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LG makes TVs smarter with new AI processors
Tue, 15th Jan 2019
FYI, this story is more than a year old

LG Electronics has announced its latest flagship TVs with ThinQ AI, powered by the company's second-generation α(Alpha) 9 Gen 2 intelligent processor and deep learning algorithm, which offer a higher level of AI picture and sound quality.

LG's 2019 TVs use AI to analyse the content source in order to recognise the ambient conditions around the TV and deliver more optimised content.

The TV range provides access to a wide selection of artificial intelligence services across multiple platforms, including newly implemented Amazon Alexa in addition to the built-in Google Assistant.

Voice recognition and an intuitive home dashboard make it possible to control a wide variety of smart home devices directly from the TV.

LG's 8K 88-inch Z9 OLED TV includes high processing capabilities for delivering 8K picture quality that looks sharp, vivid and detailed thanks to upscaling and improved noise reduction.

In addition to content source detection, the new processor finely adjusts the tone mapping curve in accordance with ambient conditions to offer optimised screen brightness, using its ability to understand how the human eye perceives images in different lighting.

The processor uses the TV's ambient light sensor to measure light levels, automatically adjusting brightness to compensate as needed.

The α9 Gen 2 AI can further refine HDR content by adjusting the brightness during dark scenes to improve contrast, detail and depth of colour, even in brightly-lit rooms.

Sound quality is augmented by an intelligent algorithm that can up-mix two-channel audio to deliver virtual 5.1 surround sound.

It can also make voices clearer and users can adjust sound settings to suit room conditions or let their LG TV intelligently set the optimum levels based on its positioning.

The Google Assistant is again built-in this year's lineup, delivering a streamlined experience that allows users to manage daily tasks, find answers and control compatible smart home devices.

This year, LG is expanding its AI partnerships to include Amazon Alexa in 2019 TVs with ThinQ AI to give customers more flexibility when it comes to voice services.

By pressing the Amazon Prime Video button on the remote, users can manage compatible smart home devices, ask questions set up their ideal Alexa Routine complete with wake-up call, traffic information and favourite TV channel switching.

Through the inclusion of HDMI 2.1 ports, all 2019 OLED TVs and selected Super UHD TVs with ThinQ AI will support highrate (HFR) at 120 frames per second for better rendering of fast-action content such as sports and action movies.

For gamers, the new TVs are compatible with variable refresh rate (VRR) as well as automatic low latency mode (ALLM) which helps deliver a clean image, with minimal stutter or tearing.