LG announces faster and more comprehensive webOS version for smart TVs

LG will release smart TVs with webOS 2.0 in 2015. The new enhanced version of the smart TV platform would work more intuitively and faster. More than 5 million households are said to have bought an LG television with WebOS.

Compared to the first version of LG’s operating system for smart TVs, webOS 2.0 would start up 60 percent faster. Other loading times would also have been reduced and the speed when switching apps would have been increased, with LG as an example that the loading time when switching from home screen to the YouTube app would be improved by 70 percent.

There is also new functionality, such as My Channels. This feature allows users to customize their favorite channels on the Launcher Bar. Quick Settings offers the possibility to adjust TV settings without interrupting programs and thanks to Input Picker connected devices would be recognized for immediate use.

In addition, the Korean company announces that webOS will have native access to 4k content from Netflix, such as House of Cards and Marco Polo, and from Amazon, such as the films After Earth, Elysium, The Amazing Spider Man 2 and The Da Vinci Code.

In the first two months after the appearance of TVs with webOS, 1 million units are said to have been sold and that has now risen to 5 million, claims LG. The manufacturer demonstrates television models with WebOS 2.0 during the CES fair, early January.

It is not known whether LG will upgrade existing models to webOS 2.0 or whether only new TVs will receive the OS.