LG’s 2019 TVs slide Alexa next to Google Assistant, with Siri on the way

By Simon Cohen Updated May 24, 2019

LG-TV-Amazon-Alexa — Image used with permission by copyright holder

LG announced that its 2019 ThinQ A.I. TVs will eventually support all three major voice assistants, in one form or another. Currently, these TVs embed LG’s own proprietary A.I. and the Google Assistant, but starting this month, Alexa will be added to 2019 ThinQ A.I. TVs, including LG UHD TVs, NanoCell TVs, and OLED TVs. TVs in North America will be the first to receive the update, with Europe and Asia getting it in the weeks to follow.

Using Alexa on an LG TV will require the Alexa app on a smartphone or tablet, for account creation and the management of skills and other preferences, plus the TV’s remote. To talk to Alexa, you press and hold the Amazon Prime Video button, while a short press will still launch the Amazon Prime Video app. There’s no need for an external speaker, like an Echo Dot, and Alexa routines will be supported, too.

Recommended Videos

The regular microphone button on the remote will trigger LG ThinQ by default, but depending on your settings it will hand-off requests it can’t handle to either Alexa or Google Assistant.

As part of the announcement, LG also took the opportunity to remind us that the planned addition of Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit technologies is still on the horizon as a midyear update. When this happens, you’ll be able to control a 2019 LG TV via Siri commands through an iOS device or a HomePod.

LG’s strategy of delivering compatibility with all a multitude of voice assistants is a logical approach, and it’s not alone in doing so. Earlier this month, Sonos finally added Google Assistant compatibility to its range of Wi-Fi-connected speakers, giving users the choice of working with Alexa or Assistant — or both — within the same home network. Bose followed within a few days, adding Google Assistant to its existing collection of Alexa-enabled smart speakers.

The question now is, what will happen to companies that only support one of these voice-controlled helpers? Sony’s decision to use Android TV means it’s likely locked into Google Assistant for the foreseeable future. Or, as in Samsung’s case, what happens when you try to push a proprietary A.I. such as Bixby? We expect Samsung’s long-awaited Galaxy Home smart speaker to appear shortly, and when it does, it will face an uphill battle if Bixby remains the exclusive voice assistant.

Updated on May 24, 2019: Added new details around how Alexa works on 2019 LG TVs.

Topics

Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…

Audio / Video

A first look at Google Stadia on an LG CX OLED TV

Cyberpunk 2077 on LG CX OLED and Google Stadia.

There is nothing more frustrating than opening up a new toy, only to find that it doesn't work. Such was the case — at first — when I installed Google's Stadia cloud gaming app on a 2020 LG CX OLED television.

The news peg, as we say in the business, is that Stadia has been spreading to more and more devices. And it's now available natively on LG televisions that have the webOS 5.0 or the newer webOS 6.0 software. You don't need a Chromecast. You don't need to run more wires or Ethernet cable. You just download the app from the LG Content Store, and fire away.

Audio / Video

LG adds Nvidia GeForce Now gaming to select 2021 smart TVs

Nvidia GeForce Now on LG TVs.

LG has announced that it is the first smart TV maker to debut a native app for Nvidia's GeForce Now online streaming gaming platform. The GeForce Now app will be available as a beta test on select 2021 TVs, including 4K OLED, QNED mini-LED, and NanoCell TV models in 80 markets globally. LG says the full list of compatible TVs will be released at a later date.

With the GeForce Now app installed, users will have access to 35 free-to-play games if they own a compatible controller, with no additional hardware required. Games include Rocket League, Destiny 2, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Crysis Remastered Trilogy. Games can be played at up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second, though there has been some recent controversy over this as Nvidia has admitted to capping some games at lower frame rates. (Digital Trends has put together a list of the best GeForce Now games.)

Audio / Video

LG TVs can automatically kill the soap opera effect for Prime Video content

LG is rolling out an update to the Filmmaker Mode feature on all 2020 and 2021 4K and 8K UHD Smart TVs starting this week. The update will let these TVs respond to a signal embedded in certain streaming shows and movies by automatically switching to Filmmaker Mode. For now, the feature only works with Amazon Prime Video content, but presumably, it could be applied to any streaming content from any service.

For the uninitiated, Filmmaker Mode -- the brainchild of the UHD Alliance -- is the TV industry's answer to the growing frustration over what's commonly known as the "soap opera effect." Motion-smoothing technologies that are designed to help modern flat-panel displays do a better job with fast-motion video, like sports content, have the unfortunate side effect of making lots of other content (like movies and TV shows) look unnatural and, in many cases, low-budget -- thus the soap opera analogy.