Comcast is making a new foray into the living room with the launch of XClass TV, a Comcast-made smart TV in partnership with Hisense The new 4K smart TV is similar to the Sky Glass TV that Comcast-owned Sky TV launched earlier this month in Europe, bringing together subscription TV and a wealth of streaming options in one device [XClass TV is a smart TV that allows non-Xfinity customers or those living in areas without Comcast service to combine streaming, on-demand, broadcast, and cable options

By incorporating these features into its 4K Smart TVs, Comcast hopes to keep itself at the center of the home entertainment experience full-featured smarts with access to services like Peacock (owned by Comcast-owned NBCUniversal) By offering TVs, the new smart sets will help Comcast maintain its foothold in the living room even as streaming services become the dominant source of TV and movies in most homes The TV includes 12 months of Peacock Premium in the purchase price

The XClass smart TV platform is Comcast's answer to other brands of smart TV software, including LG's webOS, Amazon Fire TV, and the recently rebranded Google TV The position between TV viewers and the content they watch is lucrative, allowing platform owners to deliver advertising, promote specific services, products, and content that these companies profit from, and collect detailed information about viewing at the household and individual level

The new XClass platform also features universal search across all different services hosted on the TV and features voice search with a microphone-enabled remote control

Aside from promoting its own content and services, the idea here is that Comcast's XClass TV can provide a smart TV that offers all the major apps and services you want - at press time, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, Peacock, Discovery Plus, Spotify, YouTube and other major apps are specifically mentioned

Dedicated streaming apps are in development by both Xfinity and Charter and will be launched on XClass TV within a few months; Comcast's press release notes that these various streaming options will include YouTube TV and Sling TV and cable alternatives such as YouTube TV and Sling TV, joining the multi-channel streaming services already available on Smart TVs (including the new XClass models)

The TVs will be manufactured by Hisense and offer similar 4K displays and features like HDR (Dolby Vision with HDR10) and impressive sound with DTS Virtual: X and Dolby Atmos audio, rubbing shoulders with some of the best TVs on the market today on par with some of the best TVs on the market today

Technically part of the Hisense A6GX model line, the new model will be branded as the XClass TV, featuring Comcast's own new smart TV interface The TV itself is expected to be an affordable smart TV that boasts 4K resolution, HDR support, Direct LED backlighting, and a 60Hz refresh rate As such, it will not offer a premium TV experience, but will still compete with other branded options such as Vizio's affordable sets and Amazon Fire TV

The first of the Hisense XClass TVs is currently available at Walmartcom and select Walmart stores; the 50-inch model (Hisense 50A6GX) is on sale for $348, and a 43-inch model will be available soon for $298 Although currently only available in a limited number of stores, the new TVs will soon be available nationwide and will gradually roll out nationwide over the next few weeks