Genese Solution has introduced the Facebook Portal TV in Nepal. Portal TV is essentially a small webcam fitted with a camera that connects to your TV via an HDMI cable (which frustratingly is not included in the box).
It’s an add on to your TV (smart display) with a camera, microphone, and Alexa support for voice assistance. It, along with a power adapter and a remote, has a built-in privacy shutter and a stand.
The Facebook Portal TV comes with a 12.5MP camera with a 120-degree field of view while leverages the integrated AI to automatically pan and zoom, hence keeping you in the frame.
Here’s a brief summary of what the Facebook Portal TV is all about so that you can decide you should go for it or not.
Facebook Portal TV Overview
It ships with a stand which you can clip on top of your television. For setup, you need to connect an HDMI cable to the camera and your TV. Finally, all it needs is a power supply to get going.
You also get a remote with batteries shipped right inside the box. Now, you are all ready to connect the Portal TV with your Wi-Fi. Just set off the battery on the remote and fill in Wi-Fi and room information.
You can log in to Portal TV using your Facebook account. Once you are in, you can call friends and family that are already on your Messenger and WhatsApp contact lists. Moreover, you get to play with AR for face filters, play games, read books while seeing yourself as to its character, and more. TL;DR it’s much like a regular Portal on a bigger screen.
Unlike others, this one has its own take on Facebook Watch. You can enjoy well-categorized content with Facebook Watch occupying a majority of the display while others reacting are kept in a small square at the corner.
However, Facebook Watch obliges to fewer contents on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime with select live videos, original series, and gaming related videos. Anyway, you do get to watch all of them with your friends and family that live far away.
Again, the Portal TV seems as eccentric as it can get considering recent controversies surrounding Facebook regarding privacy and distressing concerns infesting the company.
The Facebook Portal TV, with a price in Nepal of NPR 44,000, is undeniably good and the company even made sure to include what it calls the “integrated privacy features”. Slated to be available from February, you can buy the device via Genese Solution.
