Panasonic has said that it will start transitioning from MyHomeScreen and Android TV, with plans to eventually integrate Google TV into all of its televisions, beginning this year.
The Japanese firm currently uses its homegrown MyHomeScreen operating system for its high-end TVs and Android TV for its lower-end and mid-range TVs, but that will soon change.
Already, the company has announced an extensive range of Google TV models for the Indian market this year, including its MX850, MX800, MX750 and MX700. Panasonic won’t announce its European lineup until June, but we already know that this year’s models will all feature the “M” letter. For instance, it will include the flagship MZ2000 OLED TV, which was first unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
At the time it was announced, Panasonic said the MZ2000 will continue to run MyHomeScreen, so it seems safe to conclude that the company won’t fully transition to Google TV this year. We assume that its other OLED TVs, such as the MZ1500, will also run MyHomeScreen.
Where we can expect to see Google TV is in its lineup of mid-range LCD TVs, which currently use the Android platform. A few years ago, when Panasonic first switched to Android TV, its first models were also launched in India
The company’s Indian Google TVs will run on Android TV 11. Google TV is really just a kind of skin that enhances the Android TV platform, with a more streamlined user interface and enhanced personalisation options, such as the For You tab and additional user profiles.
Google is thought to be encouraging all of its TV partners to eventually ditch Android and use Google TV, and a number of brands have already done that, including Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense and Xiaomi.
