Kim Hoon-bae, executive vice president of media platform business at KT, speaks in a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. (KT Corp.)

South Korean telecom carrier KT Corp. on Tuesday released the world’s first artificial intelligence IPTV set-top box that supports advanced 8K resolution with on-device AI capabilities.

The company said the Genie TV set-top box 4 is the first IPTV set-top box globally equipped with an 8K UHD chipset. It offers four times the number of pixels of a 4K UHD screen and 16 times that of a full HD screen.

“With a 50 percent performance improvement in its CPU and a dedicated NPU, it optimizes both image and sound quality, providing a customized viewing experience based on learned viewing data,” Kim Hoon-bae, executive vice president of media platform business at KT, said in a press briefing in Seoul, earlier in the day.

Kim said the device automatically adjusts the TV’s brightness, eliminating the need for blackout curtains. The AI in the set-top box can also detect when the user returns home, automatically turning on the TV and displaying their favorite channels.

It also offers optimized audio for various content genres from movies to dramas and music to sports. Its voice emphasis feature makes dialogue clearer. The AI selective viewing feature lets users selectively choose and locate scenes of their favorite singers or actors, enhancing personalization.

The AI sign language function provides real-time sign language interpretation during emergency broadcasts. Even when the TV is not using cable or streaming apps, it can display the AI background screen with information like weather and book recommendations.

Additionally, the AI quick viewing mode has been introduced for smart home environments, which optimizes the functions of surrounding electronic devices with the TV. Once registered nearby electronic devices can be voice-controlled through the set-top box.

The set-top box’s AI-based 8K upscaling technology allows users to watch real-time broadcasts, over-the-top video and YouTube content in ultra-high-definition, even if originally in full HD or 4K resolution.

The executive vice president further hinted that KT would introduce a high-performance AI agent for Genie TV next year based on the five-year strategic partnership signed with Microsoft in September.

“We aim to evolve the IPTV set-top box into an AI hub that connects customers with AI,” he said. “We’re preparing total AI solutions through collaboration with Microsoft and other major tech companies.”

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)