The operating system in the Panasonic Z85A is Amazon Fire TV, which is still a relatively new solution in the Australian market. Until now, we mainly associated it with portable smart devices, and now it is also arriving on televisions – similar to the flagship model Z95A.
On the plus side, the system operates smoothly and responsively. It is also quite intuitive, so navigation poses no major problems. Unfortunately, when it comes to the availability of applications, it's somewhat lacking. While the Amazon store does have icons for popular services like SkyShowtime, Rakuten, or Viaplay, they cannot be downloaded. This is a significant disadvantage for those who use these platforms regularly. Additionally, some functions are poorly translated, meaning that in certain areas, you have to guess what they are referring to. However, we believe that these are just growing pains and that over time they will be improved – both in terms of translations and application availability.
As for user features, things are much better. The television supports USB recording and the PiP (picture-in-picture) function. There is also support for AirPlay, which will certainly please users of Apple devices. It also has Bluetooth, but unfortunately, you cannot connect headphones to it – it only works with a keyboard or other controlling devices. Fortunately, you can connect headphones or a home theatre system via wired connection, which resolves this issue.
In summary – the Panasonic Z85A offers a solid set of user features that will perform well in everyday use. The Amazon Fire TV system is a step in the right direction, especially when compared to Panasonic's old system. However, at this time, it is difficult to praise it unequivocally. There is potential, but the manufacturer still has a lot of work ahead to ensure everything functions as it should.
GoogleTV on Haier K85F
The heart of the television is the Google TV system, which in theory should be a huge advantage. Access to thousands of apps and a wealth of features are promises we are familiar with. Unfortunately, in Haier's execution, this is one of the worst implementations of this software we have encountered. The system operates painfully slowly, and the interface notoriously freezes. However, the real nightmare is the incorrect and often downright comical translations of some menu options, making it difficult to figure out what is being referred to at times. To make matters worse, during our testing, we couldn't get the AirPlay feature to work at all.
Classic Features on Haier K85F
Let's move on to the classic functions and ports, because the story here is even more interesting. A plus is definitely the rich array of ports, including four HDMI connections and the increasingly rare mini-jack headphone output. Unfortunately, the television does not offer either USB recording or Picture-in-Picture mode. However, the real ordeal begins with the remote. Our initial attempts to pair it via Bluetooth to activate radio (RF) control and voice functions ended in total failure. After dozens of attempts, we were convinced it was simply a manufacturing defect. And then the surprise: after a long struggle, we discovered that the remote can be paired, but it must be done from the native Google TV settings, completely bypassing Haier's dysfunctional system overlay. This is a perfect example of how terrible software can ruin basic functionality. Oh, and one more thing. In the box... there weren't even batteries for the remote.