Kayo comes to Hisense in 2021 with new generation VIDAA U5 operating system

With CES just days away, Hisense has kicked off it’s round of announcements with information about it’s new and updated operating system for Hisense TVs, called VIDAA U5.

The new OS will allow for Google Assistant to work alongside the existing Amazon Alexa support which will work well for the Aussie market where Google is the dominant voice assistant.

There’s word of several models featuring what Hisense is calling “Far-Field” voice control technology which appears to be a smart microphone allowing for easier voice use on the TVs, particularly for Amazon Alexa.

Speed is improved, with launch and response times an important focus for engineers during the development.

Hisense say VIDAA U5 will be available “across the majority of Hisense’s 2021 Australian TV range”

Importantly, the announcement from Hisense Australia, also includes reference to a new streaming partnership with Kayo Sports bringing the Kayo App to new Hisense TVs.

EFTM can confirm that Kayo Sports will also get it’s own button on remote controls for the 2021 Hisense TV Range.

No word yet on backwards compatibility to existing models, we’ll have to wait for the launch in early 2021 for that.

Andre Iannuzzi from Hisense Australia says “Australians’ use of smart devices has accelerated this year, particularly with connectivity and content
becoming a key part of our lives as we spent more time at home with family, enjoying the entertainment and light relief offered by our Smart TVs,”

Going on to say, “At Hisense Australia we strive to continually improve and update our smart TV offering to ensure our customers have the best user experience possible. 2021 is no exception and we are very pleased to be introducing VIDAA U5. From advanced voice control functionality to the addition of new apps that will be a gateway to hours of new content, VIDAA U5 aims to make TV viewing easier and more enjoyable than ever,”

Speaking about the speed upgrade, boasting an improvement of up to 20% in load times, Product specialist Chris Mayer from Hisense said “We anticipate the faster, more responsive OS interface offered by VIDAA U5 will be positively received by content-hungry Aussies, especially considering there will be even more entertainment and sports content to browse on the platform in the new year,”

The inclusion of Google alongside Alexa makes the TV the centre point for an Aussie Smarthome, Mayer saying “This update means that your TV can be used as your main smart home hub. This means you can use it to turn your smart lights on, check your schedule for the week and ask for the latest news updates with an on-screen response, without needing a separate smart device,”

Android TV?

The announcement from Hisense also hints at more of the company’s CES news, stating that “Android fans will be pleased to hear that Hisense will also be launching a select number of Android TV models in 2021.“

Hisense CES news is all in one place, at the Hisense Australia CES mini site.

EFTM’s Coverage of CES 2021 is supported by Hisense, Samsung and Powered by Telstra 5G