LG just announced that Alexa will be built into its CineBeam AI ThinQ 4K projector lineup. This means that both the LED HU70LA and HU85LA projectors from LG will receive a free upgrade to have Alexa’s services built-into them. Owners won’t have to do anything but update the software once they connect the projector to the internet. How will this change your experience? Keep reading to learn more.
Alexa built-in gives you access to 90,000 Skills and more
LG is leveraging Amazon’s vast Alexa ecosystem to give its CineBeam 4K projectors new life. The update will enable owners to use their voice to get information, control smart home products, and access more than 90,000 Alexa Skills in a flash. All it takes is the “push of a button on the LG Magic Remote” and it requires no external or separate device.
Through Alexa Routines, you can link a series of actions together to make your home theater experience even better. Dim the lights, send an announcement throughout the house or even turn the microwave on to start popcorn. It’s all super simple now that Alexa is here.
Smart home expands to smart home theater
The projectors receiving this update, the HU70LA and HU85LA are LG’s latest and greatest when it comes to smart home theater technology. Both offer 4K technology with HDR10 high dynamic range. The HU85LA sports up to a 120-inch screen size and packs a “vibrant picture in ambient light” thanks to its 2700 lumen output. Through laser technology, the HU85LA is a short-throw projector, which means that it just needs to be 2.2-inches from the wall to make a 90-inch screen, which is great for compact setups.
The HU70LA, on the other hand, can make up to a 140-inch screen and offers a more traditional design. If you’re building a standard home theater, this is a great option as it can be mounted on a wall or ceiling for a frameless look that laser just can’t offer. However, unlike the HU85LA, you’ll only get up to 1500 lumens of brightness here, so it’ll need to be more of a theater setting to use the HU70LA.
Not just Alexa smart, LG tackles multiple platforms
These projectors aren’t just smart with Alexa, as they work with Google Assistant as well. This means that you can now use the two most popular smart home platforms to control LG’s latest projectors, all through a simple software update. While there’s no HomeKit or AirPlay support (yet? hopefully?), LG is hitting the market hard with this update for sure.
9to5Toys’ take
It’s awesome to see companies further expanding smart home compatibility from a single platform to multiple, especially when existing devices get it through a simple software update. While I don’t use Assistant or Alexa personally (I’m a HomeKit person), I can seriously respect a company branding out like this.
Here’s hoping that LG integrates Apple’s standard at some point in the future. But, until then, let’s just enjoy being able to issue simple commands to our projectors through a remote and have our favorite movie just blast to the big screen like we’re at a theater, all without leaving the comfort of our own home.
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