Malcolm Owen
AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will start arriving on LG smart televisions starting Thursday, the South Korean electronics giant has confirmed, with Apple's streaming and smart home platforms able to interact with the firm's 2019 range of TVs.
First announced in January and recently tipped to launch in the near future, LG on Wednesday advised an update to its 2019 AI TV lineup will be starting July 25. The firmware update will be available for the 2019 LG OLED TVs, NanoCell TVs, and Ultra HD televisions with ThinQ AI capability.
LG claims the rollout will make it the first global TV manufacturer to support HomeKit. When connected to Apple's smart home framework, users will be able to control basic TV functions including power, volume, and source, via the Home app and Siri commands from iPhones and iPads, and can even be controlled via scenes and automations along with other HomeKit accessories.
The AirPlay 2 support enables content from iOS devices and macOS to be streamed to the television directly, without requiring an Apple TV as an intermediary. Video, music, and podcasts can be streamed to the TV as well as other AirPlay 2-compatible speakers at the same time.
"LG remains at the forefront of TV technological innovation because of our never-ending quest to deliver the best home viewing experience," said Brian Kwon, president LG Mobile Communications and Home Entertainment companies. "With Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support, we are demonstrating our commitment to offering consumer benefits that go beyond just best-in-class picture quality."
The update will start rolling out to supported televisions in more than 140 countries starting Thursday, and is expected to complete within a few weeks.
LG won't be the only vendor to sell televisions compatible with HomeKit and AirPlay 2. Vizio has pledged support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, while Samsung introduced AirPlay 2 and the Apple TV app to its televisions in May.
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
22 Comments
This actually might make it possible for my elderly family members to use Apple TV. The current system of switching sources manually is too much for them. Will this new TV have a mic and will you be able to speak to Siri through it? Or do they also have to buy a HomePod?
In case anyone is confused: No one with an Apple TV should care.
- I can AirPlay to my Apple TV, but who really does this anymore? Frankly it is a bit old fashioned at this point. 99% of what I would AirPlay can be natively played back on Apple TV, and easier than even before with new Siri commands.
- My TV turns on and off with the Apple TV via CEC.
- My volume control is all universal via CEC/HDMI-ARC and controlled from the iOS Remote App/Remote Widget/Apple Watch, or the Siri Remote itself (bluetooth not IR).
- Switching inputs also happens automatically via CEC, but I rarely switch inputs anyway because the Apple TV is the main driver.
AirPlay and HomeKit coming to the TV's themselves is a good thing, but only for certain use cases. It does not apply to anyone already using an Apple TV. I feel like this has to be mentioned because I see a lot of confused people trying to find a way that this applies to them.