LG showed off Google Assistant running on its 2018 Ultra HD TV lineup at CES early this year. When the TVs were first released, the feature had yet to launch, but buyers didn’t have long to wait, as the feature is now available on LG’s entire 2018 A.I.-enabled TV lineup, which includes its gorgeous OLED models.
Combining the power of LG’s WebOS and Google Assistant, the company’s TVs are now capable of hundreds of voice commands. You can switch between HDMI inputs, connect to soundbars, and even change picture modes using voice commands like “connect to soundbar” or “change to Cinema Mode.” You can even use LG’s proprietary ThinQ A.I. system to automatically turn the TV off at set times by saying something like “turn off the TV when this program is over.”
With Google Assistant, your TV is now also your personal assistant, capable of answering questions like “what’s the weather this weekend?” You can also view your Google Photos, search for local businesses, and even check sports scores without interrupting what you’re watching, which is great for keeping track of one game while watching another. If your TV is you home entertainment hub, powering your music listening for example, you can even use other Google Assistant-enabled devices to control playback on your TV.
“With the Google Assistant now available natively in 2018 LG A.I. TVs, LG has truly elevated the TV to a whole new level of A.I. adoption in the home,” Tim Alessi, LG Electronics USA head of home entertainment product marketing, said in a statement. “Beyond the unrivaled picture quality that LG TVs deliver, LG’s partnership with Google creates a true visual hub for information and connectivity in the home. LG has only begun to scratch the surface of what we will innovate in the A.I. ecosystem working collaboratively with cutting-edge, industry-leading partners such as Google.”
You can expect to see more of this type of integration in the future. Google recently announced that Google Assistant is now integrated into more than 5,000 smart home devices, and you can expect this type of growth to continue.
LG’s OLED and Super UHD TVs are available now. For more information, see the LG website. To make sure what you’re buying fits your needs, we’ve put together a comprehensive TV buying guide to help you make the right purchase.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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