China-based LeEco Oct. 19 unveiled its content and hardware plans for the U.S., with a new streaming service, two series of 4K TV sets and a new entry into the virtual reality headset market.
“Our vision for a connected ecosystem where great content can be enjoyed on a range of devices that are disruptively priced is what fuels our global expansion,” said Richard Ren, president of LeEco North America, during an event broadcast online. “Following our success in China, we expanded to India last year and Russia in September. Today we are pleased to officially launch in the U.S.”
LeEco—which bought U.S. TV manufacturer Vizio for $2 billion in July—will be pushing for big share of the American 4K TV market, with its Super4 X series of TVs priced from $649 (43 inches) to $1,399 (65 inches), all available Nov. 2. The sets all handle high dynamic range technologies and feature 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. LeEco is also streeting a $5,000, 85-inch uMax85 high-end 4K TV.
On the content front, LeEco’s hardware will feature a video streaming platform with pre-loaded services, included Netflix, Showtime, Pandora and smaller, specialized services, including IndieFlix and Machinima. The company’s own service features more than 5,000 movies and 100,000 TV episodes.
LeEco also unveiled its ExploreVR headset, compatible with LeEco smartphones. The company will develop its own content for the device, based off the Snapdragon VR SDK. Pricing and availability were not disclosed.
“We have created a new business model that will lead the next era of technology – the ecosystem era. We are disrupting several categories and changing the paradigm by breaking down barriers and boundaries between industries and screens to create a better experience and more value for both individuals and industries,” said YT Jia, founder, chairman and CEO of LeEco. “I know the road ahead is long and arduous but life is about constantly exploring the unknown, and I believe that if you dare to dream what 99% believe is impossible you’ve earned the right at that 1% chance to be successful.”
