Panasonic introduces LCD televisions in Europe that run on Android TV

Panasonic will release televisions in Europe that run on the Android TV operating system. That is the first time; Until now, the manufacturer has always relied on its own FirefoxOS-based My Home Screen platform.

According to the website FlatpanelsHD, Panasonic comes with two models with Android TV, namely the HX700 and HX710, where there is only a difference between the two type numbers in the color of the frame: the HX710 is not black but silver. The models come in four sizes, namely 43, 50, 55 and 65 inches. According to an Italian site, prices of 550, 600, 700 and 950 euros are included. The televisions also support hdr10, Dolby Vision and hlg. The support for hdr10 + seems to be lacking and also advanced functions such as individually dimmable zones of the backlight would be missing.

The existence of the plans to release Panasonic TVs with Android TV this year was already announced by FlatpanelsHD at the end of last year, although it was still unclear when that would happen and with which models. It is unclear whether Panasonic will embrace the Android TV operating system more widely and then introduce it in more future models. The current TVs from Panasonic, including its OLED models, still run on its own My Home Screen platform, just like the TVs of previous years.

This operating system used to be called Firefox OS. Back then the Mozilla Foundation was still involved, but when this company pulled itself out in 2016, Panasonic decided to maintain the platform itself. Version 5.0 of My Home Screen is available this year. This version not only brings the usual stability improvements, but users will now also see recommendations from streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa can also be used to control the TV from an external device.

Panasonic’s operating system was often critical, citing for example the lack of certain apps like Disney + and the lack of regular updates. This criticism and the fact that Android TV is a more developed system that offers more options, may have been reason for Panasonic to make the switch at least with a few new models. Incidentally, Philips and Sony TVs have been running on Android TV for quite some time.