LG Electronics will launch a beta of its LG Cloud
service on Tuesday, that will allow users to access
content across various electronic devices, the company
said on Monday.
The LG Cloud service is opening on May 1 with the aim of
providing connectivity and streaming access to all
digital content across various electronic devices. The
service will allow users to manage and consume all types
of content on "three screens" which includes Android
smartphones, PCs and smart TVs (including but not
limited to CINEMA 3D models) without a separate set-top
box.
To use the service, users need to download the LG Cloud
app from Google Play or LG SmartWorld app store from
their Android smartphones, LG SmartWorld store from
their LG Smart TVs or the LG Cloud website
(www.lgecloud.com) from their PCs or laptops. LG?s Cloud
service automatically synchronizes smartphone content
with the cloud server and the user's PC and TV. Photos
and videos taken with the smartphone can be viewed and
streamed to the PC or TV almost instantaneously. Videos
edited on a PC can be uploaded to LG Cloud for viewing
later on a smartphone.
LG claims that unlike other cloud services, there's very
little waiting or lag time since the content is streamed
to the TV, PC or smartphone, not downloaded first. The
difference is in LG?s Real-time Streaming Transcoding
technology. The conversion happens on the server in
realtime, not on the device.
The service also works with 3D content. Videos taken
with an LG 3D smartphone can be uploaded via 3G or Wi-Fi
to the LG Cloud service.
LG also created a new division called Smart Business
Center to focus specifically on content and services.
Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG's Home Entertainment
Company, is also responsible for the new Smart Business
Center.
"Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage
device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one
type of content," said LG's Mr. Kwon. "LG makes the
devices that millions of people watch content on so we
can set a new yardstick for ease of use by setting up
our own cloud service. Tomorrow?s consumers don't want
to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video,
another location for photos and yet another cloud for
their office files. In the end, our solution is about
making life more convenient."
LG Cloud will be offered as both a free and paid
service. LG said free storage space and pricing would differ
market to market but did not provide further
details.