Not just one but two voice assistants. Users in select countries will be able to control their TV with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant via a compatible smart speaker.
Speak up
Panasonic says that all of its 2018 TVs, including the new flagship OLED TVs, will receive a firmware update to enable the features. However, it is not specifying when.
- ”Panasonic will issue a firmware update to all 2018 4K OLED and LCD models delivering compatibility with popular voice assistants. Users will be able to use their voice via a compatible smart speaker to control them,” the company announced at an event today.
At the time of the firmware update, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa will only be available to users in the UK and Germany. The company did not comment on its plans for the future.
Panasonic will also bring the two voice assistants to four of its new UHD Blu-ray players.
How exactly users will be able to control a Panasonic TV through voice commands is a little unclear but competitors have demonstrated playback controls, answers to general-type questions, and universal search capabilities.
Besides Panasonic, LG and Philips will bring Google Assistant to their TVs in 2018. Sony will support both Alexa and Google Assistant, whereas Samsung will roll out its own assistant in the form of Bixby. In each instance, the voice assistant will be limited to select few countries.
