Jordan O'BrienSony Android TV owners can now download the Logitech Harmony App to control their lighting, entertainment and other smart home devices. That means in terms of functionality, Sony is going head-to-head with Samsung and its SmartThings TV control.
At CES 2016 Samsung unveiled that it will be baking SmartThings control into every single one of its TVs released this year; with the company hoping to grow the adoption of its smart home platform exponentially. While Sony doesn’t have a smart home platform of its own, it can now leverage Logitech’s Harmony platform – which is already installed in millions of homes around the globe.
While Logitech Harmony is more commonly associated with controlling entertainment devices via a universal remote control, in recent months the company has tried to pivot the platform to a whole-home controller. That includes support for devices like the Philips Hue and Nest, but as of last year that number grew even more thanks to a ZigBee/Z-Wave extender.
Logitech may not be the biggest name in home automation, but it was one of the early consumer-centric pioneers. It seems Sony wants to capitalise on its success by working with Logitech on an Android TV App that allows users to control lights, entertainment devices, locks and much more directly from their TV.
It’s not known whether Logitech plans to roll out its smart TV App to other platforms in the future, or even more Android TV sets – but it’s clear that the company is serious about its home automation future.
