LG will make its webOS software available to other companies.
The proprietary software on LG’s own sets can be licensed by outside TV brands, the company announced Wednesday. Notably, TV brands that prefer to bring LG’s software to their televisions also get the Magic Motion remote control, which LG is very good at wise wand. The company also said that the same voice control tools, algorithms and applications, including LG channels, also appear on the screens.
‘By welcoming other manufacturers to join the webOS TV ecosystem, we’re starting a new path that enables many new TV owners to experience the same amazing UX and features available on LG TVs. We look forward to bringing these new customers into the incredible world of webOS TV, ”said Park Hyoung-sei, president of the LG Home Entertainment Company, in a statement.
The news follows LG’s announcement at CES earlier this year that webOS is undergoing a rather drastic redesign. LG’s interface in the past had a blade-like design that kept the navigation menu in the bottom third of the screen. But with webOS 6.0, which will be included with the company 2021 TVs, LG dropped the blade design for a more standard interface that looks much more like Google TV, which is also licensed to TV manufacturers and will appear this year on devices other than the Chromecast, including TCL and Sony TVs.
According to the company, more than 20 TV manufacturers have already signed up to bring webOS to their sets, including RCA, Ayonz and Konka.