From the big boys to lesser known Chinese counterparts, electronic companies around the world are busy rolling out ‘jack of all trade’ devices one after another. Just like a cell phone that can only text and make calls isn’t good enough anymore, a TV that won’t let you surf the internet, watch 3D television, play games, and iron your shirt (well not quite, but you get the point) belongs in the junkyard.
Panasonic’s recently launched Smart Viera definitely raises the ‘smart’ quotient by a few notches by successfully bridging the gap between mobile devices and TV. With the Viera, you can flip through channels and menus from a tablet, swipe and share your files from phones to TV, and with just a simple tap on the thumbnail displaying what’s on screen, you can send the video playing on TV directly to your smart phone. If you do not like puting too much strain on your fingers, fret not. Panasonic lets you indulge in your laziness: simply belt out commands through voice control.
Another attractive feature of the Viera is the new ‘My Home Screen’, Panasonic’s new graphical user interface, that loads when the TV is turned on and displays a myriad of apps. Users can even personalise their home screens to suit their tastes. This is especially useful to those who don’t have the luxury of owning their personal idiot box. And for those of us who don’t like being disturbed by multiple notifications from apps while watching TV, there is a ‘full screen’ option that can be selected during startup.
Unlike previous models, Panasonic has integrated wi-fi into its newest TV which makes internet buffs like Yantrick extremely happy. There are also ports for v1.4 HDMIs, D-Sub PC port and three USB ports which can be used to play videos, music, and photos from external devices. In its definitive leap to the Einstein category, the Viera supports a wide range of file formats like JPEG, MP3, .wmv, m4a, .avi, .mov, .divx and other MPEG related files which was previously possible only on computers.
While all these features will undoubtedly enhance your viewing experience, it’s a good idea to invest in a digital setup box for best picture quality as the picture on screen from the cable line appears a little grainy.
Yantrick’s Verdict: Using a smart TV gets much simpler with Panasonic’s Smart Viera.
Features:
Rs 1,22,990
42in LCD TV with edge LED lighting
‘100Hz’ motion reproduction
Viera Connect online functionality
Integrated wi-fi
2 USB port, Ethernet port, 2 HDMI port
Remote Apps2
Voice recognition
Swipe and share