Hisense took the space in the CES halls formerly occupied by Microsoft — a central spot in the Central Hall for a company few in the US have heard of. It's taking advantage of its high profile at the show to announce a few new televisions. The first is XT780, notable primarily because it has Google TV built into the set, though Hisense is (perhaps wisely) putting its own user interface on top of Google's, although it's as thin of a skin as what we've seen on its Pulse set-top box.. Hisense also announced that it was partnering with Marvell to power the TV, a sign that not every company feels the need to go quad-core for their smart TV features.

It can be paired with a dual-sided remote control with a Qwerty keyboard on the back, and it looks like a decidedly utilitarian affair. After Eric Schmidt's failed prediction that Google TV would power the majority of Smart TVs, it looks like the search giant is regrouping a bit by partnering with lower-end manufacturers like Hisense and — so far anyway — having a much more muted presence at the biggest show for TVs in the US.

Alongside the XT780, Hisense is launching the flagship XT900, a 4K TV that also uses Google TV and comes with a detachable camera. No self-respecting TV company can be without one here at CES, apparently, and so Hisense has checked that box. Speaking of box-checking, the last TV is the GF6XT980, a glasses-free 3D set measuring 60-inches. It's just a "television concept" right now, but Hisense claims that "as this technology matures, Hisense plans to deliver it to consumers through mainstream product." That's not exactly a strong commitment, if you read between the lines. There's no price or release date for the non-concept TVs either, so we're not going to know whether Hisense's attempt at a CES splash will be a beaut or a belly flop for awhile.