Viera Cast
Encyclopedia
Viera Cast is a Smart TV
platform by Panasonic
that makes it possible to stream multimedia
content from the Internet directly into select Viera HDTVs and Blu-ray disc
players. Announced on Consumer Electronics Show
in January 2008, Panasonic initially partnered with Google
to make it possible for YouTube videos and Picasa
Web Album photos to be used within the product, while Bloomberg News and The Weather Channel
was also available. Beginning 2009, Amazon Video on Demand service was added. The first Viera HDTVs with Viera Cast, the TH-PZ850U series, appeared in May 2008. Panasonic introduced Netflix video streaming service and Skype to its Viera Cast line-up beginning with the 2010 model year. Panasonic TV's with Viera Cast from the 2008 or 2009 model years will not be able to access Netflix or Skype much to dismay of those customers who purchased a Panasonic Viera Cast TV from those model years. Mid-2010 a Twitter service was added.
The Viera HDTVs and Blu-ray players featuring Viera Cast have a built-in Ethernet
interface, many models also have wi-fi and thus no external box or PC is required. The service is accessed via a single button on the HDTV remote and is planned to be extended to three series of the company's 2009 Viera G, V and Z series of HDTVs. Panasonic also has three new stand-alone players and one portable Blu-ray player that supports the technology.
Availability of services differs per region / country / language. For example: In the Netherlands it's mostly English content/services, but also some German (Bild.de, Tageschau). In Australia 7plus is available on most models and Bloombergs sharemarket service will be discontinued from August 2011
The Viera Cast service is being replaced by a new platform called Viera Connect which is not backwardly compatible. The new service should improve the number of applications on offer as the platform is open to third party developers.
Smart TV
Smart TV, which is also sometimes referred to as "Connected TV" or "Hybrid TV", , is the phrase used to describe the current trend of integration of the internet and Web 2.0 features into modern television sets and set-top boxes, as well as the technological convergence between computers and these...
platform by Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
that makes it possible to stream multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
content from the Internet directly into select Viera HDTVs and Blu-ray disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
players. Announced on Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
in January 2008, Panasonic initially partnered with Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
to make it possible for YouTube videos and Picasa
Picasa
Picasa is an image organizer and image viewer for organizing and editing digital photos, plus an integrated photo-sharing website, originally created by Idealab in 2002 and owned by Google since 2004. "Picasa" is a blend of the name of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, the phrase mi casa for "my...
Web Album photos to be used within the product, while Bloomberg News and The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
was also available. Beginning 2009, Amazon Video on Demand service was added. The first Viera HDTVs with Viera Cast, the TH-PZ850U series, appeared in May 2008. Panasonic introduced Netflix video streaming service and Skype to its Viera Cast line-up beginning with the 2010 model year. Panasonic TV's with Viera Cast from the 2008 or 2009 model years will not be able to access Netflix or Skype much to dismay of those customers who purchased a Panasonic Viera Cast TV from those model years. Mid-2010 a Twitter service was added.
The Viera HDTVs and Blu-ray players featuring Viera Cast have a built-in Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
interface, many models also have wi-fi and thus no external box or PC is required. The service is accessed via a single button on the HDTV remote and is planned to be extended to three series of the company's 2009 Viera G, V and Z series of HDTVs. Panasonic also has three new stand-alone players and one portable Blu-ray player that supports the technology.
Availability of services differs per region / country / language. For example: In the Netherlands it's mostly English content/services, but also some German (Bild.de, Tageschau). In Australia 7plus is available on most models and Bloombergs sharemarket service will be discontinued from August 2011
The Viera Cast service is being replaced by a new platform called Viera Connect which is not backwardly compatible. The new service should improve the number of applications on offer as the platform is open to third party developers.