How to connect WebIDE to TV (VIERA CX/CR series)

The first smart TV powered by Firefox OS — the Panasonic VIERA Smart TV — is now officially released in several countries. Just like all Firefox OS-powered devices, the VIERA has built-in Devtool functionality to help developers build and debug their apps quicker and more efficiently. This article gives you what you need to start using Devtools on the VIERA.

Schedule and version

After being updated to the listed version or higher, the Panasonic VIERA TVs start to support the WebIDE connecting functionality.

The software release schedule and versions are:

July 2015:

• EU                             July 21        V3.206
• US                             July 28        V2.205
• ASIA/OCEANIA        July 28        V4.206
• BRAZIL                     July 28        V7.205
• LATIN                       July 28        V9.205

August 2015:

• JAPAN                      August 26            

Update instructions:

1. Select Menu > Network > Software Update menu options.
   or
2. Launch some specified apps from AppsDeck, such as "Market" app, to trigger the updating prompt window.

Enabling “Devtools” (from the “About Firefox OS” menu)

First you need to enable the Devtools on the TV.

1. Press the “MENU” key on the remote to launch the “Main Menu.”
2. Select “Help.”
3. Select “About Firefox OS.”

   

4. When the ”About Firefox OS” window displays, please press the “RED” key on the remote for 10 seconds till “Devtool” appears
   • (“Red” means "warning", and pressing for 10 seconds is required to avoid unintended enabling.)

   

5. Turn "Devtools" On.
6. Please read the instructions to understand the risks behind enabling this function:

   

Connecting the TV to WebIDE via the network

The following instructions allow you to connect your TV to the WebIDE Devtool on your Firefox desktop installation via the network.

Finding the IP address of the TV

1. Press the “MENU” key on the remote to launch the "Main Menu."
2. Select “Network”:

   

3. Select “Network Status” to see the network details.
4. Select “Status Details.”
5. Here you can see the IP Address of the TV — write it down somewhere, as you'll need this later.
   • It shows 192.168.11.3 in the screenshot below:

     

6. Press the “Exit” button to exit this menu.

Connecting the WebIDE tool to your TV

1. Open Firefox on your PC, and Launch the WebIDE tool (press the WebIDE button, or choose the Tools > Web Developer > WebIDE menu option.)
2. In the upper right corner of the WebIDE window, click ”Select Runtime” then click the ”Remote Runtime” option.
   • Fill in “hostname:port” as follows:
     • hostname: The IP address of the TV you noted down earlier.
     • port: 52222 (52222 is the TV's fixed port number.)

Allowing the connection from WebIDE

When your WebIDE connects to your TV, a connection prompt dialog appears, as seen below. If you select “OK,” the connection between WebIDE and your TV will be established. Only 1 connection request is handled at a time (that is, during this popup dialog, other requests will be rejected).