Facebook Announces Portal TV, Video Calling Device for the Home
Facebook announced three new versions of its Portal video calling device today, including one meant for the biggest screen in the house. Portal TV will sell for $149 when it begins shipping on November 5. With it, Facebook members can make video calls to friends and family using Facebook Messenger. The social network is also adding WhatsApp calling to Portal.
A picture-in-picture feature lets friends watch a program together, while keeping each other in view. That feature currently only works with Facebook Watch video, but the company has plans to expand it to other services. Portal TV also provides direct access to Amazon Prime Video, Showtime, CBS All Access, and other streaming services.
The other two new Portal devices look like photo frames: Portal Mini ($129) has an 8-inch screen, while the redesigned Portal ($179) has a 10-inch screen. Both ship October 15.
Not just a videocam, Portal pans and zooms with the action, Facebook says, so owners can move around the room and be sure they’re always in frame. In addition, the product’s Smart Sound boosts vocals while turning down distracting background noise.
Because Facebook and privacy aren’t exactly synonymous with consumers, the company has built extra privacy protections into the new Portals. That includes a sliding switch for disabling the camera and mic, and an integrated cover that physically blocks the lens. In addition, the Portal AI software runs on the device itself, not on remote Facebook servers.
The new devices are an improvement over the original Portal, which debuted in late 2018, but not everyone agrees they’re necessary.
“There is a big opportunity in the streaming wars right now when it comes to content aggregation, and Facebook seems to be zeroing in on that as they enter the already overcrowded streaming space,” notes Shay David, president and general manager of Kaltura's media and telecom business. “They are also adding a social element by enabling communication through the device. The big question is why a new device is needed, and why a phone or smart TV can't do the exact same thing? From my perspective, it seems Facebook is trying to occupy the space that Alexa or Google Home take, instead of replacing the set-top box.”
Related Articles
The social network is expanding access to its Brand Collabs Manager tool. Using it, advertisers can find the right partners for branded partnerships.
06 Nov 2019
At the heart of the suit is Facebook's previous method of calculating watch time, which did not include all views and reported dramatically inflated numbers.
07 Oct 2019
Football fans will be able to view highlights from all regular season and post-season games, plus access original video . For live game streaming, however, they'll need to head to Amazon.
16 Sep 2019
With the goal of preventing harmful content, Facebook offers technology that can identify and block photos and videos as quickly as they're uploaded.
02 Aug 2019
With so much negativity in the world today, Facebook wants online video to be a source of positivity in people's lives, and shared words from a top creator.
11 Jul 2019
In a finding that will support the case short-form content service Quibi is making to advertisers, mobile devices have become a key area of growth in terms of video consumption.
11 Jul 2019
Companies and Suppliers Mentioned