Hisense launches high-tech TVs with quantum dots, lasers, Alexa

If you've ever read the brand "Hisense," it was probably on the side of an air conditioner or dehumidifier. But the Chinese company makes TVs , too, and it really wants your attention.

And it's using lasers to get it.

At CES 2018 Hisense introduced a full lineup of televisions that run the high-tech gamut, including models with full-array local dimming , quantum dot color technology and compatibility with Alexa voice control. They even have an exclusive World Cup 2018 app, a partnership with Fox, that will offer live streams of the games from different viewing angles.

But the TV market is tough to crack, and players like Samsung and LG are more established, while Chinese rival TCL is growing like crazy. For Hisense to make an impression it will have to do something really special (and/or really cheap).

Squarely in the special-but-hardly-cheap category is the company's $10,000 laser TV, which is actually a short-throw projector with an included Screen Innovations 100-inch screen designed to reject ambient light. The projector itself has built-in speakers and Hisense includes a wireless subwoofer, too. The product was actually introduced in late 2017. Here's the rundown of its specs:

• 4K resolution with a Texas Instruments DLP chip
  
• 3,000 lumens
  
• Laser light engine
  
• Built-in Smart TV with apps
  
• Alexa compatibility
  

New for 2018 is Hisense's extensive line of actual TVs. All are LCD models with 4K resolution and various degrees of image quality enhancement. Many will be compatible with Alexa, like the 100-inch laser model, and most incorporate either the company's proprietary Smart TV system or Google's Android TV . Hisense didn't yet announce any 2018 Roku TVs, but says it will soon.

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Video geeks will get a kick out of the highest-end model, the H10E, a 75-inch set that claims more local dimming backlight zones than any TV in memory: more than 1,000. Local dimming is the best image-quality enhancement for LCD TVs, and more zones generally mean better performance, but that's a pretty extreme number. I'm curious to see what impact it has on real-world image quality.

Here's the rundown. Pricing was not announced, and the sets will be available between March and April for most sizes.

• H10E series, 75-inch only
  
• Full-array local dimming with 1,000+ zones
  
• Quantum Dot wide color gamut
  
• Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range
  
• Android TV operating system
  
• Alexa and Google Home Compatible
  

• H9E Plus series, 55- and 65-inch
  
• Edge-lit local dimming
  
• Wide color gamut
  
• Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range
  
• Android TV operating system
  
• Alexa and Google Home Compatible
  

• H9E series, 50 through 86-inch
  
• Edge-lit local dimming
  
• Wide color gamut
  
• HDR10 high dynamic range
  
• Hisense smart TV system
  
• Alexa and Google Home Compatible

• H8E series, 43 through 65 inch
  
• Full array local dimming
  
• HDR10 high dynamic range
  
• Hisense smart TV system
  
• Alexa compatible

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