Exclusive insider Viera 4K TV news from Panasonic UK HQ #VieraVIPClub

Sundays, for me, usually entail nothing more exciting than a roast dinner (I did spend my formative years in Yorkshire after all), a few beers and perhaps a film or a walk through bits of Epping Forest and its environs. Now, I’m not complaining about that but when I get an invitation to spend a Sunday at Panasonic’s Bracknell office to chat about their Viera TVs and get shown around their operations well, that roast can wait (I did manage to get a pint in – at £1.69 it would’ve been rude not to).

My Sunday morning instead involved me taking a trip down the Victoria Line to Vauxhall, and then I was off to Bracknell where I was to be part of a small group of about half-a-dozen tech commentators and bloggers given the rather highfaluting moniker of the Viera VIP Club.

We were given the customary introductions and then a tour of Panasonic’s UK headquarters starting with the museum and a 10 minute video showing the history of the company and the ethos which Konosuke Matsushita has instilled in the organisation from way back when it made lamp sockets and battery lamps.

We were then shown around a variety of rooms displaying Panasonic’s range of home appliances and their Business to Business arm – I never realised that they supplied all the tills for McDonald’s, for instance, or that the solar panels on the roof of refurb’ed Blackfriars Station are also from Panasonic.

Whilst the group were being shown Panasonic’s ToughBooks and tablets I managed to steal some time with the very impressive £5,000 4K ToughPad.

I have met it once before but getting some alone time with this beautiful beast of a Windows tablet was joyous.

Naturally, given that we were the Viera VIP Club, we were here today to be given access to the current crop of Panasonic Viera HD and UHD televisions.

We were talked through the range by the knowledgeable Michael and given a tour of the tellys particular skills such as Freetime (the TV guide which allows you to roll back the schedule by 7 days and shows what’s available to watch from back in time – handily saving you from delving in to the menus and searching a catch up channel to see if it’s available), my Stream (which gives you recommended viewing), and Info Bar (which recognises you when you walk in to the room through voice and visual recognition) – not creepy at all.

It’s great to see that the Panasonics have access to all the OD channels too: BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD and Demand 5.

The last time I met a large Panasonic 4K gogglebox was in October with the 65-inch WT600, and I am still impressed by these panels.

At the top of the Panasonic Viera tree are the AS802 and the AX802. Well, they are for now as we were told to expect a 902 to make an appearance at IFA 2014. Fortunately, GadgetyNews will be there to give you the low-down.

AX802

• Superb 4K Images meet Cutting-Edge Connectivity Options
• Ultra HD LED TV with 2000Hz (BLS) – exceptionally fast panel for impressive motion picture quality and 3D
• my Stream – enjoy content recommended to match your preferences, easily via an intuitive interface
• 4K Studio Master Drive – for more accurate colour and richer, smoother gradation at virtually any brightness
• Info Bar – walk by the TV in standby and immediately get the time, weather, any new messages and more
• Hexa Processing Engine PRO – fast processing power, with HEVC decoder, delivers thrilling 4K entertainment
• Freetime built-in

The AX802 comes in 50-inch, 58-inch and 65-inch flavours.

AS802

• Full HD IPS LED TV with 1800Hz (BLS) – high-performance panel for stunning motion picture quality and 3D
• my Stream – enjoy content recommended to match your preferences, easily via an intuitive interface
• Local Dimming – revel in entertainment with more depth thanks to deep blacks and fine dark gradations
• Hexa Processing Engine – fast processing power delivers a thrilling entertainment experience
• Advanced Colour Spectrum – means more intense viewing with a natural colour range and brighter images
• Freetime built-in.

And the AS802 is sized 47-inches, 55-inches and 60-inches.

 AX902 Series

Panasonic announced that it will introduce the AX902, a further 4K UHD series TV in autumn of this year. The AX902 will include several as yet undisclosed picture quality and ‘beyond smart’ advances.

Keep coming back to GadgetyNews as I will have the inside track about Panasonic Viera TVs and, hopefully, their Lumix cameras and other tech from Panasonic.