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The Disney+ app is finally coming to Vizio TVs
Vizio is rolling out an update to its smart TVs that'll add a proper Disney+ app to the SmartCast platform. Until now, Vizio owners have had to cast Disney+ to their TV using Chromecast or AirPlay 2.
Motorola is making Android TVs too
Shortly after smartphone company OnePlus launched a TV, rival Motorola has decided to do the same. In partnership with Indian e-commerce site FlipKart, Motorola India unveiled Motorola TV, a range of smart TVs with IPS technology in sizes ranging from 32 to 65 inches. The sets will pack in a lot of tech, including Dolby Vision and HDR 10, while running Android 9.0 and shipping with a wireless Android TV gamepad.
Samsung brings its HDR10+ tech to 8K TVs
Samsung has announced that it will support 8K HDR10+ streaming, meaning 8K movies and other content will have richer colors and deeper blacks on 8K TVs. It said that three European OTT streaming services, Chili, The Explorers and Megogo, will adopt 8K HDR10+ to go along with their 4K HDR10+ content. This is a mostly symbolic announcement for now, as none of those services offer 8K streaming of any kind right now and hardly anyone owns an 8K TV.
iOS 12.3 is out now with overhauled TV app
Just seven weeks after rolling out iOS 12.2, Apple has released iOS 12.3. The biggest update this time around is a major refresh of the TV app ahead of the Apple TV+ streaming service debuting later this year. Through the new-look app, you can subscribe to various TV networks through Apple TV Channels and watch their shows all in one place.
ESPN+ adds personalized recommendations and offline viewing
ESPN is making some welcome (and arguably overdue) improvements to its ESPN+ service that could change how and where you watch. Its updated app now includes personalized recommendations for ESPN+, starting with on-demand videos. Watch a lot of hockey? You'll probably see more highlight clips from the latest NHL matches. Recommendations will "soon" spread to live and future events, so you might spot big matches you would otherwise miss.
Sony's new 8K and 4K TVs will have Apple AirPlay too
AirPlay is everywhere at CES 2019, at least when it comes to TVs, and Sony's latest TVs are no different. The company announced that its Z9G Series 8K LCDs, A9G Series OLEDs and X950G 4K LCD TVs will all add support for Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit protocols later this year. Similar to what we've seen from others like LG and Vizio, that will let users easily integrate them with other smart home devices that are compatible with Apple's protocols, and use AirPlay 2 features like synchronized multiroom audio. On Sony's TVs, this means blending Apple's tech with the Android TV platform they're based on. There's no technical reason why that can't happen, but it's an interesting wrinkle, and means that, like Vizio, users will have a bevy of options to choose between Google's Cast protocol and the Apple tech. Of course, a full-on iTunes app is still exclusive to Samsung's smart TV platform for now, but this is a start. So far there's no word on exactly when the feature will appear, or if it will extend to any older models, but we'll update this post if we get any more information.
Hisense's new ULED XD has two panels, instead of one
Hisense is clearly a fan of that Xzibit meme in which the Pimp My Ride star announces that he's put a thing inside a thing. That must be the explanation for how it came to its latest TV technology, dubbed ULED XD, which crams not one, but two panels inside its case. The company says that ULED XD's proprietary technologies include better chipsets and image processing algorithms that offer "incredibly deep blacks and dazzling brightness."
Vizio's SmartCast will work with Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit this year
Part of Vizio's big news for CES 2019 is the reveal of SmartCast 3.0. This edition of its smart TV platform's big addition is support for Apple AirPlay 2, as well as enhancements for tie-ins with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The new software is coming to all SmartCast TVs eventually, after a beta test in Q1 of this year before rolling out widely in Q2.
Samsung's 2019 smart TVs will support iTunes and AirPlay 2
Until now, using Apple's services on your TV has meant... well, buying an Apple TV. No more: Samsung has revealed that its 2019 smart TVs (plus updated 2018 sets) will offer both iTunes Movies and TV shows as well as AirPlay 2 casting. Yes, you can buy or rent videos from iTunes and watch them in 4K HDR glory without buying extra Apple hardware or otherwise bending over backward. The iTunes app will even play nicely with Samsung's ecosystem, too, supporting the Universal Guide, search features and the latest version of Bixby.
Hacker forces Chromecasts and smart TVs to promote PewDiePie
The subscribe-to-PewDiePie hacking campaign continues unabated -- although it might have a positive side benefit this time around. TheHackerGiraffe (who perpetrated the earlier printer hack) has compromised thousands of Chromecast dongles, Google Home speakers and smart TVs to make them play a message that spreads both a security warning and PewDiePie propaganda. His script looks for compatible devices exposed to the internet through poorly configured routers, renames those devices to draw attention to them, and attempts to play a YouTube video warning victims to mend their ways. They're pointed to a web link (broken as of this writing) that offers help.
Samsung's 2019 TVs could add Google Assistant AI along with Bixby
CES 2019 is right around the corner, and we're preparing to learn all about next year's major electronics releases. Of course that will include a slew of new TVs, and Variety reports that Samsung is planning a couple of upgrades focused on AI assistants and audio. While the company enhanced the 2018 QLED TVs with its own Bixby AI assistant, next year it could go a step further with support for third party technology, namely Google Assistant. Other manufacturers already support assistants from companies like Google and Amazon, and opening up access will make linking to the rest of the smart home that much easier for people who don't go all-in on Samsung's brand. The other major upgrade mentioned applies to audio, with Variety pointing out trademarks recently filed around spatial and volume intelligence. From the names, it seems like Samsung might be planning technology similar to what we've seen in Google's Home Max and Apple's HomePod, where it can learn more about the room it is in and adjust sound accordingly. We'll find out the real information in just a few more days once the show starts in Las Vegas.
Logitech's latest media keyboard is designed for your smart TV
There aren't many media keyboards devoted to smart TVs (they tend to be built for home theater PCs), but Logitech might have just given you another viable option. Its new K600 offers a compact keyboard-and-trackpad combo designed for modern smart TVs. You won't have to laboriously enter web addresses or search queries using just your remote. The K600 won't work with every model, but it covers popular LG, Samsung and Sony 4K sets from 2016 onward.
OnePlus is building its own smart TV
OnePlus, known for making budget-priced phones with flagship specs, plans to shake up the TV segment in a similar way. Founder and CEO Pete Lau told Business Insider that it will launch the OnePlus TV, possibly by 2019, with a focus on design, image quality and sound. "We feel the current market of TVs is still feeling quite traditional in their functionality and experience," said Lau. "And they haven't really well-integrated the internet ... making the experience match with what would be expected in today's connected society."
Your Vizio smart TV might tell you if it spied on you
Vizio smart TVs might display a strange notification in the near future -- one telling you if the company collected and sold your data. Back in 2015, a ProPublica exposé revealed that Vizio installed software on its smart TVs that allowed it to track and sell your viewing habits to advertisers without explicit consent. That unsurprisingly spawned class action lawsuits, and a judge ruled back in 2017 that the company has to pay $2.2 million to settle with the government.
Google Assistant comes to LG ThinQ TVs in the UK and Canada
LG's deep collaboration with Google continues, as it just announced that Google Assistant is coming to ThinQ smart TVs in seven more markets and five languages. It's now available in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, with support coming by the end of 2018 to France, Germany, South Korea and Spain. LG will also expand Amazon Alexa support to Australia and Canada. Google Assistant first arrived to ThinQ AI TVs in the US earlier this year.
Lawmakers ask FTC to investigate smart TV data collection
Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the FTC this week requesting that the agency open an investigation into how smart TVs collect consumer viewing data and whether manufacturers disclose that practice adequately. They wrote that while smart TV advancements have "ushered in a new era of innovation and interactivity," they must not come at the expense of consumer privacy. "Televisions have entered a new era, but that does not mean that users' sensitive information no longer deserves protection," the senators said. "The content consumers watch is private, and it should not be assumed that customers want companies to track and use information on their viewing habits."
Roku’s free movie channel arrives on Samsung smart TVs this summer
Last year, Roku launched a free, ad-supported film channel available to those with a Roku player, stick or TV in the US. Now, the company has announced that The Roku Channel will be available as an app on select Samsung smart TVs this summer. The channel's selection includes content from studios like Lionsgate, MGM and Sony Pictures Entertainment as well as films from Roku channel publishers such as Popcornflix and American Classics. The selection updates every month.
Samsung's 2018 4K TVs add Bixby AI
Even if you can't spring for an 85-inch 8K TV or a screen large enough to be called The Wall, Samsung still has something new for your next TV. Its 2018 Smart TV platform is getting an upgrade with the addition of its Bixby AI voice control platform, as well as integrated with its SmartThings smart home platform. That home automation hub support will "offer easier sharing, connectivity, and an overall simplified way to control the television and sync with other devices," according to the company. As Samsung explained during its launch event on Sunday at CES, it's replacing all of the current mobile apps with one SmartThings app, that will help you login to services, set up WiFi on your new TV, and more. Finally, a new universal guide will keep up with the likes of Apple, Roku and TiVo by searching for content within apps and suggesting new things you to watch.
Samsung's smart TVs are getting ESPN and Freeform
If you have a 2017 Samsung Smart TV, you can now install ESPN and Freeform, thanks to the deal the Korean company struck with their overlord Disney. While both apps have been around on phones, tablets and streaming devices for a long time, this makes things much easier if you'd rather stream directly on your TV. The ESPN app gives you access to all things sports, obviously, including the upcoming Alabama-Georgia College Football Playoff National Championship. Freeform, on the other hand, is for binging on movies and TV shows, including Gilmore Girls and Shadowhunters.
Samsung smart TVs gain Amazon Prime Music support
Samsung has recently tightened its relationship with Amazon, partnering up on its HDR10+ tech meant to counter Dolby Vision HDR. Now, Samsung's smart TVs will be some of the first third-party, non-Alexa devices able to stream Amazon Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited in the US and elsewhere, Samsung announced. The service will also work on all of Samsung's audio devices, including sound bars and wireless speakers.