Panasonic Viera plasma: IP control...?!?

[etc6849]

So, I've ordered a Panasonic ST50 plasma. It's not from the VT series so it has no RS232 port However, it does have an ethernet port and there is a free Android app call "Viera Remote" written by Panasonic that can control it

I'm hoping one of the fine folks at cocoon tech has some information on this network based IP protocol either from Panasonic or from a packet sniffer Any help is appreciated!

 

[123]

Spooky! I've been eyeing the new 2012 GT series and looked into getting my hands on the Viera Connect protocol. Panasonic has a developer portal but it costs about $130 to join. I have not found any free documentation for their HTTP protocol other this one for their Blu-Ray players:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=21491715#post2149171

I have no idea if it is similar to what is used by Panasonic's TVs. A quick check with WireShark, while using Panasonic's Android app, would shed some light.

 

[etc6849]

I guess great minds think alike! The 2012 Panasonic plasmas look to be great TVs. I've only seen the 55" ST50 at Best Buy so far, but it was enough to get me to order the 60" from Amazon. If you order from Amazon, google for the 3D glasses package deal. Amazon ships fast too; I ordered it Sunday night and the trucking company is coming Thursday.

The ST50 is much better than last years ST30 (brighter, better panel etc...), so you might look at it too. I do know the GT has a dual core processor which might help greatly with online content (and maybe video processing for non HD content?). The ST, GT and VT series supposedly each use the same panels this year too. I bought the ST50 version since I couldn't justify the extra cost as I already bought a GoogleTV 3D blu-ray player to go with it (these were on sale for $199).

I agree about the packet sniffing idea. Charging $130 to access the developer portal (which may only be for developing apps) isn't going to happen on my low budget HA project A perl script can always be written to bridge the TV and SYS if we need to emulate some strange behavior of the Android app.

I posted a thread at AVS earlier today: http://www.avsforum....d.php?t=1406040

 

[etc6849]

I was worried about power on/off as other reviewers of the app point out that power on does not work... (what was Panasonic thinking!?!)

However, http://panasonic.jp/...mote/index.html clarifies that power on will work for the 2012 models; thank goodness! I'll have my TV Friday morning if all goes well. I'll post the results I get from wireshark in this thread.

"I cannot turn on my VIERA TV...Only 2012 models of VIERA TV can be turned on by the "VIERA remote". Also, you need to activate the "Network Power Control" on your VIERA TV. Consult your VIERA TV instruction manual for details."

 

[123]

Good to know. Killing power to the circuitry that monitors remote devices, via RS232 or IP, is a fairly common practice. Nice to see that Panasonic now has an option to keep it alive.

Looking forward to reading about your progress with the Panasonic IPTV protocol.

 

[etc6849]

I've been thinking about the Viera app again today... Still no Viera though!

Considering you can pass files (music, video and pictures) to the TV with the Viera Remote App by swiping, this opens up a whole new realm of TV integration with Premise! For example, by studying the app, it ought to be possible to transmit voice to the Viera via an mp3 file from Premise. Pictures, music and video could be integrated using Premise's mSense feature along with whatever secret protocol that's necessary.

The voice messages sound most useful, especially if it can interrupt TV watching to tell you someone's at the front door..

 

[etc6849]

I've ran into a problem on getting Power On to work using the Viera Remote App. There is no option in my P60ST50's menu for "network power control." Worse yet, the Android site states that Power On control doesn't work, while the main vremote site says it does?!? :wacko:

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/tv/vremote/android/index.html#q15

I'll still post my results from packet sniffing once I figure out which packets are which. The Sharp LC-60LE847U might be a good TV to look at if you'd like full network control. Some 2012 Sharp TV's have an expanded protocol. I used the 847U for a week before switching to plasma. I returned it mainly due to screen uniformity/backlight bleeding. The Panasonic has the best 2D picture hands down (very impressed with it), while the Sharp had a better 3D picture.

 

[etc6849]

Here's the packet capture from WireShark... I haven't figured out what's what and I did not use a capture filter.

What should be captured: starting Viera Remote App, searching for Viera Devices; connecting to Panasonic P60ST50; commands sent: volume, mute, pause, power off.

COM-MID1, 192.168.1.115, CC:7E:E7C:68:0D, Panasonic P60ST50
android-f156b59d4e2df0a4, 192.168.1.137, B4:07:F9:3A:BE:7D, Nexus S 4G Phone

Be sure to filter out the packets from:
SONYLAPTOP, 192.168.1.135, 00:24:BE5:CF:63
192.168.1.1 router

No other devices were on the network at the time as I used a spare router.

 

[123]

I've looked at the link you supplied and I cannot find where it confirms that a 2012 set supports turning it on via IP control. I did find where it indicates you cannot turn on the set:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/tv/vremote/android/index.html#Q15

I must have overlooked it. Where does it say it supports power on?

 

[etc6849]

To make things confusing there are two links for Viera Remote:

A general link for iOS devices indicates power on will work:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/tv/vremote/index.html#Q15

and a link for Android devices indicates power on will not work:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/tv/vremote/android/index.html#Q15

 

[123]

Hmm, if it works for iOS then there must be an existing command to power up the set that simply has not yet been exploited in the Android app. Time to borrow someone's iPhone!

Maybe the Network Power Control menu is buried in the Service Menu? There's some magic combination of pressing buttons on the set and the remote that lets you into the Service Menu. I saw a Youtube video that indicated holding down the volume button on the set and pressing the info button on the remote three times but that might not work on a 2012 ST50.

 

[etc6849]

There maybe something in the service menu. My old Samsung TV had a "Hotel Mode" that enabled a secret RS232 port. However, navigating the menu is very confusing as the arrow keys do not work (you have to used the number keys). I went through several menus and found nothing

Were you able to make sense out of the packets? I couldn't get much out of them. I think I found where it initially connects by searching for "panasonic" under "Packet Details."

I don't know if you've seen the GC iTach devices yet: http://www.globalcache.com/products/itach/models2/ They are my backup plan I have a WIFI2IR and it's very small and works well with Premise (the iTach protocol is backwards compatible with the old GC100 protocol).

 

[az1324]

There's no command data in that wireshark capture because when those two devices talk to each other the laptop does not receive the packets. You would have to do something like ad hoc wireless connection from the laptop to the phone and then wired connection to the router and the TV so that you can be in the middle and eavesdrop. Or use the android simulator or bluestacks to run the app on your laptop.

 

[123]

While exploring a free trial of the iRule product, I discovered it has an extensive library of user-submitted command-codes for a wide variety of devices. I found several Panasonic TV submissions where some claimed to be for IP control and others for RS232. Here are a few of the codes for IP control.

(ERROR! Not HTTP commands for a Panasonic TV. See my post on page 2 of this thread.)
Power On
cgi-bin/play_iph.sh?/devicedata/1010-00001-00.isi

Power Off
cgi-bin/play_iph.sh?/devicedata/1010-00002-00.isi

Information/Display
cgi-bin/play_iph.sh?/devicedata/1010-00005-00.isi

Menu
cgi-bin/play_iph.sh?/devicedata/1010-00003-00.isi

Guide
cgi-bin/play_iph.sh?/devicedata/0516-00006-00.isi%201

OK
cgi-bin/play_iph.sh?/devicedata/1010-00010-01.isi

Exit
cgi-bin/play_iph.sh?/devicedata/1010-00011-01.isi

If they work for your ST50 then you can put aside wireshark, sign up for a free trial of iRule and get the balance of the Panasonic IP control codes.


BTW, iRule is quite impressive. It looks easy to interface it with Premise via MiniBrowser's Remote Control Interface.

 

[etc6849]

Awesome! If it supports scripting, could the process of adding minibrowser links could be automated? If you get this figured out, I'll have to order an ipad2 on ebay

RE: try this... What should preface the cgi-bin part/what port should I use? I tried http://192.168.1.122...10-00010-01.isi and received no response.