LG has upped its TV game with the integration of a new build of its webOS into the LG 2021 TV range. With its integration of content from your streaming services and all the TV settings, the webOS 6.0 home page very much aims to be the focal point of the user experience.
Much like the Google TV UI, webOS 6.0 makes film and TV recommendations based on the user’s subscriptions, preferences and viewing history and places them front and centre. Below those are then all the apps themselves for when it’s time for a deeper delve into what to watch next.
There’s also a Next Picks feature which will specifically highlight two live broadcasts or set-top box offerings at any one moment as well as one VOD title.
The webOS 6.0 experience will come with all of LG’s 2021 OLED, QNED Mini LED, NanoCell and UHD smart TVs, many of which we expect the company to reveal next week at its CES 2021 virtual press event. There’s no word on whether older models will also get it through an update.
LG has also re-imagined its Magic Remote control to go along with its latest TV experience. It’s now a more rounded oblong shape with more hotkeys for subscription services and a faster connection between the device and the TV itself.
It’s voice-enabled for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant which will work to operate other LG ThinkQ smart appliances you may own.
A particularly nice touch for TV viewing is the Magic Tap NFC connection LG has built into the remote. Touch an NFC-enabled smartphone to the device and you’ll be able to share content between your TV and mobile without any further set-up. So, that could be pictures or videos to display on your big screen or it could be about taking your favourite programme with you while you head off to the kitchen or bathroom.
For when navigating around webOS 6.0, LG has also updated its Magic Link contextual information to what it now calls Magic Explorer. Expect an enhanced version of what we’ve seen before with metadata about actors, locations and other points of interest relating to what you’re watching, as well as more detailed explanations of the settings and controls. Look out for a change in the colour of the cursor when Magic Explorer has something to add.
We look forward to hearing about the TVs that LG has all of this planned for this year.
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Take a look at the full Sony 2021 TV line-up.
When you’re done, the full Samsung 2021 TV line-up is here too.