Meta Portal TV - Big Screen Smart Video Calling for Group Calls on Your TV

I am a professional A/V Integrator and company owner. So I wanted to demo this myself before recommending it to my clients. I had ours installed within 5 minutes and on our first video chat. Our Portal is connected through the HDMI input of a Denon AVR and the video is shown on a new 75" Sony UHD-TV. We have had a few calls that were pixelated or where the calls were dropped, however I believe that was most likely a reception issue originating from the person(s) we called. Both parties we called live in rural areas or areas that have poor cellular and Ethernet reception. I am quite pleased with the video quality when WiFi strength is good and how effectively the camera adjusts to Zoom and Pan thus accommodating people moving about in the room. If I make a Portal call from my couch the camera zooms onto me and any movements. If my wife enters the room the camera immediately zooms out to get her into frame until she sits next to me on the couch, then the camera zooms in closer to include us both in the video call. Using a Sony Smart TV and enabling HDMI-CEC I can be watching Netflix from the Sony Netflix app and all I have to say is "Hey Portal Call Mom" The Portal responds and begins the call. Once the call begins the Sony TV automatically switches from Netflix to Portal TV. This is perfect for the older generation who are not technically savy. A great way to stay in touch with kids, parents, grandparents and friends afar. We have used the Story Telling feature with our 2 year old grandson who loved the interaction with us. Only Con I have is that it has no hardwired Ethernet connection, only Wi-Fi. When we first installed Portal TV we had Xfinity 300mbps Wi-Fi, last week we upgraded to Google Fiber Gigabit so I again I am certain that any video issues we are experiencing are actually originating from whom we called. It may be they do not have their mobile device camera set at the highest resolution, poor celluar and or Wi Fi reception. I have not tried any of the included streaming apps on the PortalTV as we use the apps from our Sony UHD TV. For the price this a wonderful device, for my many deaf and hearing impaired friends this is AWESOME, as it does have a hand held remote so speaking commands is not necessary.

I was skeptical about how different the Portal TV would be from other web style cameras. I was impressed with the Portal TV. It is more than a camera. It has apps that can be downloaded to it like Zoom and supports other platforms like WhatsApp for staying in contact with family and friends remotely. The Alexa support is also very convenient. The camera quality is very good and how it picks up the voice of who is talking and positions the camera slightly to focus in on that individual is pretty cool too. There are other cool built-in features that work with the camera as well, like a photo booth for taking pictures or making fun family videos.

I have been away from family and friends for most of my life - that is the price to pay when leaving a country....so during the years I always invested in every possible thing to have a better virtual connection, 4K cameras, good microphones, etc. I have to say that Portal TV is really great and it gives a wonderful experience, it really looks like you are with the other person. The "cameraman" effect as I like to call it, is amazing. The camera follows you around the room and when you stop and you sit down for example and you start talking the camera zooms on you. This is really an amazing feature. I really like it, and I am using it on my 4K TV and the details are amazing. I would definitely recommend it for being a little bit closer to family and friends.

This is a very easy set up with my LG 65" smart TV. It was basically just plug it in and connect with a HDMI cable (NOT included!). I followed the on screen instructions but there was an update in the firmware that took almost 30 minutes to download and install. That was all automatic, but it did take a long time. Also, during installation, the connection went in and out numerous times. I thought it was going to be a major problem, but after the firmware update, nothing went out again. I tested the calling through Facebook Messenger by calling my brother in Australia (I am in the Eastern USA). The call went through quickly and the signal was excellent. The image and sound are excellent. Later, my brother called me back while I was watching the news and I could hear the app ring indicating an incoming call. I switched my TV to the HDMI 1 port where the device is installed and we had another excellent conversation. You can set up favorites for calls (I added my brothers, sons, and sisters-in-law). This makes it a one-click operation to call them. The quality of the product is a 5 but the few drawbacks mentioned here drop my rating to a 4. I still recommend this to anyone who is on Facebook and wants to make video calls using their smart TV. Pros: Excellent image and sound Easy set up Easy to use Cons Requires a Facebook account Requires an update to the firmware that is slow the required HDMI cable is NOT included

It works very well. If you have a FaceBook account and video conferencing through Messenger is what you want, I recommend it.

Muy versátil y buena calidad de imágen.

Funktioniert mit Facebook und indirekt mit Whatsapp. Leider kam das Netzteil mit vergossenem UK-Stromstecker. Ich musste ein deutsches neu kaufen :-(

It's good for distance communication. My kid talks to her grandparents everyday and feels lively. However I am experiencing issues with remote. Occasionally remote stops working and you cannot see anything on screen. You need to pair the remote every time this happens which takes up almost 10 mins and is tedios. Hope Facebook resolves this issue with a software update. Other than this issue we have not faced any other problem. Zoom feature works really well.

Great gadget so food for catching up with family and friends