VieraCast

Panasonic DMP-BDT210 review: Fastest Blu-ray player gets Editors' Choice

It's tough to stand out in the Blu-ray player market, with all the midrange models having the main features we think are important: built-in Wi-Fi, Netflix streaming, and excellent image quality. Though the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 doesn't have any single killer feature that puts it head and shoulders above the competition, it does just about all the little things right.

It has the fastest disc-loading speeds we've seen on a player so far, coming in a good deal faster than its competitors. Its user interface is very simple to use and we love that the remote includes a … Read more

Panasonic Viera Cast TV on 2011 Blu-ray players review

They may be called Blu-ray players, but in 2011 they're as much about streaming-media services as they are about high-definition discs. With every manufacturer having a different collection of streaming-media services, we've been taking an in-depth look at each company's content portal for 2011.

Today, we're looking at Panasonic's Viera Cast, which takes after LG's Smart TV in its simplicity. There's no app store or cross-platform search, but it has a solid collection of streaming-media services and an easy-to-use interface.

Panasonic Viera Cast is the same on most 2011 Panasonic Blu-ray players--and home … Read more

Panasonic shows next-gen 3D TVs, ups its streaming game

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic's press conferences aren't known to be all that scintillating, but the good news this year is that the Japanese electronics giant kept things relatively short.

As expected, we got to hear about second-generation 3D TVs and, as usual, several new digital-imaging and home theater-products were announced, many of them featuring some 3D angle.

Perhaps most interesting was the company's decision to rename its Viera Cast streaming media platform Viera Connect. The rechristening was part of a concerted effort of the company to build out its smart TV platform. One of the demos included Gameloft CEO … Read more

Whistle while you walk

  Links from Friday's episode of Loaded: Google Voice and Maps for Android T-Mobile G2 ready for pre-order Hyundai announces its first Electronic Vehicle VLC app one step away from the iPad Panasonic VIERA Cast will stream Netflix

Panasonic adds Netflix to 2010 HDTV models

Panasonic's line of 2010 HDTVs and Blu-ray players will support Netflix instant streaming, the company announced Thursday.

Netflix joins Skype, Twitter, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon Video on Demand, and other applications built into Panasonic's Viera Cast service.

But before older-model users start looking for Netflix on their televisions, Panasonic was quick to point out that the update applies only to its 2010 line of HDTVs. The company's VT25 and VT20 series are included, as well as its GT25, G25, and G20 line of televisions. Panasonic has also added Netflix functionality to its 2010 Blu-ray players featuring Viera Cast.… Read more

Panasonic confirms older VieraCast products won't get Netflix, Skype

As soon as Panasonic announced that Netflix and Skype, among other services, would be added to its VieraCast interactive service for 2010 TVs and Blu-ray players, we wondered whether it would trickle down to the 2008 and 2009 models--namely the 800U, 850U, G10, G15, V10, and Z1 series TVs, and BD60, BD80, BD70V, and BD15 Blu-ray players. The answer, as confirmed by Panasonic Wednesday, is "nope."

The explanation from Panasonic is that the chip that handles VieraCast in the older models lacks the necessary embedded DRM (Digital Rights Management) code to enable compatibility with Netflix. That information is … Read more

Even bigger Panasonic plasma still a great value

For some people, a 50-inch HDTV just isn't big enough. Panasonic created its new 54-inch screen size, represented here by the TC-P54G10, for just those kinds of people. This set competes directly against the new 55-inch LCD size for your big-screen consideration, and occupies a nice middle ground between merely large 50-inch plasmas and truly gigantic 58- and 60-inchers.

In our testing, the TC-P54G10 proved every bit the equal of its smaller brothers in the company's G10 series, which remains one of the best value propositions on the market for shoppers who prize picture quality.

Read the full review of the Panasonic TC-P54G10.… Read more

Panasonic adds Amazon-streaming content to Blu-ray players

Panasonic announced this morning that Amazon Video On Demand streaming has been added to the company's Blu-ray players, including the DMP-BD60K, DMP-BD80K, DMP-B15, DMP-BD70V, and home theater systems with integrated Blu-ray, such as the SC-BT200 and SC-BT300. Amazon streaming is integrated into Panasonic's online media portal, VieraCast, that already includes content from YouTube, Picasa, weather, and Bloomberg stock quotes.

We have the SC-BT200 on hand, and we took the Amazon streaming service for quick spin. The experience is essentially identical to what we experienced when reviewing the TC-PV10 series of Panasonic plasmas. The pay-per-view movie and TV service … Read more

Study: 'I want my Internet on TV'

A new study by the Consumer Electronics Association, the industry group representing electronics manufacturers, finds that nearly half of prospective TV buyers say they want to buy an Internet-connected TV.

The study, conducted in December 2008, asked respondents to say how they'd use their connected sets, and the most popular answers included accessing information about current TV shows or identifying a song played on a show (48 percent) and finding out more about the actors (44 percent). Asked whether they currently surf the Web while watching TV, 30 percent of "online adults" responded "always or usually" while 32 percent answered "sometimes."

Activities likely to be moved from the PC to the living room TV include watching online video (62 percent), getting weather updates (59 percent), and playing online games (57 percent).… Read more