LG upgrades remote, adds new features with webOS 3.0 smart TV platform

By Kris Wouk Published December 22, 2015

LG has already shared a lot of what it will be showing at CES in January, from home audio solutions to laptops and monitors, but it isn’t done yet. Along with a wide array of sparlking new TVs at the show, LG will debut the latest version of its webOS smart TV platform. webOS 3.0.

“The new webOS 3.0 is a major update since this advanced TV platform technology was first introduced in 2014,” CEO and president of LG Home Entertainment Brian Kwon said in a statement. “The webOS story of Simple Connection, Simple Switching and Simple Discovery has really connected with customers and illustrates very clearly our commitment to securing a leadership role in the smart TV market with innovation and creativity.”

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The latest version of the platform focuses on three new features: Magic Zoom, Magic Mobile Connection, and the updated Magic Remote. The new remote adds power and menu buttons for set-top boxes as well as DVR control features, making it a much more capable replacement for your other remotes.

As for new features, Magic Zoom allows users to magnify portions of the screen, which LG says is done without any degradation in picture quality. Magic Mobile Connection, as the name hints, allows users to connect a phone to their TV via the LG TV Plus app and display mobile apps on the big screen.

Another new addition to webOS 3.0 is Channel Plus, which sees LG partnering with Xumo to combine traditional broadcast TV with digital OTT (over-the-top) content in one listing. This should make deciding what to watch much easier than hopping between your DVR and the built-in apps, though it doesn’t appear to include marquee streaming apps like Netflix or Hulu. Apps listed include Bloomberg Politics, TIME Inc., Condé Nast Entertainment, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

“At Xumo, we bring a fresh approach to the manner in which in-demand, premium digital and broadcast content is presented to viewers,” the company’s CEO Colin Petrie-Norris said. “We’re excited that Xumo and LG’s joint efforts have come to fruition in Channel Plus.”

The new smart TVs with webOS 3.0 will be on display among LG’s other products at its booth at CES, which runs from January 6 to 9 in Las Vegas.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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