Panasonic is the first television maker to use Mozilla’s Firefox OS to power its smart TVs. And now you can buy one of those TVs… if you happen to be in Europe.

They should be available in additional markets within a few months.

panasonic firefox os

The Panasonic CR850, CR730, CX800, CX750, CX700, and CX680 TVs all use Mozilla’s software to power the smart TV experience.

As the name suggests, Firefox OS is an operating system designed around the Firefox web browser — which means that it can render apps built with web technologies including HTML5 and JavaScript. The OS was originally developed for smartphones and tablets, but Mozilla and Panasonic have also made a version designed to run on big-screen TVs.

The TV user interface doesn’t look like a web browser or smartphone UI though. Instead, it uses a cards-and-decks style layout to let you navigate apps, devices, live TV, and other features.

There are already apps available for a number of popular internet video services including Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. But while relying on HTML5 should make it relatively easy for web app developers to bring their services to Firefox OS, it’s still too early to say how many of those developers will actually do so: there’s an ever-growing number of smart TV platforms including Firefox OS, Android TV, Roku, Tizen, and Apple TV. While big names like Netflix will probably do their best to offer apps for each platform, don’t be surprised if some other providers take a wait-and-see approach before deciding which platforms are popular enough to prioritize.

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4 replies on “Now you can buy a Panasonic Smart TV with Firefox OS (in Europe)”

  1. I want a dumb TV please.

    Every Smart TV I’ve ever seen had onerous clauses, that you had to agree to receive advertising from the Partners of the manufacturer and that the manufacturer can listen in on your skype calls and store any emails you send etc (LG, Samsung).

    And if you refuse to agree, you get exactly zero smart functions. Just the annoyance of the TV bugging you repeatedly and periodically to sign their asinine agreement and accept updates to their miserable software. (LG – Samsung actually stops bugging you after setup, but you still get zero smart TV)

    The OS maybe called Mozilla, Tizen or Android, but its all hacked through and through by the manufacturer, like a Telco-branded smartphone full of unwanted bloatware.

    Corporations, you have been going too far for a long time. Sorry guys, the “smart” in my TV will come from my Computer, which I still get to control myself.

    Corporate foam whippers – the most despicable kind after bankers.

    They Live – get a pair of Sunglasses :p

  2. All the Firefox and Android TV stuff seems to be on higher end TVs though. That means Roku – happy to play on budget sets – will probably carry the day, at least for this round. I imagine Bestbuy sets from Insignia, Sharp, TCL and whatnot starting at just over a couple hundred bucks will be hanging on a lot of bedroom and dorm room walls this year.

  3. There are lots more smart TV platforms than that, as most TV manufacturers also have their own platforms (e.g., LG).

  4. I really don’t understand the need for Firefox OS. It’s like having a smart tv, no point. Updates and compatible apps are going to be at a minimum. Probably end up being bought out by Panasonic anyway, just like LG and Web OS.

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