Katarzyna Petru
LG has decided to target a very specific group of consumers – seniors, who struggle daily with the operation of modern Smart TVs. The latest LG Easy TV has already debuted in South Korea and will soon be launched in other markets with "rapidly aging societies" – such as Japan and the United States.
Why was Easy TV created?
Anyone who regularly visits their grandparents knows that modern televisions are often quite a puzzle for them. Instead of the simple menus known from the old "cathode ray" sets, today's Smart TVs offer a maze of applications, icons, and shortcuts. Remote controls? Instead of classic numbers – a set of buttons for VOD services and functions that can be completely incomprehensible to older individuals. The result? A lot of calls to children or grandchildren asking: “how do I turn on my series?”.
QNED for Seniors
In terms of hardware, Easy TV is based on the model LG QNED Evo QNED85A Mini LED 4K, but it has been significantly modified. The manufacturer has enhanced brightness and colour saturation to make viewing easier for those with impaired vision. Additionally, the sound has been optimised for clearer dialogue – so that conversations in films or series do not get lost in the background.
The television is available in two variants – 65” and 75”. In South Korea, prices are 2.769 million won (~£1469) and 3.869 million won (~£2050) respectively. This is slightly more expensive than the standard QNED, but the differences result from additional features.
What makes life easier with Easy TV?
LG has greatly simplified the webOS system. The menu is located at the bottom of the screen, without obscuring the content, and the available options have been limited to five key functions for seniors and favourite applications. The fonts are larger, and the remote has large, readable buttons – including one enormous HELP.
And this is the heart of the entire concept. When pressed, it activates LG Buddy – an AI assistant that:
allows family members or caregivers to control the TV remotely,
supports voice control,
enables simple video calls (“call Jan”),
and in case of need can serve as an alarm function – three presses send an alert to a close person.
But that’s not all. Easy TV can remind you to take your medications (the Live Alert feature), offers simple memory-stimulating games, and provides a set of navigation aids.
Remote – simpler, yet still advanced
Although the new remote is more intuitive than the Magic Remote, it still has quite a few buttons. A plus for the large numbers, classic play/pause or rewind – these are things that are increasingly lacking in standard remotes.
Technology that really helps
For older people, technology often acts as a barrier. However, LG shows that it can also become support – improving the quality of image and sound, simplifying operation, and introducing safety elements. Easy TV redefines the concept of “accessibility features” and demonstrates that a simple television for seniors is not a step back, but a step towards the real needs of users.
Perhaps in a few decades, we will appreciate that such solutions were created – when it is our turn to be grandparents.
