Suwanee, Ga. – Hisense USA said Monday it will launch this fall a Google TV set-top box called the Hisense Pulse, bringing smart-TV capability to currently unconnected sets.
The Hisense Pulse with Google TV will be officially unveiled this week at the IFA show in Berlin. The set-top connects to most digital TVs via an HDMI input.
It will ship to dealers in mid-November at a $99 suggested retail and promises to deliver true plug-and-play setup and versatility. Built on the Android platform, the set-top is designed to deliver a range of apps and services in TV-optimized versions to the TV screen, including the Chrome browser, Google Play app store, search, streaming TV and movies, and YouTube, among others.
Google TV has been designed to intuitively search and sort through millions of channels and shows across live television, content services, home networks, apps, and the web, to help users locate content they want to play at any given moment.
The device will supporting screen resolutions from 480i to 1080p, and is compatible with the H.264, MPEG-4 and AVC content formats.
Other features include picture-in-picture and picture-outside-picture, enabling simultaneous viewing while searching through content listings or engaging in social-networking activities.
“This box effectively bridges the gap to the latest in home entertainment, without the need for expensive hardware upgrades,” stated JoAnne Foist, Hisense USA marketing director. “Most people have at least one HDTV in their home and with the addition of a Hisense Pulse with Google TV, we offer the liberty of accessing not just TV, but a host of streaming content, web surfing and TV apps (such as Pandora Radio, CNNMoney, Motor Trend, and Thuuz) that are available in Google Play. Compared to other streaming devices, the Hisense Pulse with Google TV allows consumers to experience a new level of smart content discovery and viewing recommendations.”
The Hisense Pulse with Google TV includes ports for HDMI input and output, USB, and Ethernet connections, and it has built-in Wi-Fi.
The unit’s double-sided remote control features a built-in touchpad and dedicated Netflix button on one side and a QWERTY keyboard on the other side.
The set-top box measures 4.5 inches square by 1.4 inches tall and weighs 1.5 pounds.
