Chinese consumers boost smart TV industry

Products offer interactive scenarios, enhance integration with mobile phones, and connect with various home devices

Increasingly affluent Chinese consumers are giving a powerful boost to smart TVs in their pursuit of a high-end lifestyle. In an era of artificial intelligence, this has become a lot easier.

Data from market research firm International Data Corporation forecast the shipment of smart TVs in China will soar to 49.38 million units in 2023, having reached 10.84 million units in the first quarter of this year.

Chinese home appliance manufacturers are pressing ahead with smart TV products which offer interactive scenarios, enhance their interaction with mobile phones, and connect with various smart home devices, to attract customers despite a slowdown in the domestic TV sector.

Hisense Group, a leading television and appliance manufacturer, launched its brand-new social TV with a Hi Table interactive system for large-screen social viewing in the Chinese market.

The TV will provide users with interactive experiences, including six-party video chat, cinema sharing, 3D karaoke, artificial intelligence-powered visual recognition and fitness, and multi-screen communication.

Wang Wei, deputy general manager of Qingdao Hisense Electric Co Ltd, the listed arm of Hisense Group, said the TV has become the intelligent center for family entertainment and interaction.

"The large-sized screen has entered the era of social interaction," Wang said.

He added that Hisense is carrying out research and development of two AIoT chips. AIoT, which means artificial intelligence of things, combines AI technology with the internet of things infrastructure to improve human-machine interaction, enhance data management and analytics.

The 55-inch social TV will support users in having real-time chat with family and friends when they are watching shows and sports matches together.

"Users could sing karaoke in virtual scenarios such as Tokyo, Paris and any other place they like through 3D Avatar karaoke, and the 5G technology makes it possible to invite friends to sing online together," Wang said.

If users want to take a photo, they can just tell the TV, which can help users analyze their appearances and compare them with a pop star through the visual recognition function. Customized services such as dressing-up or monitoring calories will also be provided.

All View Cloud, a market consultancy, said smart TVs are gaining ground in the domestic market, with the penetration rate at 89 percent in 2018. The figure is seen rising to as high as 93 percent.

TCL Corp, another Chinese home appliance manufacturer, unveiled its first revolving large smart screen named XESS in the country as the company aims to drive development through technological innovation and satisfy the different needs of consumers in terms of picture, sound quality and content application.

The XESS features a 55-inch display and could achieve AI-powered auto rotation from a horizontal mode to a vertical mode on shaking mobile phones. There is also the visual experience of watching videos on a 55-inch screen which will be enhanced up to 100 times from that seen on a 5.5-inch cellphone.

"By upgrading the interaction between the large screen and the mobile phone, the smart screen enables users to watch the large screen and use the phone via the smart screen at the same time," said Wang Cheng, CEO of TCL Industrial Holdings Co Ltd.

Wang added the smart screen will become the core access to a smart home with the function of connecting all scenarios of smart living. It is able to identify users and record their personal habits through facial and voice recognition technology.

XESS also deploys 5G technology modules, a pop-up AI camera, 4-core smart chip and independent professional Hi-Fi audio equipment to ensure efficient processing capacity and sensitive connectivity between various smart home devices like a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a laundry machine and smart door locks.