Hisense announces VIDAA U5, that will up to 20% faster, making it much easier for us to switch between apps, dive into settings and more.
Hisense Australia has announced that it will launch a new version of its Smart TV OS in 2021. VIDAA U5 will up to 20% faster, making it much easier for us to switch between apps, dive into settings and more.
Hisense says their VIDAA U5 will be available across the majority of the Australian TV range in 2021.
Another nice inclusion is the addition of another streaming app, picking up the including leading sports streaming platform, Kayo, thanks to a new content partnership.
Optimised user experience
Improvements to the system’s interface, performance and speed will significantly enhance ease of use, with VIDAA U5 boasting a 20 per cent faster launcher load time of just 1.7 seconds, smoother scrolling and a new optimised universal search.
A more compact and visual layout also improves the user experience by exposing more content on the screen to decrease the user’s browsing time.
The first of many new apps to feature on VIDAA U5 next year will be Kayo, in line with Hisense’s long-term passion for sport. Boasting the biggest line-up of Australian and international sports, Kayo offers new and live sports content as well as historic replays, meaning sports fans can keep up with every try, goal and big hit from throughout the years.
A new VIDAA SmartRemote Mobile App is also on the horizon for both iOS and Android mobile smartphone users. SmartRemote will allow TV owners to control their TV using their smart phone instead of a traditional remote. This can come in handy in busy households where remotes may occasionally be misplaced, ensuring no one misses out on watching their favourite programs or movies when they want to.
Completely hands-free voice control
Making voice control even easier is the introduction of far-field technology that effectively allows TV users to make commands using Amazon Alexa completely hands-free, without needing to press a microphone button on a remote.
This is because the TVs themselves will have integrated microphones that are equipped with sophisticated voice recognition technology that can pick up on commands across the room. The way far-field is designed means users are be able to use their regular tone of voice to carry out tasks like switching the TV on and off, turning up the volume or changing from one Stan program to another, without having to lift a finger.
Australians can take control of more than just their TV thanks to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, which will come built-in on Hisense’s 2021 TVs with VIDAA U5.
For consumers that do not want to take advantage of far-field technology or in-built Alexa and Google, both a hardware and software toggle is available to turn off these features for peace of mind.
Android TVs to be available
Now for the big announcement. Hisense has confirmed that at least some of their 2021 TVs will actually run, Google’s Android TV OS, rather than their own VIDAA U5 operating system.
Given they’re announcing the new version of their own software, on the surface, it does seem like strange timing to be announcing this. While I can’t go into the detail behind the reason why, or which models, these reasons will be unveiled shortly.
The good news is, whichever OS is on your TV, they’re both great options.
Originally published at TechAU