NEO receives numerous awards and praise from users in its first year

NEO, the platform for smart living, which has brought a completely new user experience into Slovenian households through innovative management of TV and other content, and advanced smart home services, has won over plenty of satisfied users in its first year since launch. According to users NEO is the best smart living platform, as proven by the results of the survey made by Valicon for Telekom Slovenije. At NEO’s first anniversary Telekom Slovenije upgraded the NEO platform with a video recorder function, a new YouTube app, and a few convenient new features that provide even faster use.

The video recorder gives NEO users even more time to watch their favourite content. They can store the recording immediately once the content is in the electronic programme guide, and it is available to watch for 30 days from when it aired on TV. They can record it when it is available live or within the 7-day time-shift window. NEO currently supports video recording on 68 TV channels, which are marked with the recording icon (circle with a dot) in the channel details.

The upgraded YouTube app now provides even faster response time and even snappier operation. Another new feature is that the NEO remote automatically turns on the TV and the NEO Smartbox by default. This means that users now really do need just a single remote, both for the Smartbox and the TV.

Users can also liven up their home with 4K ambiental video that transforms their TV screen into a fireplace (voice command: "Fireplace" or "I'm cold" or channel 999), and they can also add a thermostat or a radiator valve to their smart home. Currently users can connect up to 14 different devices into their smart home.

Key advantages of the NEO platform
With the NEO platform Telekom Slovenije gave its users the chance to be among the first in the world to use Slovenian voice commands to manage content that they can watch on TV and other screens, as well as control smart home devices from one spot. Voice commands make it possible to sift through content quickly and easily, and users can search by channel name, movie or show title, genre they want to watch, favourite actor, and similar options. NEO works across all screens, allowing users to begin watching a film or a show TV, and then continue on their tablet, mobile phone or computer, right where they left off.

Numerous international and domestic recognitions
NEO's status as an important developmental milestone is proven especially by the response from users and the international business and professionals – on top of the many international awards that the platform has already received. At IBC, the world’s most influential event in media, entertainment and technology, held in Amsterdam in September, NEO won over the crowd as one of the few actually operational platforms at the event, whereas most were just demos, with its most attractive features being the excellent user experience, ease of use, the responsiveness of the interface, how advanced and perfected the solution is, the option to view real-time ratings, and its potential for expansion.

At the beginning of this year NEO received an award for the best user experience at the VideoTech Innovation Awards, and a few days earlier the prestigious 2020 German Design Award for Excellent Product Design in the entertainment category for the NEO remote. The remote’s exceptional design, which won over the jury of experts, is the fruit of collaboration between Telekom Slovenije and its partner Ruwido, the leading Austrian company in designing interactive remotes.

At the 2019 CSI Awards NEO was announced as the best platform in the Best IoT product technology or application category, and was also shortlisted for the Best TV user experience. A year earlier NEO received recognition as a highly recommended service in the Best IoT/smart home or 5G category, and was shortlisted in the TV everywhere or multi-screen video category. At the 2019 CES NEO won the Honoree award in the Technology for a better world category, while at the 2018 CIA it was shortlisted in the Best TV everywhere or multi-screen video category.

In Slovenia NEO received the bronze medal of the Slovenian Chamber of Industry and Commerce for innovations in the Central Slovenian region in 2019 and the 2019 WEBSI award for the best solution in the advanced use of technology category.

Visitors to all Telekom Slovenije's Sales Centres in major Slovenian towns and cities across the country can test NEO live.