Это первая акустическая система на операционной системе Android TV и голосовым помощником Google Assistant. Фактически это устройство одновременно является внешней акустической системой и телевизионной приставкой с голосовым управлением.
Саундбар JBL Link Bar, мощность которого составляет порядка 30Вт, можно использовать и без телевизора, подключив к нему мобильное устройство или компьютер.
Акустика "экипирована" 4 разъёмами HDMI, Ethernet, USB-C и 3,5 мм, а также модулями Bluetooth и Wi-Fi. На верхней части устройства находятся кнопки управления, а спереди расположена отключаемая информационная светодиодная подсветка.
В продажу JBL Link Bar поступит осенью текущего года, а цена будет объявлена позже.
JBL LINK BAR (by Samsung/HARMAN) is the first soundbar with Voice Assistant and Android TV built in
JBL and Google have partnered to create the first hybrid Assistant/Android TV device, the Link Bar. Not only is it a fully-featured Assistant speaker and soundbar, but it also gives users a complete Android TV experience.
You can think of it as a cross between a Home, a Nexus Player, and a soundbar. Plug it into your TV and yell at it to start something on YouTube or control smart home things; you can even switch HDMI inputs with a voice command alone. And, though it's not new, the Link Bar can be used for music or home automation even with the TV off.
In the video, there is a really interesting example of issuing multiple separate commands in a single sentence, as we do in natural language. The mom says "Dim the lights, turn off the TV, and play some music on Pandora." If you try to do that now, Assistant doesn't know how to handle it and just sends you to a Google search. Hopefully, these separate commands will come to the other iterations of Assistant soon.
Google also points out that the Link Bar is the first in a series of hybrid Assistant/Android TV devices, so we can probably count on seeing more in the near future (or even during I/O this week, but that's just a guess).
Google says that the JBL Link Bar will be available in fall. Pricing is noticeably absent at the moment.
