8KA and 8K Ultra HD Certified, the first Hisense ULED 8K TV model is 75 inches, will run Android TV and is on sale in Australia from February with a RRP of $6,999.00. Hisense 8K 65 and 85 inch TV’s will also be available at a later date.
Hisense’s first ever 8K TV to hit the Australian market, the U80G is 8K Ultra HD Certified and is packed with leading sound and image technologies, including Quantum Dot Colour, Full Array Local Dimming Pro, Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos Audio.
Hands-free control and Improved Upscaling
All Hisense 2021 4K ULED TVs will be powered by the latest iteration of Hisense’s proprietary Operating System (OS), VIDAA U5, and will have Google Assistant built-in in addition to Amazon Alexa, eliminating the need for a third-party device to enable voice control.
As mentioned before Hisense’s 8K ULED TV models will run Android TV as their operating system with Google Assistant built-in. Android TV fans will be pleased to hear that Hisense will also be launching a select number of other Android TV models in 2021.
The new range will help Australians realise the full potential of voice control, with all of the 2021 Hisense ULED TVs integrating far-field microphones with sophisticated voice recognition technology that picks up commands from across the room. Far-field allows users to make completely ‘hands-free’ voice commands, eliminating the need to hold down a microphone button on a remote.
To improve image clarity, the TV is armed with Hisense’s proprietary Hi-View Engine Pro, which leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recognise and upscale low-resolution content to impeccable 8K quality from a variety of content sources.
This means users can watch live TV, enjoy the best streaming platforms and even play video games upscaled to 8K resolution, providing the highest quality viewing experience at all times.
Joining the Hisense ULED 8K TV is a variety of ULED 4K TVs that are equipped with Quantum Dot Colour, Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos Audio, including a number that are IMAX Enhanced. In addition to the 2021 ULED TV range, a UHD TV will also be available in an array of sizes, such as a big screen 98-inch offering.
Very fast VIDAA operating system
Improvements to the system’s interface, performance and speed will significantly enhance ease of use, with VIDAA U5 boasting a 20% faster launcher load time (compared to 2021 models) of just 1.7 seconds, smoother scrolling and a new optimised universal search.
I own a Hisense TV myself and can confirm the unusually spelt VIDAA operating system is extremely fast to use when new and hasn’t slowed down at all in the 2 years since I bought the the TV.
While VIDAA operating system doesn’t have as many apps built-in as Android TV, Hisense is promising even more apps and streaming options will be available on Hisense TVs through the next year. This includes the addition of leading sports streaming app, Kayo.
A new VIDAA SmartRemote Mobile App is also on the horizon for both iOS and Android mobile smartphone users. SmartRemote will allow TV owners to control their TV using their smart phone instead of a traditional remote.
This can come in handy in busy households where remotes may occasionally be misplaced, ensuring no one misses out on watching their favourite programs or movies when they want to.
As an aside, one interesting thing about TV’s running Hisense’s own VIDAA operating system is that if you press the dedicated remote button for an app eg: Netflix or STAN the TV boots straight into the app really quickly, skipping loading the Menu interface and other unnecessary system software.
IMAX Enhanced Certified
In order to receive IMAX Enhanced certification, displays must meet additional requirements over and above what most 4K UHD TVs deliver today.
In line with this, Hisense’s new ULED 8K TVs meet carefully prescribed performance standards across viewing mode, resolution, colour, brightness, contrast, and sound capabilities. These stringent audio and video specifications have been defined by a certification committee of IMAX, DTS and Hollywood’s leading technical specialists to ensure all IMAX Enhanced devices deliver the highest-quality playback of picture and sound.
Andre Iannuzzi, Head of Marketing at Hisense Australia, said:
“Our 2021 ULED TV range is all about giving Australians access to some of the highest quality TV technologies and features available. We’re not just talking about those at the top of the range – from our ULED 8K TV offering through to our ULED 4K models, Australians can enjoy the likes of Dolby Vision ™ HDR, Dolby Atmos® Audio, eARC, VRR, HDMI 2.1 and far-field voice control”
Serious about gaming
Australians looking for a TV that is optimised for gaming can take their pick from the 2021 ULED TV range, with all TVs featuring Hisense’s new Game Mode Pro. Equipped with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and AMD FreeSync™ technologies to reduce lag and shuttering during gameplay, HDMI 2.1 to enable 8K passthrough and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) for a smooth and responsive gaming experience, Game Mode Pro provides the very best gaming experience.
The units also feature eARC which allows for the transmission of the highest quality audio by offering increased bandwidth and speed.
Improved cable management across the ULED TV range is also good news for gamers, enabling them to better organise cords and connections to various consoles and third-party devices.
Conclusion
Overall it’s good to see Hisense continuing to innovate and offer a mixture of TV models with their own operating system as well as Android TV.
Hisense are also the only big name TV manufacturer besides TCL to back their TV’s with a 3 year manufacturer warranty.
It is very disappointing that LG, Samsung and Sony still only back their Australian TV’s with a paltry 1 year manufacturer warranty.
FYI I’ve just been informed all Hisense 8K TV’s for 2021 run Android
I’d like to see 8K DUMB TVs.
Dumb TVs that to make smart, you connect them to a properly smart STB, that ACTUALLY GETS OS and security updates.
Secondly, I would like to see an end to preset provider buttons on the remotes.
Making ALL such buttons user programmable would make those buttons MORE USABLE, as the user could configure the buttons into their preferred order, the way the user wants, and not the way the nyetworks have cut deals with the manufacturers.
No apple tv app on these tvs like sony