Audio Video News

LG has announced details of the ThinQ artificial intelligence (AI) and image processing at the heart of the 2018 OLED and “Super UHD” LCD smart TVs it will showcase at CES 2018, which opens in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

ThinQ AI functions as a smart home hub and supports voice requests from LG’s smart TV platform and voice remote as well as third-party AI services. Natural language processing is said to deliver an “enhanced interactive experience” with intelligent voice-activated control, connectivity, and search based on LG’s DeepThinQ learning technology. Verbal requests can be used to search for specific content as in “show me all of the movies Steve McQeeen starred in” or “show me yoga videos.”

The AI technology also supports real-time delivery of electronic program guide (EPG) information and changing channels to access requested content without having to repeat the name of the program or enter a specific time. Examples include instructing the TV to “search for the soundtrack of Star Wars” or “turn off the TV when The Crown is over”

LG said TV setup has also been streamlined to simplify connection to gaming consoles and soundbars.

As a smart home hub, ThinQ enables access to and control of a variety of connected devices, including robotic vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, air purifiers, smart lights, and smart speakers such as Amazon’s popular Echo.

LG’s new α (Alpha) 9 processor is said to bring “further improvements” to TV picture quality, complementing the “deeper blacks and enhanced color” made possible by the use of full-array local dimming backlight in its Super UHD TVs.” Four-step noise reduction improves image clarity and render gradations more smoothly, while advanced mapping produces more natural color, according to the company. The processor also supports high-frame-rate (HFR) content for smoother, more natural rendering of fast action associated with sports and action movies.

LG has expanded the high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities of its 2018 OLED and Super UHD TVs with a new 4K Cinema HDR feature that dynamically processes HDR images frame by frame and support for Advanced HDR by Technicolor in addition to the currently supported Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) formats.

The 2018 OLED and SUPER UHD TVs are also equipped with Dolby Atmos surround sound.

For more on LG’s 2018 product lineup, check Sound & Vision’s coverage of CES 2018, which begins on Monday, January 8.