LG enables real-time content sharing via new cloud service

LG will enter the cloud on Tuesday, debuting a new service aimed at sharing content across multiple devices. LG Cloud consists of apps for the Android and PCs, as well as LG's own line of smart televisions.

LG Cloud is part of a broader effort by the company to focus on both services and hardware. The offering will become part of a new LG division called the Smart Business Center, which is tasked with developing content and other services for its smart devices.

It's a wise move: content and services have much lower overhead compared to hardware. Low-margin services can lift hardware sales.

"Most companies today only see the cloud as a storage device or in the case of YouTube or Flickr, only for one type of content", LG Home Entertainment president and CEO Havis Kwon says. He argues that consumers wish to get their content from a single location, and that was the genesis behind LG Cloud. "Our solution is about making life more convenient".

Unlike other cloud services, the transcoding to produce content for various devices occurs in real-time. This means videos on one device that are shared in the cloud are almost instantaneously available on any other device connected to the cloud. LG says that no other streaming cloud service currently offers such a feature.

Transcoding is a serious issue when it comes to cloud media streaming. Video on one screen may not look good (or be compatible) with another. This has traditionally been done after the fact though, and not automatically. LG hopes that such a feature will attract consumers to its offering. It will also be able to successfully transcode 3D content for viewing on 3D-compatible devices, LG says.

LG Cloud will be available as both free and premium services, with pricing and storage varying depending on the market. The company did not say whether it plans to make a version of its mobile app compatible with the iOS platform.

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