With MWC 2021 kicking off this week, LG has announced that its Smart TVs with WebOS version 6.0 will be updated with support for Facebook’s Portal TV. For those who aren’t familiar with Portal TV, it’s basically a video calling service connected to your Facebook account.
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With a small additional piece of hardware, users can connect to Portal TV and use their big screen to conduct video calls and conferences. LG says that this update “offers more convenience for LG TV owners when connecting and using Portal TV to keep in close contact with family, friends, even coworkers.”
Here is what the rest of LG’s press release had to say about this soon to come feature:
LG TV users will benefit from Portal TV’s smooth integration that includes extremely easy setup and LG Magic Remote compatibility. Initial setup is hassle-free, requiring only plugging the Portal TV HDMI cable into the LG Smart TV.
The Portal device will be detected immediately and display a pop-up notice on the screen, providing quick access from the webOS home screen or Home Dashboard. Video call functionality can be controlled directly from the LG Magic Remote, its four-directional keys acting as command keys allowing users to control it similarly to the dedicated Portal TV remote control.
Once connected, users can make video calls to family and friends on Messenger and WhatsApp. Portal TV also supports Messenger Rooms, as well as Zoom, Workplace, and GoToMeeting, which are useful when working from home. Portal TV also features Story Time, which brings stories to life during video calls with animations, music, and AR effects.
Portal’s Smart Camera automatically pans and zooms so users can talk and move freely. Smart Camera widens the view automatically when a new participant steps into the frame. Smart Sound enhances the speaker’s voice during video calls while minimizing background noise.
Portal was created with privacy, safety, and security in mind with clear and simple settings, so users stay in control. When not in use, LG TV owners can disable the camera and microphone on Portal with the sliding switch. A red light on the front of the Portal device indicates when the microphone and camera are turned off. Users can also use the included camera cover to block Portal TV’s camera when not in use.
LG
For those who like this Facebook service and want to have access to it in their living room, this is a neat additional feature. For those who don’t want it, if you update you’ll get the feature, just don’t login to your Facebook account or set anything up and you should be fine.
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