MUMBAI: Sony will introduce its Android-powered television range in India in the second week of June. Apart from the high-end 4K models, some normal flat screen Bravia models too will run on Google’s smart TV platform, Android TV , whereby users can download and operate applications same as a mobile phone, said Kenichiro Hibi, managing director at Sony India.
“This will be in the mid-to-high price range and the launch will come with a big splash campaign,” he said.
The TVs will also have inbuilt cameras and video conferencing solutions such as Skype. Also, the remote of the device will have a touch pad, making the television browsing experience close to a computer experience, Hibi said.
Among the preloaded applica tions will be a video-streaming app that could also be used as a catch up TV for consumers to access shows they may have missed during the week.
Sony, long known for its TVs and audio systems, has also emerged a significant player in the Indian smartphone market over the past couple of years. Hi bi said revenue generation from its mobile business is now more or less at par with its tele vision business.He pointed out that the buying cycle for mobile phone is just about six months or lower compared with one year for TV .
Hibi also said there’s a huge television replacement market as well that the company wants to service. “Many people in remote India still have CRT TV . That is a big replacement market,” he said.
