Hisense is one of those OEM's that you may not have heard much about, but is a more household name in some corners of the globe. They first dipped their toes into the Google TV world with the Pulse set-top box, first announced back at IFA 2012 in Berlin. Now they have returned with their next Google TV hardware, and it's a little different this time around.
Unveiled at CES in Las Vegas, the XT780 has Google TV integrated within. No set-top box this time. The XT780 will be available in both 55 and 65 inch variants, and as far as TVs go, it's a pretty handsome looking thing. With Google TV comes the usual sort of pre-loaded apps like Pandora, Netflix, Chrome browser and the Google Play Store. There's no mention of what kind of horsepower this TV is packing to run Google TV, or pricing and availability information at this time. The full press release can be found after the break.
HISENSE UNVEILS XT780 TV WITH GOOGLE TV AT CES 2013
Hisense combines the power of Google TV with elegant design for new era of feature-packed, affordable televisions
Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7, 2013 – Hisense today announced the next step in its rollout of advanced Google TV products in the shape of its powerful new 65- and 55-inch XT780 series of HDTVs. The International CES Innovations Awards panel also recognized the groundbreaking technology and innovative design of the XT780 Series with Google TV, naming it a 2013 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree.
The Hisense XT780 with Google TV expands upon Hisense’s depth of experience with the powerful Google TV platform, allowing consumers to enjoy a new level of intuitive content discovery and viewing recommendations in addition to enabling simple navigation to integrated services that include Netflix, Pandora, YouTube and more. The XT780 brings Social TV and media, Google Play, web search, e-mail, shopping, news and online videos straight to users’ fingertips.
Built on the flexible Google TV OS, the software upgradeable XT780 enables TV-optimized versions of Chrome, Google Play, Search, TV & Movies and YouTube. Google TV intuitively searches and sorts through millions of channels and shows across live television, paid and free content services, home networks, apps and the web to deliver the most relevant content to each viewer. Supporting standard and high definition content in 2D and 3D, Flash and HTML5 as well as H.264, MPEG-4 and AVC formats, the XT780 with Google TV powers the most versatile TV experience available for home entertainment today.
The XT780 allows multi-tasking for web browsing and social networking while watching television content. The Hisense Home Page user interface serves as a quick start launch page for Google TV services, conveniently organizing user favorites and displaying content and app recommendations. The multi-screen play feature enables users to share content and control between Android and iOS devices, allowing them to share photos, movies and music to the XT780 with a simple swipe of the device screen. The wedge-shaped double-sided remote control features a built-in touchpad and dedicated Netflix button on one side, and a QWERTY keyboard on the other side, allowing easy web and search features. In addition, the remote control allows has a built-in microphone, enabling voice control of many of the devices features and search functionality.
“The XT780 gives a whole new audience the opportunity to enjoy Google TV,” said Peter Erdman, Vice President of Consumer Electronics, Hisense USA. “Offering access to a vast array of content and services, the intuitive XT780 with Google TV brings the convenience of an all-in-one entertainment hub in a beautifully designed, upgradeable package.”
