Facebook is bringing its connected device strategy to the television. The company today announced Portal TV, an accessory that brings the company’s wide-angle video chats to the biggest screen in the house. Portal TV is begins shipping November 5th for $149 or you can also bundle two Portal devices together and take $50 off.
Facebook added three new members to its Portal video chat family including the Portal TV, a unique device that brings video chat to the living room. Not to be mistaken for Microsoft’s Kinect, Portal TV is a video calling device meant for use with your television. It sits on top or below your set and connects via HDMI. Portal TV features a 12.5-megapixel camera with 120-degree field of view that pans and zooms automatically to keep everyone in the frame.
An array of eight linear microphones helps to accurately track sound. There is even a physical camera cover and electronic mic / camera disable button for added privacy and security. Wireless connectivity takes place over 2.4GHz / 5GHz Wi-Fi and you also get a remote control for input.
Portal TV is more than a basic video calling device. With it, you can make video calls with Messenger and WhatsApp, interact with Amazon Alexa and even co-watch content on Facebook Watch with friends and family. It’s not a bona fide TV-watching device as it lacks many of the features and content found on dedicated products like Apple TV or Roku but the co-watching feature shows that Facebook is at least thinking with such a future in mind.
Portal TV is available to pre-order from today priced at $149. It ships in the US, Canada and Europe on November 5.
