VIERA Link Functionality

Although Panasonic's engineers spend a lot of time thinking about how to enhance the already formidable picture quality of the latest VIERA Plasma TVs, Blu-ray player, or the audio clarity of Panasonic Home Cinema Systems; they do also think about "friendly" technologies: technologies which make operating these devices easier for users -- an innovative example is VIERA Link.

What is VIERA link?

Suppose you want to watch the latest film on a Blu-ray Disc™: first you would have to turn the Blu-ray player on with your Blu-ray player remote control, and then you need to turn on your TV and select the correct AV channel input using your TV remote control. After that you would switch back to the Blu-ray player remote control and press 'Play'. In case you also have a Home Cinema System you would need another remote control to operate your Home Cinema System properly. So before you can lean back and enjoy your movie, you are forced to use three completely different remote controls! VIERA Link allows you to operate the three systems, your TV, Blu-ray player and Home Cinema System with just one remote control!

So is VIERA link just a fancy name for a universal remote? No - universal remotes are really not 'universal' at all. What they do is combine a bunch of incompatible controllers into one case. Watching a film on a Blu-ray disc with a universal remote requires pushing just as many buttons as using three separate remotes. However with VIERA link, you press just one button and the TV, the Blu-ray player, and the home cinema system turn on and automatically select the right inputs and settings to watch the Blu-ray film.

VIERA Link works by making full use of the capabilities of the emerging de-facto High Definition connection standard, HDMI. Jointly developed by Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi, Philips, Toshiba and some others, HDMI is the first and only digital interface to combine uncompressed high-definition video and multi-channel audio in a single digital cable. For end-users, the fact that just a single cable carries audio and video signals dramatically simplifies the installation of home theater systems and eliminates the cable quagmires of the past!

VIERA link now takes this convenience to the next level by enabling users to use the same HDMI cables to also transmit control signals between different devices. What this means is you get universal control of all your HDMI home theater equipment, without having to worry about trying to figure out which remote control to use. Just point the VIERA remote at your TV, and the signal will travel over the HDMI wires to the right piece of equipment, whether it be a Blu-ray or DVD player or Home Cinema Surround system.

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Smart, easy setup with VIERA Link

VIERA Link also automatically sets up your various AV components. For example, when you first connect your DVD Home Cinema System to a VIERA TV via an HDMI cable, all of the necessary settings such as menu language and aspect ratio are automatically loaded onto your Home Cinema System, meaning that you don’t have to waste time and effort repeating the set-up again. With VIERA Link you have one remote, one graphic menu and a complete entertainment experience!

*To enjoy iPod® video content, you will need to connect the Panasonic Home Cinema System via a SCART cable to your TV.
**iPod® not included. iPod® is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries.