Hisense CanvasTV: the arty way to control your smart home
The Hisense CanvasTV is about more than just looking great.
My house is a mixed bag when it comes to style and design. While I would like to have it carefully laid out with a cohesive look, the reality is that this isn’t going to happen with two busy kids and a budget that doesn’t lend itself to tasteful decor. So bringing my love of art and design together with a high-quality TV is a great way to bring it together.
That’s where the new Hisense CanvasTV comes into play. While it’s not the first television to feature an art mode that turns a black rectangle into a wall-mounted work of art – Samsung’s The Frame series has long offered the same – Hisense has done it at half the price.
But that’s not all the CanvasTV has to offer. It has 4K Google TV built in, so it’s also a smart home controller. This won’t be a full, in-depth review of the TV’s capabilities or a comparison with other TVs, but rather on how it can manage my smart home and its performance.
A TV that becomes art when not in use is so much better than a black box hanging on the wall.
Surface level TV overview
Just as foldable phones have changed the perception of what a smartphone can be, televisions are undergoing a similar evolution. As I said, Samsung’s The Frame TV launched the idea that our television could also serve as art when not in use. But many, including myself, can’t stomach the price tag, which starts at $1,000 for the 43-inch model.
Earlier this year, Hisense dropped its version of The Frame, called CanvasTV. It also starts at $1,000, but that’s for the 55-inch model (the 65-incher costs $1,300). Both come with magnetically attached teak frame pieces and a wall mount. Additional frame options are available in white and walnut.
The CanvasTV uses QLED technology to produce a 4K image on the matte screen. As a flagship television in 2024, it has Dolby Vision, HDR 10 Plus, HDR 10, Hybrid Log-Gamma and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. This all comes together to provide a great viewing experience.
The audio qualities of the 2.0.2 surround sound system in the Hisense CanvasTV surprised me, especially since I haven’t been able to mount it on the wall yet. It surprised me because the sound from the TV speakers is full and clear, and because it is designed to be hung on the wall and used to bounce sound. So it’s a big win if the audio quality is this good when it’s off the wall.
The frame attaches via magnets with clips on the back to keep it in place.
The remote is well designed, with shortcuts to the top streaming platforms and a customizable favorites button. My favorite feature is the backlight. It’s a simple element that takes some frustration out of movie night.
Hisense has packed numerous sensors into the CanvasTV, including an RGB light sensor that changes the color temperature and brightness of the screen based on real-time measurements of the lighting in the room. This worked well in my testing and improved the display of images on the screen.
Visual arts at the touch of a button
The artwork on the matte screen looks fantastic.
Now for one of the TV’s standout features: Art mode. This 1.4 inch thick television with the tasteful picture frame looks beautiful when exhibiting art. Like I said before, I haven’t mounted this on my wall yet, I’m still in the moving process. But that doesn’t stop the CanvasTV from looking great.
By combining modern video technologies with the matte display, the screen turns into a work of art at the touch of a button. I’m not sure if it’s magic, but when I looked at one of the 120 pre-loaded works of art on the TV, I was fooled into thinking it was a painting. It wasn’t until I got closer that I could convince myself that this wasn’t the case.
Hisense has done a good job with the remote, making it comfortable to use and with intuitive button placement.
One of my favorite features of Art Mode is that the TV uses the built-in motion sensor to detect when someone is in the room and automatically turn Art Mode on. This is a great feature as it helps reduce energy consumption, yet still adds style to the room when in use.
The preloaded art covers a wide range of artistic styles. But if you want, you can turn the TV into a photo frame with photos, or if you want to have specific works of art on the screen, you can upload them directly to the CanvasTV. However, this was a feature I couldn’t get to work.
A beautiful smart home controller
The side panel within Google TV provides quick access to various TV functions, as well as the Google Home app.
Because this new television is Google TV certified, it offers a premium experience with features found in Google products like the new Google TV Streamer. As standard, you have access to over 700,000 movies and shows from over 10,000 subscription-based streaming apps.
The CanvasTV also has Chromecast built-in, so you can send all supported content to the TV wirelessly. For those times when you’re not sure what to watch, you can use the remote to talk to the built-in Google Assistant for recommendations.
You have the same smart home controls on the Hisense CanvasTV as you do via the Google Home app on your phone.
Since the Google Assistant can be accessed through the TV, it not only helps you find something to watch, but it also offers all the other features you’d get with Google’s smart speakers and displays, just bigger.
However, easy access to the Google Home app sets this TV apart from other great televisions. While watching TV, pressing the gear icon on the remote will bring up the quick-toggle panel, with Google Home being one of the options. Selecting this will give you access to all your smart home devices.
From here you can control your lights, sockets, fans and anything else connected to Google Home. But what’s more, you can view your connected cameras directly on the big screen.
I love that when someone presses the button on my Nest Doorbell, a notification with the camera’s video feed appears on the CanvasTV. I can then select it and the video will expand so I can communicate with whoever is at my door.
When a connected video doorbell is pressed, a pop-up appears on the TV and you can view and interact with the camera feed.
It’s so fun to be able to turn my TV into a giant smart home hub controller. It makes family movie nights less distracting because we can all put our phones away and I can still adjust the lighting to create the perfect scene for the movie. Not to mention keeping track of who is at my door.
Budget artframe TV with a high-end experience
The Hisense CanvasTV combines high-end features and great design into a budget-friendly smart TV.
While the Hisense CanvasTV may not wow cinephiles with its video display capabilities (blacks aren’t washed out and colors don’t pop off the screen like an OLED TV), the images produced on the screen are still impressive.
Overall, this TV has features missing from others in a similar price range, such as QLED technology, integrated 2.0.2 surround sound, a 144Hz refresh rate, and more. But it’s the art mode, frame and sensors that make it stand out. Combine that with excellent Google TV integration with smart home controls and you have the nicest smart home hub money can buy.
