65VT50 showed us a much quicker interface and much shorter load times. Its system menus are easy to use and easy to read, and the new Touch Pad remote brings with it the same ease of use as a wireless mouse, making web browsing much more pleasantat least, where TV browsers are concerned.
The final area we inspect is the TV’s design, both inside and out. This refers to its aesthetic appearance outside, and to the placement of ports, inputs, and on-set controls. There’s no arguing that the Panasonic TC-P65VT50 is a visually appealing TV. Even if you don’t like the gradient stand, its glass and metal design centric gives it a classy air, despite being so large. It’s got decent port selection, and its overall design could only be improved if Panasonic could find a way to let it swivel without compromising the sturdiness of the stand.
All in all, the Panasonic TC-P65VT50 is an expensive television; an MSRP of 3699 is nothing to sneeze at. Yet its only drawbacks are sub-standard 3D (the standard having been set higher by LG) and Panasonic’s Viera Connect platform, which could use some spring cleaning. Where performance is concerned, its only real competitor is Samsung’s excellent ES8000 flagship series. The 55-inch ES8000 carries an MSRP of 3799, whereas the 65-inch VT50’s MSRP is 3699: thus, discerning between these two falls along the lines of affordability, desired screen size, and personal preference between LCD or Plasma.
We feel with such impressive test results and Smart design parameters, the P65VT50 is worth getting excited about, and might be the most valuable buy of early 2012.
Model Series Comparison
The PxxVT50 is the most expensive, high-end plasma series that Panasonic will produce this year. Both TVs are 1080p, Smart (internet enabled), and support 3D content. They have identical ports, inputs, and design schematics. Both come with the standard infrared remote, as well as the Touch Pad remote. Both sizes of the VT50 series feature standard Panasonic menus and Panasonic’s Viera Connect Smart platform.
Meet the tester
Lee was Reviewed’s point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.
Checking our work.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you’re confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we’ll compare notes.
Feasible Ways to Mirror iPhone to Panasonic TV
Mirroring your iPhone on your TV can let you enjoy your saved movies and other videos more clearly on a large screen. Furthermore, you could also share videos with family members with great ease. Panasonic, a well-known appliance provider, has released the Panasonic Viera TV, which lets you cast multimedia contents on TV. However, many users think that it is so hard to mirror iPhone to Panasonic TV. Luckily, there are ways which can help you display your iPhone screen on your Panasonic TV.
Workable Ways to Mirror iPhone to Panasonic TV
ApowerMirror
This app was solely developed for your screen mirroring needs. This is an app that can work across all platforms. It is compatible on Android, iOS, computers and TV’s. Aside from that, you can also multitask while mirroring your screen. You can actually add text while recording, take a screenshot and recording the screen of the phone at the same time. That is why it is considered one of the most recommended mirroring app out there. As it continuously develops, it is easier to mirror the phone on TV. Continue reading to know how to use the tool.
- Get the app installed on your iPhone and your PC by using the download buttons below iPhonePanasonic TVDownload
- Connect both devices on the same network. Then launch the ap on your phone and your TV.
- Once you launched the app on your TV, you will see the “Pin”.
- On your phone this time, tap on “TV” tab and enter the pin showed on the screen of your TV. The phone will then be mirrored in no time.
LetsView
LetsView is another tool that you consider using to mirror iPhone to Panasonic TV. Not only that, but you can also use it for educational or business purposes. Most especially if you want to impress your teacher or boss of an impressive presentation. This tool is very practical for most students or employees who can’t afford to buy such tools because this is free. No need to register nor pay for it. In the meantime, let’s talk about how you can use it on your TV.
- Download and install the app on your phone and your PC. Then get the HDMI cable. Download
- Connect your PC to your TV via HDMI cable.
- Now on your phone, launch LetsView and wait until your PC name appears.
- Tap it and the mirroring will begin. The screen of your PC will then appear on your TV since you are connected via HDMI cable.
Note: When connecting your phone to and PC make sure they are under the same Wi-Fi network.
Screen Mirroring iPhone to Panasonic TV with Panasonic TV Remote 2
Panasonic TV Remote 2 is an advanced TV controlling application made for Panasonic Viera TV. This can help users in making easy operations such as remote controlling the TV and sharing the contents of the iPhone on the TV. When using this app, you first need to install it on your iPhone and ensure that both the iPhone and TV are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Here is how to mirror iPhone to Panasonic TV using this app.
- Launch the app and then select your Viera TV listed on your phone screen. The devices will then be paired with each other.
- On the left part of the tool is where you can see the menu icons.
- Select “Swipe Share” so that you can view all your media files.
- Choose from images, videos, and audio for enjoyment.
- Play the video on your phone and they will be played on your Panasonic Viera TV.
Mirror iPhone to Panasonic TV using YouTube App
Aside from using the Panasonic’s TV Remote 2 app, you can also use the YouTube app for screen mirroring iPhone to TV. With this method, you cannot directly take full control of your iPhone on the TV. Instead, you can just play YouTube videos on a bigger TV screen. Just make sure that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Here are the steps for screen mirroring iPhone to Panasonic TV.
- Launch the YouTube app on your iPhone.
- Click the casting icon in the upper part of the YouTube app.
- Wait for them to be paired and then play the YouTube video that you want to stream on a bigger screen.
- Tap on the casting icon on your phone again for disconnection.
The above contents sum up the two ways to mirror iPhone to Panasonic TV. Both of them are helpful and convenient. Which do you think is good for you? Have you got other ways to make this possible? Leave a comment below.
Apple Muncher Project Postmortem: Developing for Panasonic VIERA Connect SmartTV (Part 1)
This is the first of a four-part story documenting my somewhat excruciating and wholly uncharted experience developing an indie game for Panasonic’s obscure VIERA Connect television app market.
and So It Began
Apple Muncher for VIERA Connect
In 2011, I purchased my first SmartTV—a Panasonic TC-P42ST30 Plasma 1080p HDTV. This was the period of time when Smart televisions were just starting to take off, with most manufacturers offering integrated Wi-Fi support and a handful of apps from top media companies including Netflix and Amazon. Each brand was doing all that it could to stand out in the crowd of high-definition televisions. Some HDTVs, for instance, came bundled with remote controllers that included slide-out keyboards for easy online interaction. Panasonic observed the app phenomena that was taking the mobile world by storm and evidently wanted a piece of that pie.
On July 7, 2011, Panasonic announced the opening of its Developer Portal through the VIERA Connect (a.k.a. IPTV) platform: The new portal allows developers to take advantage of quick response and rich multimedia HD expression capabilities of its VIERA Connect platform. At the end of the year, I noted that their app market still contained less than two dozen apps, virtually all of which were developed by their AAA partners including GameLoft, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Having previously dived into the world of mobile app development, I was intrigued by this seemingly groundbreaking new platform, which to my knowledge was the first open app market in the realm of high definition television.
API Documentation? That’ll Be 129!
At the time I took interest, no information existed about Panasonic’s development platform or API aside from a single page on their own website. They described the development platform in glowing light, listing such features as:
- Rich GUI and animation libraries
- Built-in 3D functionality
- Ready-to-use movie player, photo gallery
- Applications are written in JavaScript only
- Cloud-based IPTV service where applications exists in the Cloud
Sounds great! As a JavaScript platform it should be a breeze to develop for, I thought to myself. With a strong background in JavaScript and Web programming, I assumed the platform was strictly Web-based using native HTML5/JavaScript and a few proprietary commands to simplify interfacing with Panasonic-specific components. In that sense, it would have been much like the modern Opera TV Store that allows native HTML5 apps to play on compatible televisions [the Opera store did not exist for TVs at the time].
The VIERA Connect technology overview, as advertised on its Developer Network.
The first of many frustrations was that in order to even view the API documentation, I had to become a paid member. This contrasted with the other app markets, including those operated by Apple and Google, which provide free access to API documentation and only require paid licenses to publish applications to the respective stores. I was unable to locate even a shed of evidence online about any restrictions pertaining to Panasonic’s developer API for independent developers. All I was able to base my initial assessment on were the apps already available on the market. GameLoft in particular had ported several of its popular 3D games to the VIERA Connect market, including a fun racing game known as Asphalt 5. This game featured beautiful and fluid 3D graphics, stored its data on an external SD card, showcased great sound and music and really got me excited about the platform seeing what the television hardware was capable of.
So, how much did the annual membership cost for this as-of-then unexplored app platform with a mere 18 apps in the store? Panasonic was asking 129 for standard membership and 599 for premium! The only difference between standard and premium was that premium Account holders can get additional email support during development and testing and fast track reply and QA process. Yikes! The standard membership cost 30 more than Apple’s own iOS development license, for a market that at best would still only support users who possessed a very particular subset of the latest Panasonic televisions (and, down the road, specific Blu-ray players).
Still, curiosity consumed me and I bit the bullet and bought the license.
The original congratulatory email from Panasonic after forking over 129 for membership.
Setting Up the Development Environment
I will get to the API nomenclature in the next part of this postmortem, but first I want to summarize the excruciating process of establishing the proper development workflow. In my years of experience with other targeted platforms including iOS, Android and even Xbox, testing an in-development application was never too difficult of an endeavor. I cannot say the same for VIERA Connect.
First, I was instructed to download Panasonic’s VIERA Connect developer tool from their TV app market. At the time I joined the developer program, it appeared that their infrastructure was volatile and mostly untested, presumably because I was one of the few who ever bothered to buy an independent developer license. The Panasonic application prompted you to sign-in upon launch, and then attempted to fetch the test app files from a local server to display on the television.
Now, developing for VIERA requires a local Apache server and an extremely specific network configuration. The developer app provided by Panasonic only checks one of two possible locations for the app test files: http://192.168.0.100/sdkapp/main.js or http://localserver.vieraconnect.com/sdkapp/main.js. There is no way to customize this URL in the developer app. So, within my network infrastructure the only options were to:
- Manually reassign my network IP and subnet allocations so that my Apache server is accessible directly at 192.168.0.100
- Redirect outgoing traffic from localserver.vieraconnect.com to my alternate local Apache webserver IP at the router level
The VIERA Connect server setup overview, as provided by Panasonic.
If memory serves me correctly, I ended up reconfiguring my entire internal network so that the PC with Apache running had an IP of 192.168.0.100. I then had to ensure that the app files on the Apache server were explicitly within the ‘sdkapp’ directory on the root of the server, or that an alias existed to point to another location from that specific URL. Even with all the network and server configurations in place, I had not much luck testing applications through VIERA early on in the process.
Days after becoming a paid member, I was still receiving an Authorization failed. (code : 200) notice three out of four times I tried signing into their app on the TV. Even when successful, every change I made to my app’s source code required a full termination, restart and sign-in of the developer tool. This added greatly to the development time. Ideally, a command should have existed to force-refresh the app cache on the TV without having to exit the app entirely every single time. I reported the sign-in issue and within a couple weeks it was resolved. In the properly configured environment, the recursive flow of development was as follows:
- Edit the source code on the Apache server and save.
- Launch the Panasonic Developer Tool on the television.
- Sign-in on the Developer Tool application.
- Wait for the application files to download onto the television.
- Exit the Developer Tool application.
As it turns out, this local development flow closely matches the final application flow after it has been published to the VIERA market. Each third party developer is required to host the final app on their own server space and domain. Therefore, the self-described Cloud-based IPTV service for serving up apps through the Panasonic TV rests in the full responsibility of the third party developer and whatever server they are using. While this makes logical sense for media streaming applications, I originally held the assumption that simple standalone apps by third parties would be hosted in the confines of Panasonic’s own Cloudfor quality control and to ensure availability.
The VIERA Connect server communication overview.
In the next installment of this postmortem, I will detail the extreme limitations of the programming API when developing for VIERA Connect as a third party—a far cry from what I was lead to believe before signing up and the opposite of what the partner apps were provided with.
Apple Muncher Project Postmortem. The Series
Below are the four installments of this series:
Diagram graphics created by Panasonic
The Most Common Places to Turn a Panasonic TV On or Off Without Remote
Have you lost your TV remote? Does your Panasonic TV remote stop working after a drop? Using a TV might appear easy, but have you ever tried doing it with a faulty remote control?
Sweat no more. We’ll tell you how to turn on and off your Panasonic TV without a remote.
Turning the TV On and Off Without Remote
Every TV has a power button and basic controls. If your remote isn’t working or you simply can’t find a working set of batteries to power it, don’t fear. You can use the buttons on the back or side of your TV to turn it on and off, navigate menus, and change channels and volume.
On Panasonic TVs, the control buttons are usually on the right side in the back. Go to the left side of your TV screen and look behind it. The power on/off button is indicated by the I/O sign.
The Best 75-Inch TV
Sometimes there is only a single cogwheel instead. To turn the TV on or off, you need to press the wheel until the TV turns on. Going through the TV menus will usually be indicated by the sticker next to the cogwheel.
Whatever the setup of your TV, you will most likely be able to find the buttons to manage it. While these won’t work as well as a remote, they will do until you get a new set of batteries or the remote fixed.
Use a Universal Remote
If your remote control is broken and you can’t find a proper replacement, we suggest using a universal remote control. Universal remotes are great because you can use one remote for all your electronics rather than having remotes strewn all over.
The Best TV for the PS5
Here’s a quick list of our top picks for universal remotes:
- Gvirtue Panasonic Universal Remote – this remote control is tailored for some of the most common Panasonic TVs. Just insert the batteries and you’ll be able to use with most Panasonic models from the get-go.
- GE Universal Remote – suitable for all of the big brands, including Panasonic.
- Harmony Universal Remote Control – while this one is expensive, it operates on all current and future models and can link up to eight different devices to remotely control your entire home theater.
There’s an App for That
If you don’t want to buy a new remote or mess with going to the TV every time you need to change channels, we have just the solution. There are a few apps specifically designed to turn your phone into a remote control.
There are a few apps to choose from:
- SURE – This free app is for Android and iOS. It allows you to control your TV through your phone and mirrors images from your phone to the TV. You can also issue voice commands to your TV through your phone.
- AnyMote – Another free app for Android phones for use with Panasonic TVs. It will operate your TV just like a remote. It will also mute your TV speakers whenever you receive a phone call, so you get uninterrupted talks with your loved ones or business partners.
- Mi Remote controller – Available only for Xiaomi and some Samsung phones, this app is perfectly suited for using your phone to control a TV just like a standard remote. If you’re using a Xiaomi phone, you will likely find the app to work much better than a universal app.
- Panasonic TV Remote 2 – This is the official app for Panasonic TVs. Despite all the low reviews it’s getting, you should still check it out to see if it works with your Panasonic TV. If it doesn’t, a universal app might get you where you need to be.
Once you’ve installed the app, please go through all the setup and make sure that your phone has an IR blaster available, as TVs use infrared signals for communication with their remote controls. Once you’ve correctly set up your phone and app, you should be able to turn your TV on and off and control it like you have the regular remote.
Don’t Lose Control
Now you know how to turn your TV on or off without the original remote control. While the buttons on the back of your TV might help, an app or universal remote control may offer more comfort and ease of use. Why waste your time traveling to and fro the TV when you can just relax and enjoy your favorite series and movies?
Have you managed to solve this problem with your Panasonic TV? Which app works best for your phone? Let us know in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев below.
