-- --
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
New products come to market all the time, but it is rare when a new category of product is launched. The new G6 from Skyworth, however, is precisely this: a sophisticated Android TV with integrated Google technology, the kind of device that will be the hub of smart homes of the future.
-- --
At an event held in the offices of Clockwork Media in Bryanston, Johannesburg, Bridget Meyer - the marketing manager of Skyworth in South Africa - gave an introduction to the company and its global operations.
While Skyworth is new to the South African market, it is a well-established brand internationally. It's 30 years old, and though headquartered in Shenzhen in China, it employs between 40 and 50 thousand people globally.
In 2006, the company developed China's first recordable TV, and by 2008 - only twenty years after launching - it ranked number one in the Chinese product market, both in terms of volume and revenue. This was followed by the development of the world's first full colour gamut TV in 2013, and the first OLED TV in China.
As Skyworth key account manager Jaco Joubert explains, with the launch of the G6, the company can now add a South African first to this impressive list of achievements.
The biggest difference between the G6 and its competitors is that other companies take the approach of building a TV first, and then they add features like Wi-Fi and an operating system, and perhaps a custom app store.
What Skyworth have done is different. They decided to take a global approach: they acquired Google's Android operating system first, and then built the G6 around this user interface.
He switches on the TV and reveals the home screen, which contains a few familiar apps - such as NetFlix, Showmax and DStv Now.
This is what most people get out of their smart TVs, Joubert says.
He then pushes a button on the remote control and simply asks the TV to open the Google Play Store, before continuing: But with this being a Google product, you can now also access the Play Store. With this, you've got up-to-date access to the world's selection of apps - he scrolls past Spotify, a Washington Post video service, Chelsea TV - as well as whole libraries of movies and TV series.
Because these are instantly updated the moment a new product comes on board with Google, you're never limited to what the manufacturers installed on the TV when you bought it.
Joubert shows the functionality of the remote-operated Google Assistant by asking about the weather in Shenzhen, and points out that this feature has been programmed by the company's engineers to recognise South African English, Afrikaans and isiZulu.
He continues: Another great thing about the Play Store is its range of hundreds of games. Single-player, multi-player, online, offline, it's got everything.
He picks up a PlayStation-like controller - a device which comes in the box with the G6 - and explains, when Skyworth was developing this product, the engineers at Google were very insistent that, if they wanted to use the software, they needed to make sure the hardware was up to scratch. So the G6 has a quad core processor and in-built graphics card, as well as 4GB and 16GB onboard memory. This means that users don't need to invest in a separate gaming console - they can do it all from the TV.
As appealing as these entertainment features are, perhaps the G6's greatest attraction is its hyper-connectivity. In addition to three physical HDMI connections, the TV boasts integrated Bluetooth technology and in-built Chrome Cast, meaning users can wirelessly share content from any device directly to the TV.
This also means that the G6 is a future-proof piece of technology: ready and able to function as the hub within smart homes of the future.
At this year's IFA trade show in Berlin, Skyworth won a gold award for Innovation for their AI TV, which will launch in South Africa next year, Joubert says. But, when you consider what an in-built Android system gives you, you already have a lot of these AI features. You have voice recognition, you have Google Assistant, and you have an interface that can talk to any smart device. If you have a smart lighting system in your home, with the G6 you can dim or brighten your lounge by talking to your TV.
In terms of construction, the G6 sports a sleek and attractive design with a full metal frame, an IPS panel to reduce glare and a built-in Dolby surround sound bar, which is impressively powerful and clear even at high volumes.
The picture quality is excellent, offering crisp UHD viewing, and this initial offering of G6 TVs will come in three sizes: 49, 55 or 65 inches.
Meyer explains that, Skyworth is able to be competitive from a pricing perspective because we have a factory here in South Africa that manufactures the units. We import the components from China and the TVs themselves are made here, which is far more cost-effective than importing the full units.
There is much excitement surround the Skyworth G6 Android TV, and the product promises to be a resoundingly successful introduction to the South African market for the Chinese company.
Meyer concludes by saying, With the G6 - and the ongoing AI research that Skyworth is conducting through their partnership with Baidu - the company aims to remain at the forefront of entertainment technologies, by outperforming their competitors from a technology and innovation perspective.
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
-- --
Most recent headlines
20/11/2018
Published: Tue 20 Nov 2018
Video of IAC TX3 MONSTROUS MONOLITHS
Im A Celebrit...
20/11/2018
Lagard re Travel Retail closed the acquisition of Hojeij Branded Foods (HBF), a ...
20/11/2018
Xilinx Extends Functional Safety into AI-class Devices IEC 61508 specification certificate issued by Exida for high-performance Zynq UltraScale family Nov 20, ...
20/11/2018
Viewers in Europe are also less likely to watch online video daily
Author:
Dan MeierPublish date:
Nov 20, 2018
European internet users are less likely to wa...
20/11/2018
Platform offers access to a selection of HD entertainment content
Author:
Jenny PriestleyPublish date:
Nov 20, 2018
South Asian OTT service Eros Now has bee...
20/11/2018
LiveU was used to send images from cameras and phones back to a story producer for each Thief team
Author:
Jenny PriestleyPublish date:
Nov 20, 2018
Sky One...
20/11/2018
Hulu comedy PEN15 premieres Friday, Feb. 8. Hulu is on board for ten episodes of the series, from The Lonely Island. Grab your gel pens and rolly backpacks, be...
20/11/2018
21 11 2018 - Media release Screen Australia announces 16 titles to be developed
Writer of comedy series Gnomes, Tegan Higginbotham
Screen Australia has annou...
20/11/2018
Dejero, an innovator in cloud-managed solutions that provide video transport and Internet connectivity while mobile or in remote locations, has been awarded a p...
20/11/2018
UK loudspeaker manufacturer PMC has appointed Boujikian Bros.Co.Ltd as its distributor in Lebanon with responsibility for handling the company's entire rang...
20/11/2018
Musician and mastering engineer Nick Cooke has opened a state of the art mastering facility in Wrington, near Bristol, which is now the base for his new enterpr...
20/11/2018
Insight TV, the world's leading 4K UHD HDR broadcaster and producer of nativ...
20/11/2018
The new Polaroid RGB LED camera and camcorder light offers photographers and vid...
20/11/2018
With Sky having commissioned Shine TV to produce the latest in ground-breaking f...
20/11/2018
Post-minimalist British composer and musician Max Richter is renowned for his prolific output, which includes composing and recording his own music and writing ...
20/11/2018
Premium automobile manufacturer Audi has chosen Sony's CineAlta Full-Frame system camera VENICE to shoot the commercial of its first all-electric car model,...
20/11/2018
--
-- --
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
Lion Lager took the second screen by storm with the launch of the digital series iLobola Nge Bhubesi<...
20/11/2018
20 November, 2018 - 12:03
Want to visit the Cape Town set of awarded filmmaker Sunu Goneras new afrocentric, #movie #RidingWithSugar? Be in the movie with y...
20/11/2018
Plunkett will advise the company on its technical growth and strategy
Author:
Dan MeierPublish date:
Nov 20, 2018
OTT content distribution platform Airbeem ...
20/11/2018
Broadcaster has secured a new agreement with the Scottish Professional Football League
Author:
Dan MeierPublish date:
Nov 20, 2018
Sky Sports will become th...
20/11/2018
Deal received "unconditional approval" from Chinese regulators
Author:
Jenny PriestleyPublish date:
Nov 20, 2018
The Walt Disney Companys proposed $71.3 bil...
20/11/2018
With a burgeoning Irish music scene and ever increasing demand for rider-friendly consoles, Murt Whelan, owner of the eponymously named Murt Whelan Sound, decid...
20/11/2018
IT services company Specialist Computer Centres (SCC) has set its sights on the visual communications and collaboration space with the acquisition of a signifi...
20/11/2018
Crestron EMEA has opened a new office in Milan. This latest location for Crestron, which includes offices and an experience centre, opened November 15, and is s...
20/11/2018
B-Tech AV Mounts has appointed Tom Meylink as director of sales (Europe) to lead European sales teams in Brussels, Barcelona and Berlin.
For eight years Meyli...
20/11/2018
Already populated with the virtual headstones of go90, Seeso and, more recently, FilmStruck (closing down Nov. 29) and Drama Fever, the graveyard for over-the-t...
20/11/2018
A week after dish network's top executive admitted that the profitability of the satellite TV company's virtual pay TV platform isn't nearly what he...
20/11/2018
WHY THIS MATTERS: Diginet purveyors have created multimillion-dollar businesses by converting extra spectrum and at least initially library programming into...
20/11/2018
NBC was the hefty winner in Sunday ratings, as Sunday Night Football led the network to a 4.3 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 17 share. In s...
20/11/2018
Courtesy of Turner
Steven Universe is back on Cartoon Network Monday, Dec. 17. The show has a five-episode arc titled Steven Universe: Diamond Days. The premie...
20/11/2018
WHY THIS MATTERS: A truly unique setting can make a show stand out from the packed TV landscape.
A new season of The Last Alaskans, about the few remaining res...
20/11/2018
Meredith Ahr
Meredith Ahr has been promoted to president, alternative and reality group at NBC Entertainment. The 17-year NBC veteran will oversee all aspects ...
20/11/2018
Seasons three of comedies Crashing and High Maintenance start on HBO Sunday, Jan. 20. Crashing was created by Pete Holmes, who stars in the show as well. The se...
20/11/2018
AT&T Audience Network has ordered a third season of drama Mr. Mercedes. There will be 10 hour-long episodes and production starts early in 2019 in Charleston, S...
20/11/2018
20 November, 2018 - 08:03
With more young people than ever hoping to start their careers, the new PSA for The Presidents Award (First Patron Nelson Mandela)...
20/11/2018
Imagine Communications Announces CEO Transition Imagine Communications has announced that Tom Cotney has been named CEO of the company, effective immediately. ...
20/11/2018
Disney to Acquire Twenty-First Century for $52.4 Billion Transaction to include 21st Century Fox's film and television studios, cable entertainment network...
20/11/2018
Grass Valley welcomes Timothy Shoulders as new president Seven-year veteran of Belden focuses on Grass Valley's growth and customer experience as the new y...
20/11/2018
Clear-com celebrates 50th anniversary Five decades of intercom innovation, connecting people when communications matter.
Clear-Com, provider of real-time com...
20/11/2018
AEQ and Broadcast Pix partner to deliver media and broadcast automation solution...
20/11/2018
New Gemini 5K S35 sensor from RED Digital Cinema The Gemini 5K S35 sensor leverages dual sensitivity modes to provide greater flexibility for a variety of shoo...
20/11/2018
NEP Ireland standardises OB trucks with Calrec with purchase of two Artemis cons...
20/11/2018
Caledonia Investments acquires optics manufacturer Cooke Optics Management team and day-to-day company activities remain unchanged. Investment will enable fast...
20/11/2018
A coat. It seems so basic. But thousands of children in our viewing area need warm winter wear for the cold months ahead, especially families devastated by Hurr...
20/11/2018
20 11 2018 - Media release Big stars back for season 2 of hit comedy Squinters
Andrea Demetriades, Rose Matefeo and Susie Yousef
ABC in association with Scre...
20/11/2018
ATP Media and Gearhouse Broadcast test 1080p50 HDR Technology at the Next Gen AT...
20/11/2018
B/R Live & TNT Continue UEFA Champions League Group Stage Coverage with Matchday...
20/11/2018
The contract signature took place at the Department for Business, Energy and Ind...
20/11/2018
Microsoft will look to score big points in their console war against Sony with t...
20/11/2018
Date: 20 November
Starting time: 19:00
Venue: Boland Park, Paarl
TV and live stream: SABC 3
Paarl Rocks vs Jozi Stars If the first Mzansi Super League match...
-- -- 
