Xiaomi to launch high-res smart TV, compatible with iPhone, iPad
June 2, 2014 Leave a comment
Xiaomi to launch high-res smart TV, compatible with iPhone, iPad
Staff Reporter
2014-05-27
Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi will begin accepting preorders for its second-generation smart television Mi TV on June 3 this year. Taiwanese chipmaker Morningstar which supplies the company is expected to benefit from the device sales, reports our Chinese-language sister paper Commercial Times.
To spur the developments of panel factories in China, Beijing has focused on promoting televisions with high resolutions of 4000 pixels and 2000 pixels. Xiaomi has followed the trend and upgraded its second-generation television to the highest resolution and will sell it with an independent TV sound system. The firm said the television will be many young people’s first home theater.
The 4000 pixel television is priced at 3,999 yuan (US$640) and is compatible with Apple smartphones and tablets. Like Xiaomi’s previous strategy in the smartphone market, the Chinese firm also decided to offer high-specifications on models at low prices and is willing to lose money to ensure profits later in the television market. Since it reportedly earned almost zero profit from its first generation model priced at 2,999 yuan (US$480), Xiaomi has worked with Morningstar, a television chipmaker known for cost control, and a Chinese panel maker to produce its next model.
The second-generation television runs on Morningstar’s quad-core television chip MSD64918 and US chipmaker Broadcom’s 5G WiFi. The television comes with an independent Dolby Audio sound system.
Preorders for the television were postponed to June due to its complicated production process, much later than Xiaomi’s latest smartphone Hongmi 1S and tablet Hongmi Note, which began accepting pre-orders on Tuesday. Some have suggested that the postponement is simply another marketing strategy for Hongmi, however.
Industrial sources said Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek which has merged with Morningstar is expected to benefit from entering Xiaomi’s supply chain regardless of the sales performance of the second-generation Mi TV.
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