Last year, LG made waves in the smart TV arena. Its slick WebOS interface provided a refreshing alternative to the stagnant ‘hub’ designs, and we praise it every time we use it. Now LG has come up with WebOS 2.0. We got a chance to play with it at CES 2015.

First, a recap of the original WebOS. It centres on the Launcher bar, an overlay like the pop-up menu of Blu-rays, which gives you options without actually interrupting whatever you’re watching. The bar offers a series of colourful cards. The largest card shows you your current content. To the left are recently accessed apps. To the right are all the other sources you might want to use later.

A smart, motion-sensitive remote gives you an on-screen cursor, which you use to click your way around. The system can multitask: you can jump from live TV to web-based content and back as easily as changing channels. LG has wisely decided not to mess with a winning formula too much. WebOS 2.0 offers small tweaks, not sweeping changes. At first glance, the differences are hard to spot.

Speed

The most notable improvement is a boost to the speed. LG claims boot time has been reduced by up to 60 per cent, and we believe them.

Where previously it could take anywhere up to 30 seconds, we managed to go from standby to full speed in around ten. App loading also seems to take half as long as previously.

My Channels

There’s a new card in the Launcher, and it’s called My Channels. This lets you add your favourite channels and group them under one shortcut. You can add set-top box channels as well as regular TV ones. No need to press numbers anymore!