CES 2015

Panasonic has partnered with Mozilla to create a new smart TV experience that is powered by Firefox. The underlying operating system of these “Life + Screen” TVs is no longer proprietary to Panasonic and will interact with any brand smartphone, tablet, or computer that is on the same WiFi network. Users can easily send photos, videos, and other media to the TV from a Firefox browser running on smartphones and tablets. In the near future, other streaming apps will be adding Firefox streaming as well. The Firefox OS can be found on the 2015 CX850, CX800, CX650 and CX600 series.

Panasonic’s My Home Screen 2.0 is customizable. Apps, favorite TV channels and streaming services, and direct access to inputs of connected devices can be pinned to the home screen. The pinned shortcuts provide instant access and appear as small bubbles under each category. Another new feature of the 2015 Life + Screen models is the Xumo Guide. Built into these TVs, Xumo can search for titles, actors and other keywords on multiple online streaming services. When the movie is found, a synopsis, rotten tomato rating and other pertinent information is displayed. The user can choose a service to watch the film or look at recommendations of similar movies. Suggested titles are based on both the current search and on the user’s viewing history.