Panasonic Unveils Personalized 'Beyond Smart' TVs: "Life+ Screen"

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic unveiled today at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Life+ Screen --  a new category of television designed to take consumers beyond Smart TV to a new level of personalization and interaction.  Debuting this spring in 4K Ultra HD and 1080p models, many of Panasonic's 2014 line of VIERA Life+Screens are available now for pre-order at www.shop.panasonic.com.

Building on the success of Panasonic's 'My Home Screen' personalization features introduced last year, Panasonic Life+ Screens completely overhaul the user interface and implement dramatic enhancements regarding learning the content preferences of individual users, breaking different content out of its silos and making navigation far easier and more intuitive.

"There are so many things you can do with your TV these days...from watching TV shows and films, connecting with family and friends via social media, accessing video on demand and user-generated content via the cloud, gaming, and so much more," said Julie Bauer, President, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company.  "Technology has brought us access to a seemingly endless list of content options directly through your TV and it is getting harder to find what to watch. So we decided it was time to redefine what a 21^st-century TV should be by taking into account how people live their lives today, and how that will change in the future.  The result is our new 2014 Panasonic VIERA Life+Screens."

Quicker and Easier Access to What You Want to Watch
Panasonic's Life+ Screens get to know the preferences of individual users (or the family as a whole) and uses that knowledge to have your favorite content waiting for you as soon as you switch them on. Rather than relying solely on cumulative viewing patterns to generate recommendations, Panasonic's new Life+Screens are able to recognize each user individually and build up a personalized profile of their favorite content thanks to the My Button on the remote control*. Pressing the My Button alerts the Life+Screen that you like the kind of content you are currently viewing, and uses the program metadata together with advanced algorithms to present more appropriate recommendations.

A Seamless User Interface Built Around You
Panasonic has completely re-imagined how the graphic user interface for next generation home displays should be by introducing My Stream, an individualized channel of content seamlessly personalized just for you, including content from different sources. This means that recommended films and shows from cable, terrestrial broadcast and VOD, are all presented within the same interface allowing users to simply view the content they want to see without having to worry about the source. Recorded content, home movies, family photos, web pages, and online videos are also seamlessly included in the My Stream interface.

Voice Navigation
Searching for content is as simple as telling the TV what you are looking for – the Life+Screen Voice Assistant functionality removes the need for any complicated navigation or searching.

Auto Wake & Info Bar Notifications
In order to make Life+ Screen more than just a content viewing device, Panasonic has innovated a way for them to also become useful everyday information displays. Life+ Screen will automatically wake from standby mode when it senses somebody nearby and will display useful information graphically such as the time, date and weather – a feature called Info Bar. Furthermore, when Life+ Screens identify the nearby user via the built-in camera, they will present further information specifically personalized to that user, such as video messages, other notifications, and recommended content.

Outside The Living Room & Cloud Integration
Interaction with Life+ Screen is not limited to the living room. Working with Panasonic's cloud service, My Home Cloud, Life+ Screen forms a seamless network to share information and content with smartphones and PCs. For example, an online video link bookmarked at your work place would also be reflected on your Life+ Screen in the living room , and will display in your My Stream when you get home.

Picture Quality
Panasonic has long been recognized as a leader in picture quality. Although Life+ Screen's 'Beyond Smart' features are not limited to 4K TVs, combining Life+ Screen features with Panasonic's stunning 4K picture quality takes the TV experience to a new level. Panasonic's expansive experience in the development of award-winning Plasma HDTVs has been incorporated into the creation of the new Panasonic Life+ Screen AX800 4K Series. This is evident in the vivid reproduction of an incredibly wide color range and a superbly high contrast to express deep, robust black levels – the two key factors which garnered Panasonic Plasma HDTVs critical acclaim for best picture quality. These qualities, now combined with the high brightness of the AX800's LED panel creates a picture quality which surpasses any device, including Plasma HDTVs.

Premium Design
Life+ Screens are designed to embody elegant simplicity. Articulate combinations of simple lines create a beautiful, horizontal profile. While Life+ Screens deliver the next generation TV experience and breathtaking picture quality, the screen itself will not obstruct the viewing scenes, blending in naturally with the living space in which it is placed.

Panasonic's Life+Screen models include the AX800 Series (4K), AS680 Series (1080p), AS650 Series (1080p), AS640 Series (1080p), and AS530 Series (1080p).  For additional information, please visit www.shop.panasonic.com, the Panasonic CES website (www.Panasonic.com/CES) or Panasonic's 4K microsite (tv.panasonic.com).

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
Based in Newark, NJ, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. The company offers a wide range of consumer solutions in the U.S. including products from VIERA Smart Life+ Screen, Blu-ray players, LUMIX Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Home Audio, Cordless Phones, Home Appliances, Wellness and Personal Care products and more. In Interbrand's 2013 Annual "Best Global Green Brands" report, the Panasonic brand rose to number four, the highest ranked electronics brand in the report. (http://bit.ly/19WFSpu). 

To learn more about our products, visit www.shop.panasonic.com. Follow Panasonic on Twitter @panasonicUSA; additional company information for journalists is also available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

Notes
*     Only available in AX800 Series, AS680 Series, AS650 Series.

SOURCE Panasonic