Looking for a smart TV that’s worth less than a flagship smartphone? Xiaomi’s second-generation TV might just what you’re looking for. The new Smart TV offers 4K resolution viewing displayed on a 49-inch screen.

The TV runs on MIUI, an operating system based on Android. The display features technology from Sharp, specifically a Sharp SDP X-Gen panel. Processing power is provided by a 1.45GHz quad-core processor, which is complimented by a Mali-450 GPU, 1.5GB DDR3 RAM and 8GB of on-board storage.

Xiaomi has installed different codecs on the TV that allows it to playback an assortment of video formats including H.265, H.264, MPEG4, REAL, FM, FLV, MOV, AVI, MKV, TS and MP4.

The Xiaomi Mi TV 2 will launch by next week for $322 and will be available through the company’s website by March 31.

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When LG first unveiled its curved smartphone and TV, the company definitely put its name on the list of manufacturers to look out for when it comes to the production of flexible and curved displays.

This week, the Korean tech giant is taking curved display technology to a whole new level by showcasing its new flexible OLED panel that can be rolled into a tube.

The prototype has a resolution of 1280 x 810 pixels and features a polyamide film on the back that gives it more flexibility. LG is also said to be developing transparent OLED display with better image quality.

At present, the rollable and transparent displays are still in production, although the company’s R&D chief, In-Byung Kang said that the technology can arrive as soon as 2017.

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After introducing the L Developer Preview of Android, Android Wear and Auto, Google has also unveiled Android for our living rooms, which is fittingly called Android TV.

Just like the other versions of Android discussed during the event, Android TV is designed to bring the usability of the Android operating system to other devices. As such, the platform still features Google’s new Material Design, which is most prominent when a user is viewing cards on top of live TV.

Android TV is also bringing improved search functionality with full support for voice search. Moreover, the platform is fully compatible with other Android platforms. For instance, consumers are able to use an Android Wear smartwatch as a remote control for Android TV while games from Google Play will be playable on the user’s TV.

Google is also giving Android TV a cast feature similar to the Chromecast. This means that content from an Android smartphone and tablet can be conveniently displayed on TV allowing users to share content more freely.

And speaking of Chromecast, the TV streaming dongle will also be getting some upgrades today. For starters, users can now cast content through the cloud, eliminating the need to get all casters under one network. Also, Google wants users to use their TV even when not watching any shows or movies by enabling a feature called Backdrop that displays beautiful curated images when the TV is not in use.

The Chromecast update will also allow TVs to mirror the contents of an Android smartphone.

The SDK for Android TV should now be available at Google Developers website today while products running on the platform are expected to ship in the coming months.

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Mozilla might be working on a device that will make ordinary TVs more powerful just like Google’s Chromecast TV streamer.

In a report by GigaOm, a Chromecast-like device was showcased in a hands-on video. Based on the short clip, the device is capable of flinging content from a YouTube app of an Android software. It was also mentioned that support for iOS, Windows Phone and Amazon Fire platform might be provided in the future.

Apparently, the device is going after the same openness as Firefox OS. But other than that, details about the TV streaming dongle is still shrouded in mystery.

On top of that Mozilla has denied any involvement with the project and says that the device might be the work of third party developers who are using the Firefox OS open-source software. Whether or not this is true is something we have to wait and see.

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Google is once again plotting to take control of our living rooms through a new smart TV platform that’s simple and easy to use, focused and one that’s not trying to be a smartphone OS ported into a smart TV.

According to documents obtained by The Verge, the new TV platform to be called Android TV will still be based on Android but will be built to be more of an entertainment hub rather than a computing platform and should provide consumers with the content they want with “the least amount of friction”.

To do this, the search giant is removing any unnecessary apps in the OS that is not needed for watching videos and only retained those that deliver relevant video content to consumers including Vevo, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Hangouts, Netflix, Hulu and Pandora to name a few.

Based on the screenshots, Android TV will be consists of a set of scrolling cards that represent movies, shows, apps and games, which are accessed by a remote control. The remote control will feature a four-way directional pad and additional navigation buttons such as Enter, Back and Home. There will also be optional game controllers.

Android TV will also reportedly support voice input and notifications, though Google is advising developers to incorporate notifications in very limited cases. Of course, a recommendation feature will be included in the platform.

Google is said to allegedly talking to select app developers to create apps ad games for Android TV and encouraging them to build apps with a consistent interface.

At the moment, the future of Android TV remains uncertain, so we do suggest taking this news with a bit of salt. For starters, Google already has the Chromecast in the market which makes Android TV quite redundant. And second is that Android TV can also directly compete with the company’s hardware partners such as LG who are using WebOS in its TVs.

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The Koreans has certainly proven that they can innovate with LG’s and Samsung’s curved tellys. Both companies have announced their 105-inch TVs and since we’ve already talked about LG’s from last post, it’s now time for Samsung to take the stage.

Just like LG’s 105 incher, Samsung U9500 promises a unique cinematic experience thanks to its 4K resolution coupled with a 21:9 contrast ratio. Moreover, it also comes equipped with its own proprietary upscaling chip that enhances SD and HD content to 4K (or at least close to 4K).

The TV also comes with H.265 HEVC decoding, HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2 compliance and MHL 3.0. Samsung has also added its One Connect Box feature that allows the TV to be conveniently upgraded in the future by swapping out components.

In case you want a more traditional approach to watching content on 4K displays, Samsung has also announced a 55-, 65- and 78-inch models with the typical flat panel.  

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Korean manufacture LG was one of the main exhibitors at this year’s CES and there are a number of interesting devices and technology designed mostly for the home.

Undeniably, the star of the LG’s announcement would be its 105-inch curved OLED television that features a resolution of 5120 x 2160 pixels, which the company markets as 5K. Moreover, this mammoth TV gets a 21:9 CinemaScope aspect ratio and a massive speaker at the bottom called “Ultra Surround concept”, which contains 7.2-channel forward facing speakers designed with Harman Kardon.

Also on display at LG’s booth are the company’s line of flat LCD TVs including a 65-, 79-, 84- and 98-inch models. All four models boasts a 3840x2160 resolution and comes equipped with LG’s Tru-Ultra HD Engine Pro and 4K Motion Estimation Motion Compensation technology for up scaling SD, HD and True HD content to 4K.

Aside from its new fleet of TVs, LG also unveiled its newly revamped WebOS operating system that goes with its line of smart TVs. The new OS features a newly designed card UI that looks completely different from the one we saw with HP and Palm handsets. The OS also features a cartoony “bean bird” character to encourage users to finish the setup process.

LG’s motion remote becomes a mouse pointer and allows users to select which card or app to open. At the moment, WebOS for LG TVs will come with Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and Amazon to name a few and there might be more apps coming in the future.

Then there’s the company’s fitness tracker – the LG Life Band. Just like Razer’s Nabu, the Life band also offers a number of smartwatch functionality including incoming call notifications and display.

The band uses Bluetooth LE to connect to any Android and iOS device and is controlled via a touchscreen LED display. It is also water-resistant and will work with existing fitness applications.

The LG Life Band will be available sometime in Q2 2014 and will ship along with a heart rate earphones that use an optical sensor to measure the blood flow to your ears to determine your heart rate.

Lastly, LG has also revealed its plans to integrate household appliances into the internet with its new platform – Home Chat.

Basically, the system will allow users to send an SMS to their connected appliances (refrigerators, robot vacuum cleaners, washing machines, etc.) and give them command straight from their smartphones. This is kind of similar to what Samsung has with its Smart Home concept.

Furthermore, the tech giant is expected to release more innovations in the field of home appliances including more door-in-door refrigerators, washing machines with TurboWash feature and dryers with new heat pump-powered front-load models.

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