TarsaaHubbl Glass is a unusual variety of smart TV released by an Australian company called Hubbl (a unusual property for the Foxtel Community). After I started posting online that I had one, a commenter swiftly alerted me to the fact that right here is effectively a local rebrand of the Sky Glass TV from the UK, which features the same hardware invent.
Hubbl is available in two companies, either a status-high field, a smart TV with a incompatibility. Hubbl aims to create a more streamlined and user-friendly skills for of us that count heavily on streaming companies.
The biggest innovation right here is indubitably on the software aspect and Hubbl attempts to accomplish a few things otherwise than most smart TVs.
The first big incompatibility is an attempt to focal level the user interface on content, individual shows, rather than app first, then content. Some smart TVs accomplish provide universal search, but nothing I’ve seen allows the searching and trending experiences to aggregate content across streaming companies in this way.
The 2nd big incompatibility is that Hubbl wants to be way more than correct a place to log into your diversified companies, it wants to be an aggregator, within the shameful, this may allow you to pay 1 invoice from Hubbl and they handle the sub-payments to the individual carrier services and to encourage you to accomplish this, they provide a bargain of the aggregated invoice.
The third big incompatibility is with reside TV. In theory, this procedure allows you to watch reside TV with or without an antenna linked. The Free-to-air channels treasure 7Plus, 9NOW, TenPlay, ABC iView, SBS On-Demand have offered on-demand content for a very long time, but reside TV on the TV was something available to you the place your room has an antenna port. In my house, we have 3, but have diversified rooms within the house it’d be good to watch TV and for this, the IP-based starting up is extraordinarily appealing.
Having ragged the 65″ Hubbl Glass TV for a couple of weeks now, it’s time for a chubby evaluation to detail what works and what doesn’t.
Develop
To break down the invent of Hubbl Glass, I’ve separated this into two sections, hardware and software, each of which has important parts to speak about. Let’s first take a examine at the hardware along side the unboxing job.
Hardware
Unboxing TVs is something I’ve accomplished a lot of over the years and this skills was unlike any diversified. The first impartial a little confusing thing was the two packing containers, typically all the things you want is tightly packaged into a single field, but Hubble has a spellbinding stand invent that comes in a separate field.
What I noticed as I unboxed the TV was how the sphere unfolded around the TV, leaving it standing. Right here’s great as it affords you the ability to attach the stand to the back of the TV without having to lean it down.. or at least that’s the speculation.
Whereas you secure access to the 4 mounting mounting bolts and the enamel to steady the stand, I had already tightened the bolds within the 5-allotment stand which made it noteworthy to dash into place. There have been also white spacers that slot into the back of the TV which I have confidence may presumably have been there from the factory, rather than something a unusual buyer had to deal with.
With the stand attached, the sphere will probably be faraway from the TV, leaving it standing, so effectively unboxing the Hubbl glass, is the most literal example of unboxing, as the sphere separates into more than one pieces. The cease portion lifts off, while the aspect segments dash away.
At this level, I was shy at how thick this TV was. In an era of ultraslim TVs and manufacturers attempting every trick within the e book to make their displays appear thinner than they are (having a examine at you OLED), right here is the entire reverse.
The Hubbl Glass is thick, really thick, most noticeable from the aspect profile, it’s 4.77cm deep. There’s no attempt to make it skinny at the perimeters of the display, it’s correct a big, flat rectangle. In a single way, I appreciate how substantial and unapologetic right here is, as if it says, I’m right here, I’m big and I’m happy with it, deal with it.
The scale is easiest half the challenge, the burden is also substantial. With any 65″ allotment of glass, there’s a certain weight that comes with a display that size, but right here is without a doubt, a two-person raise.
The TV features a couple of additional choices treasure 3x HDMI in ports, along side HDMI ARC for audio connections to devices treasure the SONOS Arc. Right here’s also the first TV I’ve had that features a USB-C port, rather than the legacy USB-A.
The Hubbl Glass also affords a alternative of connectivity, between Ethernet and WiFi, and I’m glad to examine the energy input is a slimline connector, rather than the standard larger AC energy connector.
The display is a 4K Ultra HD featuring Quantum Dot Display Technology and affords six speakers constructed-in for 360° Dolby Atmos sound.
Software
For of us that first switch on the Hubbl Glass, you’ll be met with certainly one of the nicest onboarding experiences I’ve had. The skills is for the most part and subsequent, subsequent, accomplished situation, with connectivity your preference between an ethernet cable or WiFi. After connecting to WiFi, I immediately got a software and this evaluation is based on Entertainment OS 1.2 accomplish QS0266.505.01P.
I did regain it attention-grabbing that the setup job also included syncing the far off, something that is typically paired at the factory, but not a big deal. Following this, there was an possibility to attach the free-to-air antenna, something I chose not to accomplish, intentionally to examine what the skills of the future felt treasure.
The subsequent step was to link the procedure to your Hubbl account. For many other folks, they gained’t have a Hubbl account at this step, so will have to leap on a procedure and create one. Reveal, you can skip this, but at this level I’d pause on the TV setup, secure on a computer and secure all your accounts linked, then return to the skills on the TV.
I imagined the QR code on the display hide took you to the online status on the display hide (hubbl.com.au/register), but instead took you to hubble.com.au/eula to read all about the tip user license agreement. As fascinating as the EULA is, I judge this can be confusing for many and may presumably have two QR codes if they really want a handy way to secure to each.
Once all the things is setup on the account front, it was time to skills the Hubbl interface.
Immediately it was evident this was structured very otherwise than diversified status-high packing containers and smart TVs. Let’s take a minute to walk via the structure of this interface.
Row 1 – Above the scroll
The first row of content tiles is a combination of lately seen items, which can contain content across companies as neatly as HDMI inputs. This affords a snappy and easy way to resume content you had been lately engaged in. Reveal that the first time you energy on the TV, Hubbl has no personalised information about your watching behaviour, so these will probably be steered items from Hubbl.
For of us that scroll all the way to the moral, you’ll regain Hubbl Succor, your how-to information. Right here’s effectively a wrapper for Hubbl’s YouTube channel, what you may regain are a few videos about navigating the house display hide, the exhaust of teach search, the exhaust of watch lists, adding favour channels and more. They currently have 69 subscribers at the time of writing.
Row 2 – Apps and Inputs
As noteworthy as the main invent of the interface is around content first, there may easy be some customers who judge within the app first, content 2nd brain itemizing, given that’s what we’ve been trained to accomplish for years, that wouldn’t be dazzling.
This row allows you to access the app immediately, noteworthy treasure a legacy STB or Smart TV OS. I actually judge this ought to easy be extra down the list, to power customers to try the unusual structure and have to work for it if they want to revert to the aged ways.
This possibility also affords you access to HDMI inputs treasure Xbox, Playstation, PC and more.
Row 3 – Watchlists and Genres
Watchlists allow you to create a playlist of content you want to watch, regardless of the carrier it’s on. Right here’s another big success on Hubbl, but it certainly lacks the ability to extract any contemporary playlists you’ve inbuilt companies you already exhaust.
The diversified possibility is to browse content by Category which currently contains Sport, Presentations, Motion photos, News, Formative years but will probably be easily added to over time and in an ideal situation, be configurable by you.
Row 4 – Trending
Another example of a differentiator on Hubbl is the Trending portion. These status of tiles are assembled from an aggregated watching behaviour across companies on the platform. This affords you a very diversified list than the narrow focal level of content trending on one particular app.
To provide you with an example of this, I’ve put collectively a table displaying the variation in content between Hubbl and Netflix.
| Hubbl | Netflix |
|---|---|
| Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (Binge) Shogun (Disney+) Married at First Leer (9NOW) Masters of the Air (Apple TV+) Home and Away (7+) Cat Particular person (Binge) Australian Survivor (10 Play) Home of Gods (Leer) Law & Reveal Toronto (Binge) Rickey Stanicky (Prime Video) Grand Designs (Lifestyles Fashion) Fargo (SBS OnDemand) Strip (Binge) The Unusual Sight (Apple TV+) Upgraded (Prime Video) Savor Island UK: All Stars (9 NOW) Kinfolk (SBS OnDemand) Alone Australia The Traitors (10 Play) |
Motion photos Damsel Irish Wish Ford v Ferrari The Back-up Plan Canine The Courier Spiderman Into the Spider-verse The Natty Mario Bros Movie Hotel Transylvania 2 TV Presentations |
After I examine via the list above, the trending content on Hubbl does examine questionable. Hubbl has correct launched, so the user data may not but be of a quantity to allow trending to work as a gawk depend leaderboard.
As it stands today, this list appears to be like to be way more treasure the algorithm affords range across companies. To judge that Home and Away made it on the list, but not a single display from Netflix appears in Trending is hard to understand.
This may increasingly be resolved by surfacing gawk counts across the content to display it’s an A-Z sorting from or a random assortment of content that meets a threshold (i.e. 100,000 views).
Row 5 – Oscar Nominees & Winners
This portion appears to be tournament or calendar-pushed. This week the Oscars had been held, as such a this portion of content is inquisitive about surfacing content that was either nominated or gained an Oscar award. I treasure this dynamic, constantly changing aspect of the sections of the UI, it’s a great way to surface content to you, that you probably can otherwise never stare.
Row 6 – TV Manual
The TV Manual affords the ability to leap immediately into your regular free-to-air TV. For of us that’re treasure me and didn’t connect the antenna cable, then this content will advance to you gawk the online which also opens to door to a wider range of appointment viewing.
To watch the free-to-air reside video stream from each network, you may have to wade via a setup job. This can feel cumbersome to work your way via this more than one times, but does allow you to then exhaust the TV anywhere you have energy and web.
The technique each time is effectively the same. Talk over with a web status, signal in (or register if it’s your first time) then enter a quantity on the display hide to allow your account to be ragged on this procedure.
Another advantage of the exhaust of web-delivered content is that you can pick ‘watch from the start’. Between this and the fact most companies provide their content on-demand, this goes a long way to account for the fact there’s no DVR possibility with Hubbl.
One strange aspect of the TV information is that in case you launch the chubby information, you’ll secure the ability to press up or down and want from categories of reside channels. For of us that don’t accomplish this immediately, there appears no way to filter this list.
Row 7 – Watch on Netflix
It’s not clear how these carrier-recount rows are ordered, I initially plan it related to the reveal of which accounts I linked, but some don’t fit that pattern. I believe part of the commitment that streaming companies treasure Netflix got for joining Hubbl, was to secure their content surfaced on the house display hide UI.
As a user, this affords snappy access to secure into content, however the alternatives right here don’t appear to be customised to the active profile.
Currently, I have ‘The Signal’, ‘The Program: Cons, Cults’, ‘Damsel’, ‘The Great Story of Henry Sugar’ and more pieces of Netflix content and I’m not certain how they had been selected.
I believe these are featured tiles and may even be controlled by the carrier provider, showcasing content they treasure to promote this week. This isn’t bad, as it can reveal you to unusual content on Netflix, but isn’t immediately clear which data is being ragged to energy the suggestions.
Row 8 – Proceed Watching
This row is pleasing straightforward, as the name suggests, it allows you to secure back to the content you’ve started (and not accomplished) beforehand.
Unlike the tip row, I judge right here is specifically restricted to video content and gained’t display lately accessed HDMI inputs. Given resuming content is something you’ll be probably to accomplish, I would have expected to examine this row greater.
Right here’s a great example of why Hubbl desires to add customisable content rows, to allow of us that want to examine a ‘continue watching’ as the 2nd or third row of tiles, to be able to configure that way.
Rows 9 – 12 – High Sport Presentations, Movie Favourites, Dose of Reality, Racy Drama
The subsequent few rows display content from recount content categories, spanning the supported companies. These make sense, although as I’ve suggested earlier than, ought to easy be user-configurable in preferences, and tied to a profile, as there’s probably some viewers that never want to examine recount categories.
Row 13/14 – Disney+ Motion photos / Disney+ Presentations
Similar to Netflix, it appears to be like Disney+ will get it’s absorb content sections one for movies and one for TV shows. Perhaps there’s some cash being transferred to be featured at this level.
Row 15 – Comedy Hits
Hubbl drops another category of content in row 15, this time Comedy. It’s not clear why right here is dispersed between Disney and Binge, I judge I’d treasure to examine categories, then carrier-recount content rows.
Row 16 – Latest Arrivals On Binge
It’s now Binge’s turn to secure a promotional carousel, showcasing a list of their latest content to hit the carrier. Given the inconsistent naming conventions, I’m going out on a limb right here and guessing the carrier provider got to want these headings.
Row 17 – Must Look Docos
Again, similar to the Comedy category, this Documentary category feels a little misplaced between diversified rows of branded items. Documentaries are something I bask in, so glad to examine them featurd, but we are a very long way down the interface by this stage.
Row 18 – Prime Video Presentations
Amazon’s turn now for Prime Video content to secure its time to shine. For of us that’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, right here is a handy integration, but given how far down it’s far, I chanced on myself correct launching the Prime Video app from row 2.
Row 19 – Apple TV
Right here’s an example of a carrier I don’t have a subscription for, and but, the content row easy shows and just just isn’t removable. This feels really queer and its at this level you replicate on the customisation on provide on Microsoft’s Xbox dashboard and judge, why isn’t this configurable?
Row 20 – Meals Favourites on LifeStyle
The 2nd last row on the house display hide, Meals lovers can access a variety of shows relating to Meals and Way of life.
Whenever you realize favourites you are probably to be tempted to exhaust teach commands to access it immediately, rather than searching this far down. Having the ability to double-tap to scroll a page at a time can be invaluable.
Row 21 – Settings Search, My Acccount, Succor
For the most part, I treasure the far off for Hubbl Glass, but one button it indubitably lacks is Settings. I judge the idea right here is to exhaust teach, but there are times in case you have family members asleep otherwise you correct don’t want to speak to your far off.
By placing the settings possibility at the bottom of the 20+ rows of content, it’s a long creep to adjust settings. Maybe this isn’t something you accomplish every hour of every day, but it certainly appears to be like this can be easy to add to the list of choices you secure in case you press the … button.
Currently, this button affords you access to Search, Audio output, Viewing Mode, Evening Mode, Enhance Speech Quality and the ability to Tranquil the microphone.
Performance
Having status up the accounts, enthralling around the interface is generally a slick skills, something that may presumably have easily felt clumsy given what’s actually happening each time you pick a allotment of content.
Waking the TV from sleep happens in a heartbeat (technically around a 2nd), which is great, allowing to you flick thru content, up-down, left, moral on the preserve watch over, the very visual UI is fast, something that we ought to easy demand from all original devices, but that’s normally a straightforward aspect that many fall short on.
For of us that pause on a allotment of the content background takes over the skills which is a really good carry out. Selecting that content then makes the alternative and affords you choices treasure resuming playback, starting from the origin or selecting a diversified episode (whenever you happen to selected a TV display).
With but another press, the content starts streaming in a moment. Right here’s in fact dependent on your web pace and your quality settings. I’m fortunate satisfactory to have a 1Gbps connection (generally around 850Mbps) but anyone with 25Mbps and up ought to easy have a similar snappy response to going in 4K content.
What I really appreciate is that the content loads without any nonsense treasure an app brand or loading display hide, for this, Hubbl ought to easy be really counseled.
Video quality from tier 1 streaming apps treasure Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and many others is fantastic and appears to be like to be amazing on this display. What isn’t so great in the case of image quality, are the over-the-air Australian-based reside streams from the likes of 9NOW, 7Plus, TenPlay and others. At 65″ the 1080p streams are stretched considerably and whenever you happen to’re sitting closer than 4m away, you’ll be crying out for an upscaler. In 2024 these apps really ought to easy crawl to give 4K quality, now the international benchmark video streaming.
By way of audio, the Hubbl Glass features an integrated speaker procedure. The TV contains six constructed-in speakers supporting Dolby Atmos (MS12 AC4) and Dolby Digital for a cinematic audio skills. As somebody who generally leverages SONOS audio products for house theatre, as suitable as this audio is, it really doesn’t compare to a dedicated encompass answer.
For of us that unbox the TV and don’t have an contemporary audio setup, the on-board speakers will secure you by for a while, but whenever you happen to want the ultimate cinematic skills, you’ll probably want to upgrade to something external. Bear in mind, that there is Bluetooth audio toughen too, which for some may be a suitable possibility.
For of us that accomplish decide for an external audio, you ought to easy bear in mind there’s actually no optical out connection on the Hubbl Glass, correct HDMI eARC which is chanced on on original sound choices treasure the SONOS Arc.
Features
There’s a lot to treasure about the features available on the Hubbl Glass. The Hubbl Glass eliminates the need for separate streaming devices, aggregating content from companies treasure Netflix, Disney+, Binge, Amazon Prime Video, and more across the Entertainment OS.
Hubbl Glass affords Quantum Dot display technology with up 4K resolution at 60Hz. The display features toughen for HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG for enhanced portray quality.
The Glass is available in two sizes and a range of 5 colours to swimsuit your room. Whereas this evaluation focuses on the 65″ version, there is also a 55″ mannequin available.
Watchlists allow you to add your favourite content to your watchlist, as you total one display, the next item on your list plays. More than one Watchlists can be added for diversified customers within the house.
Hands-free teach preserve watch over allows you to command the TV the exhaust of your teach with commands treasure “OK Hubbl, switch on’ and the TV turns on. Then say “OK Hubbl, watch Taylor Swift, the Eras Tour” and the content starts playing. Whereas diversified TVs provide teach assistants, the teach accuracy works pleasing neatly (not ultimate) and is fast to register and respond to your demand.
By the exhaust of your teach, you can avoid the have to press the microphone button, for the most part, you can say what you want to happen in natural language and the TV understands it. For those privacy-aware, there is a hardware button on the aspect of the TV or a software Tranquil possibility.
Complications and Alternatives
Whereas there’s a lot to savor, not all the things is ultimate. The next items are suggestions for enchancment in future editions of the procedure.
Content tiles
I can imagine streaming companies wouldn’t be great concerned about having their brands obviscated, which explains why we stare the carrier brand positioned above the display title on each tile, at a size that is equal to or even larger than the title font.
Whereas I secure that companies want their brand to be part of this, I judge a more user-focused approach can be to shrink the emblems, it’s a data level, and important as you’ll have to have that subscription to watch the content, but if the idea that really is to put content first, then the carrier that affords it’s far a distant 2nd to the content thumbnail and title.
Private Watchlists
Hubbl’s Watchlist feature affords the ability to add more than one profiles, which is great, but there are challenges. The TV lacks OS-level profiles, as such, the watch lists can contain shows of any rating and within the tournament adults craft an adult watch list, we really ought to easy have the possibility to lock this within the back of a pin.
The actual content is locked away within the back of the permissions of the streaming app, which generally affords child/adult profile choices. Whereas Hubbl has accomplished great work to streamline the billing aspect of streaming companies, they haven’t accomplished work to accomplish the same with profile management.
The answer to this can be to have cloud profiles that will probably be synced between Hubbl and diversified streaming partners assuming the user opts in to allow that. This cloud profile applied at the OS-level would be sure that that content and companies can be rating filtered.
I would savor to examine Hubbl add profile alternative and the possibility to restrict profiles to a pin or better but, release by teach preserve watch over.
Questionable Gaming
For a TV playing at this brand level, you really ought to easy demand a excessive refresh rate, making it great for a tender gaming skills. Unfortunately, the panel is easiest 60Hz, a far recount from the 120Hz chanced on in other places.
Having ragged the TV for racing via my PC, it certainly does work and I had a great time, but know some purists will have to examine in other places for a faster gaming display.
It is attention-grabbing to display that while diversified TVs that hasten on WebOS, Tizen and Android OS all provide an app store the place casual games can be downloaded. That isn’t the case currently with Hubbl, it’s the apps that ship with the procedure, otherwise you’re off to HDMI 2, 3 or 4 to carrier that want.
No Airplay/Chromecast toughen
I secure it, the idea of Hubbl is to be the streaming procedure of preference, but for many of us, we have content on our devices and whenever you happen to’re mid-way via a video, normally tapping the AirPlay or Chromecast buttons to stream to nearby devices is the easiest and fastest way to secure that content on the big display hide.
Unfortunately, Hubbl Glass doesn’t toughen either Apple AirPlay or Chromecast toughen.
Fast Forward and Rewind speeds
There are times in case you want to crawl via a allotment of content, be it to your favourite scene of a movie or to resume the place you obtain to on another procedure. To accomplish this, you’ll exhaust the moral or left aspect of the circle on the controller, which ends within the content leaping in 10-2nd increments.
Unlike diversified devices, you can’t press more than one times to secure faster FF/RW speeds and pressing and keeping also jumps 10 seconds at a time. Right here’s something that ought to easy be addressed in a future update.
Far off Maintain an eye on
Whereas Hubbl affords toughen for many companies, there are 3 dedicated buttons on the far off for Kayo, Binge and Netflix. The first two make sense given their possession, but why Netflix will get a dedicated button, when Amazon Prime or Apple TV+ doesn’t is an attention-grabbing question. Is this another instance of pay-to-play? If Hubbl are profitable in getting other folks to exhaust teach, this can matter less, but as it stands this stood out as strange.
Stamp and Availability
The Hubbl status-high-field is available for A$ninety nine.00 (max quantity of 5 per reveal) or alternatively, you can secure the Hubbl Glass TV in two diversified sizes.
Hubbl Glass is offered in 55″ for A$1,595 or the 65″ version (reviewed) then you indubitably can secure $1,995. For of us that purchase a Hubbl Glass, you’ll be able to make a selection from a range of colours. These colours are not merely trimming around the brink, but rather a chubby-shade treatment along side the front bezels, the perimeters, the tip and bottom, the back, the stand and even the far off.
There are 5 colours available for Hubbl Glass which are: Anthracite Black (reviewed), Ocean Blue, Racing Inexperienced, Black Red, Ceramic White. Personally, I’m somebody who loves a black TV to allow the display hide to be the champion and assist the colours really pop, but can stare some decors that can be conducive to a few of the others, ultimately choices are suitable for the consumer.
The Hubbl devices are each available via Hubbl express at https://hubbl.com.au/ with (free starting up) or in retail completely from Harvey Norman.
Overall
Hubbl has launched with a compelling product, but one that does feel treasure it has some evident omissions that with more time may presumably have been ironed out. When launching any product, there’s an inevitable tension between the to-accomplish list and a launch date. Builders will probably never feel comfortable saying it’s time, it’s ready, it’s accomplished, while the industry other folks are riding timelines to start the timeline to make returns on their investment.
The launch of Hubbl in early March 2024 comes at an attention-grabbing time, with X announcing it’s far launching a video streaming app to want TVs. This highlights the real task which just isn’t merely launching with a lineup of apps, but Hubbl desires to be an ongoing commitment to incorporate any unusual streaming platforms that arrive sooner or later.
The success of the subscription aggregation will count on the ability for Hubbl to sell hardware, but it certainly really shouldn’t. If other folks stare the value in subscription aggregation and video streaming, then it appears to be like to me that the Hubbl.com.au web status and cell app ought to easy allow customers to have the same skills they can secure from the STB and TV hardware. Foxtel, the owner of Hubbl, has offered Foxtel NOW/Lunge for many years and more lately the Foxtel iQ5 field that also allows customers to secure content over the online, rather than broadcast or satellite applied sciences.
After I replicate on my time with the Hubbl Glass and compare it to my skills with the iQ5, the question is, which may well I want to exhaust daily? The answer is actually the Hubbl Glass and that’s for one chief reason, that content is first and I judge right here is Hubbl’s biggest success. Whereas I want the carrier emblems had been smaller on the content tiles, it’s far faster to secure to stream your favourite display on Hubbl.
Foxtel is more costly but does provide a wider range of channels. Sooner or later, I stare Hubbl adding a Foxtel app and subscription integration to affirm that that it advances the content aggregation narrative.
I’m hoping Hubbl builders are able to ship updates fast to the platform to iterate and enhance to address the feedback from early customers and reviewers, if that happens we may presumably easily stare the platform transform the default OTA field.
My final plan on Hubbl Glass is this, it’s a great skills, however the dimensions and weight of the TV compared to the latest from the likes of Samsung, LG and Hisense, it’s night and day and it’s a noteworthy recommendation for anyone wall-mounting their TV.
For those having a examine to add Hubbl Glass TV to a low-line unit within the front room or rumpus will certainly be happy, excessive quality 4K content appears to be like to be great on it, correct make certain you announce the bandwidth to energy that.
Tarsaa