Other firms exploring such spaces include Shenzhen-based Skyworth Digital Holdings Ltd and Shandong-based Hisense Group.

Yang Dongwen, president of Skyworth, agrees that smart TV needs a better design of the user interface than a remote control, especially compared to the touch screen and camera on mobile phones, or the mouse, keyboard and camera on PCs and available to tablets.

"Smart TV will be the core of smart home in the future. The key to playing its leading role is to develop a killer app like a browser for a PC and WeChat for mobile Internet," Yang said during a speech at an IT forum in Shenzhen in April.

In the case of Skyworth, it has developed its own operating system, bypassing the usual Android one used by most makers. Internet enterprises such as LeTV Holdings Co Ltd, China's major online video company, and Xiaomi Corp, have also joined the competition for a share of the tempting smart TV market.