Advanced Television

LeEco brings ecosystem model to the US

October 20, 2016

Global technology company LeEco has launched what it describes as its “disruptive” ecosystem model in the US, which aims to break boundaries between screens to deliver content and services seamlessly on a wide array of connected smart devices – including smartphones, TVs, smart bikes, virtual reality and electric self-driving vehicles.

The company has unveiled its open, integrated Internet ecosystem consisting of platform, content, apps and an array of connected smart devices that bring it to life.  LeEco says it offers a unique model that puts users at the centre of the ecosystem with disruptive pricing that makes premium devices affordable to all, and a feedback process that helps to refine the experience and define future products and offerings.

“We have created a new business model that will lead the next era of technology – the ecosystem era. We are disrupting several categories and changing the paradigm by breaking down barriers and boundaries between industries and screens to create a better experience and more value for both individuals and industries,” said YT Jia, Founder, Chairman and CEO of LeEco.  “I know the road ahead is long and arduous but life is about constantly exploring the unknown, and I believe that if you dare to dream what 99 per cent believe is impossible you’ve earned the right at that one per cent chance to be successful.”

LeEco has built an ecosystem of advanced smart devices powered by its eui – ecosystem user interface – and integrated with content from the world’s top content producers. These experiences run on LeEco’s Internet and cloud platform, LeCloud, which is one of the world’s largest video cloud networks.

“Our global vision for a connected ecosystem where great content can be enjoyed on a range of devices that are disruptively priced is what fuels our global expansion,” said Richard Ren, President of LeEco North America.  “Following our success in China, we expanded to India last year and Russia in September.  Today, we are pleased to officially launch in the US”

With the User Planning to User (UP2U) program,e, LeEco gives users a voice in how the ecosystem evolves, and the opportunity to co-create the experience and the next-generation of LeEco products.

When individuals share feedback with LeEco via user trials, social channels, on-device apps and at events, their comments are shared with the User Experience Center (UEC) and R&D teams to influence product updates and shape future offerings.

“We developed the UP2U model to let users directly influence how our products and services evolve.  We have a dynamic process for gathering and implementing the feedback into every aspect of our business from design, R&D and software, to pricing and even the content we deliver,” said Rob Chandhok, Chief R&D Officer for LeEco North America. “Because our software ties everything together and the content continues to grow, our devices and the experience continually get better.”

The LeLIVE app delivers a user’s favourite TV channels with a simple touch on the home screen. LeLIVE giving what LeEco describes as an unmatched TV viewing experience on nine simultaneous screens in the palm of the hand.

Central to the experience is having content ready when the user is. LeEco has an open video cloud platform that covers 60+ countries and major cities across five continents with 30 Tbps output bandwidth. With over 750 nodes, LeEco is the largest CDN node player in the world, and one of the largest cloud service providers for the b2b marketplace in China.

Content has always been at the heart of LeEco’s vision. Since its inception in 2004, LeEco has amassed more than 5,000 movies and 100,000 TV episodes, and attracted 50+ million daily active users and 730+ million monthly active users in China.

In the US, LeEco has partnered with top content providers to bring its eui content platform to life including: Lionsgate, MGM, Showtime, Vice Media, Awesomeness TV, A+E, with others being added weekly.

In addition to the distribution of content, LeEco is also creating it. Le Vision Pictures is one of the top producers of original box office hits and television shows in China, and in September LeEco announced Le Vision Entertainment, which will focus on English language original entertainment content for LeEco’s next-generation audiences. Le Vision Entertainment will deliver and shape innovative and cutting-edge content, utiliing its diverse range of distribution platforms across LeEco’s content divisions around the world, including markets like China, India, Russia, and others.

LeEco has become the leading Internet TV brand and the fastest growing smartphone brand in China as a result of its disruptive approach of delivering great content seamlessly to premium devices that are affordable for all.  LeEco will bring this model of content at the heart with what it says is innovative yet affordable hardware as the foundation of itsdistribution model.  To provide even greater value for our users, it has created the EcoPass that brings together high-value benefits including:

  • A two-year warranty for LeEco ecophones and three years for ecotvs
  • e5TB of cloud storage on LeCloud, and unlimited storage for photos and videos
  • Unlimited movie viewing on Fandor
  • Exclusive sale days on LeMall.com and priority customer service
  • Discounted prices for many add-on content partners featured in LeApp

ecophones are the next-generation of smartphones that put content front-and-centre to deliver the ultimate entertainment experience.  With eui, the Le and LIVE apps offer a lineup of content including a dynamic preview display, and a 3×3 mosaic of streaming content. Personalisation is another key element. With eui, ecophone users can access LeView, a ‘minus one screen’ experience that puts tailored content, customised to viewing preferences, just one swipe away from the home screen.  With eui, content is always only one click away.  LeEco will launch two ecophones in the US that will begin selling at www.lemall.com on November 2.

Ranging in screen sizes, LeEco’s TVs are one of China’s leading smart TV brands, selling more than 7 million units over the past three years.

The Super4 X Series houses premium technology in an ultra-slim frame built from the finest-grade aluminium alloy materials and features an ultra-narrow bezel. Available in a range of screen sizes including 43, 55 and 65 inches.  These ecotvs feature HDR, Harman Kardon speakers and 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. The Super4 X Series ecotvs will be available on November 2.

  • 43-inch – $649 with 3-month free EcoPass membership
  • 55-inch – $899 with 12-month free EcoPass membership
  • 65-inch – $1,399 with 12-month free EcoPass membership

ecotvs feature LeEco’s eui experience, and signature LIVE and Le apps, which offer customised viewing and seamless integration with LeEco ecophones. All ecotvs offer advanced voice search and Harman Kardon speakers, as well as Android TV and Google Cast technology.

 

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