Audio Video News

China’s Hisense is rolling out a new line of feature-packed 4K Ultra HD Android TVs priced between $400 and $1,000 in an aggressive effort to gain a bigger foothold in the U.S. market.

Sold through Best Buy and Amazon.com, the 2019 LED-backlit LCD models are divided into the currently available H8F series — with 50-, 55-, and 65-inch screen sizes at $400, $500, and $700, respectively — and the H9F series with 55- and 65-inch models at $700 and $1,000, which will be available in June at Best Buy.

The new models meld Google’s Android TV platform with the company’s patented ULED (not to be confused with OLED) technology, which is said to draw on multiple technologies, including Hi-View processing, to improve brightness, color, contrast, and motion. The full array local dimming component of ULED divides the LEDs used for backlighting into up to 132 zones in the H9F models and up to 60 zones in the H8F models. The company’s Hi-View chipset uses proprietary algorithms to automatically adjust color, brightness, and contrast “to achieve the best picture quality possible without the viewer needing to intervene.”

The H9F series sets further employ on quantum dot technology to achieve wide color gamut that covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, according to Hisense, while H8F models are said to cover 90% of DCI-P3. Peak brightness is rated as 1,000+ nits for the H9F models and up to 700 nits for H8F models. Both series also support Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range (HDR), while the H9F has a 120-Hz native panel with 240 and 480 motion-rate processing, respectively, for reduced motion blur.

The Android TV platform offers personalized recommendations based on viewing habits, supports Chromecast, which enables viewers to stream content from their phones, and provides Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Sling, and other streaming services.

All of the new models support voice control via Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant platforms. Google Assistant is integrated into the TVs and can be used to search content, summon weather and other information, and control compatible AV and smart-home devices. Alexa can be used with Amazon Echo devices to control compatible smart-home device once the Hisense skill for Amazon Echo is downloaded to the TV.

For more information, visit hisense-usa.com.