Philips brings the renewed Saphi smart TV platform to the lower models in the line-up, while the Android TV gets access to the Google Assistant.
TP Vision has announced several new TVs for the Benelux this week, including a line-up of OLED TVs . The top models and various mid-range TVs have been given access to Android TV, while lower models have the new Saphi interface.
Google Assistant to Android TV
Philips mid-range and premium TVs have been running on Android TV for a few years now, but a new function is being added this year. The 2018 models (and also various 2017 models) get access to the Google Assistant , a smart voice assistant.
No, you don’t have to yell at your television. Philips has chosen to process the microphone in a new remote control. Press the button and you can talk to the Google Assistant. You can ask the digital assistant all kinds of questions, such as finding and playing music, videos or content from services such as YouTube and Netflix. Google Assistant also helps you plan your day by giving you the latest news, traffic information or the weather forecast. The Assistant shows the scheduled daily appointments and notifies you of an upcoming appointment. In addition, the assistant looks up photos from Google Photos.
The Google Assistant also allows you to communicate through the TV with other smart home devices, such as networked speaker systems, Nest products and Philips Hue products. These can be recognized by the badge ‘works with Google Assistant’.
The Google Assistant function is added to Android TV via a firmware update. The assistant does not yet speak Dutch and will communicate in English in the first half of 2018. A French, German, Italian and Dutch version will be available later this year.
Saphi Smart TV
For TVs that do not have Android TV, Philips is introducing an improved version of its own smart TV platform. The new version has been given the name Saphi and must be faster and more user-friendly.
Via Saphi you get access to the existing Smart TV apps that have been merged with all important TV functions. Other applications such as YouTube, Netflix or Amazon Prime Video can also be used with Saphi. Thanks to Miracast you can view photos from your tablet or phone on the screen of your TV.
Saphi will be introduced on all Philips 2018 Smart TVs with Linux as the operating system as well as on the Full HD sets in the 5000 series up to and including the 6000 series with UHD, HDR and 3-sided Ambilight.
