Electronics is setting up shop on the cloud, with the beta opening of the LG Cloud service on May 1.
LG promises “seamless connectivity and streaming access to all digital content across various electronic devices,” in much the same way Amazon, Apple and Google have all hoped to synchronize files across devices.
To use the service, users need to download the LG Cloud app from any one of three different locations: Google Play, LG SmartWorld app store or LG Cloud website from a PC.
LG’s Cloud service synchronizes smartphone content with the cloud server and the user’s PC and TV. Photos and videos taken with the smartphone can be viewed and streamed to the PC or TV almost instantaneously.
LG Cloud offers up to 5 GB of free storage space per member. In addition, a member who has purchased an LG Smart TV or LG smartphone may receive 50 GB of free storage for six months. In the future, a larger space will be provided as a pay service.
LG claims differentiation through what it calls “Real-time Streaming Transcoding technology,” wherein conversion of files happens on the server in real time, not on the device. There is no need to worry about installing codecs or converters; everything happens in the background with no involvement from the user.
Havis Kwon, president and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Co., said that LG’s Cloud platform is more than just a storage service.
“Tomorrow’s consumers don’t want to go to one cloud for music, another cloud for video, another location for photos, and yet another cloud for their office files,” Kwon said. “In the end, our solution is about making life more convenient.”
LG’s service arrives just days before the rumored launch of a similar service from Samsung.