Panasonic Merging Viera Cast with Viera Connect Internet Services

Panasonic is combining Viera Cast with Viera Connect Internet services as it builds a base of third-party software application developers, Merwan Mereby, vice president of interactive content and services group, told us.

Viera Connect software development kits (SDKs) are expected to available this spring and 30-35 applications will be ready when the service launches in April, Mereby said. Applications, which will be developed in Java, will range from Pandora and Netflix, to Gameloft titles, to pro baseball, hockey and basketball season passes, Mereby said.

"We are definitely merging Viera Cast and Viera Connect together and the goal is do it as soon as possible,” Mereby said. While Viera Cast, which Panasonic launched in 2008, is a streaming service, Viera Connect is a combination of streaming and software applications, Mereby said. Panasonic will maintain the “cloud” of services for Viera Connect, but will hire a third party to process payments for some applications, Mereby said. Developers will be required to submit applications to Panasonic, which expects to complete a qualification process within 30 days, Mereby said.

Panasonic’s GT30 series of 50-, 55-, 60- and 65- and VT 55- and 65-inch Viera Connect and 3D-capable plasma TVs will all be equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter that last year was offered as a $79 option. The S series of 55-, 60- and 65-inch plasma TVs all will feature Viera Connect, 3D Image viewer and DLNA, but will be shorn of a PC input and lack THX certification found in higher priced models. In E3 series of LCD (32 to 42 inch) and X3 plasma (42 to 50 inch) TVs, Viera Connect is replaced with East IPTV, a streaming service providing Best Buy’s Amazon VoD, CinemaNow and Napster, Facebook, and Netflix, Mereby said. Wal-Mart’s Vudu is available with Panasonic Blu-ray players, but not TVs, due to timing, Mereby said.

In addition to the cloud, Panasonic will field Android-based tablet PCs that will be sold separately from TVs, but have built-in Viera Connect applications, Mereby said. At CES, Panasonic demonstrated tablets with 4-, 7- and 10-inch LCDs, but hasn’t finalized product plans or pricing, Mereby said.

Viera Cast streaming will be limited to some Blu-ray players at the heart of new home theater-in-a-box (HTiB) systems. Panasonic will field a single DVD and three 3D Blu-ray player-equipped HTiBs. The Blu-ray player HTiBs will have 2D/3D conversion for the first time and Viera Cast, which adds Vudu and CinemaNow streaming.

Two HTiBs ($499 and $599) contain Skype video calling, 5.1-speaker systems, 1,000-watt outputs and Cinema Surround Plus that simulates 22-speaker surround sound, including 11 height channels. The high-end HTiB adds dual HDMI 1.4a outputs. A $129 wireless speaker kit is optional with the $499 system and included in the $599 package. In introducing the new line, Panasonic lowered the entry-level price of the Blu-ray system to $399 from $499 a year earlier.

Panasonic also added a new soundbar this year, while carrying over the SC-HTB10 ($199) from 2010. The step-up SC-HTB520 ($399) features a 120-watt wireless subwoofer in replacing the SC-HTB500 and delivers 240 watts total power. The new model has an HDMI 1.4a connector with audio return channel, built-in Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 decoders and Dolby Virtual Speaker.