Smart TV's Archives - Argyll Free Press

Samsung’s Tizen-Powered Remote Will Control Your Smart Home

January 4, 2016 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Samsung’s Tizen-powered remote will control your smart home – in the future, that is.

Simplicity is a core facet of Samsung’s 2016 line of Smart TVs. Building an universal remote control and an improved Smart Hub user interface might just make the Korean company the choice for many smart home enthusiasts.

Even now, there are quite a few modern living rooms that have several devices connected to a big screen TV – a gaming console, a Blu-Ray player, a video-streaming box and other gadgets. Controlling all of them means that the consumer has to manage, let’s say, more than five remotes.

Samsung understands that this is just absurd and comes with the solution in the form of the Tizen-powered device. This will serve as the sole controller for every device that connects to a Samsung Smart TV.

The company claims that it can immediately detect set-top boxes that are connected via the HDMI port, among other devices.

However, the Korean-based company doesn’t say if the remote control will ship with 2016 Samsung Smart TVs, or if consumers will have to acquire the controller separately.

Yet, if it is indeed included in the box, then it could very well put Logitech’s department of third-party universal remotes out of business.

Samsung also revealed at the end of 2015 that they will be making their Smart TVs fully compatible with IoT – the Internet of Things; via SmartThings. This means that you will be able to control everything connected in your home, from light bulbs to thermostats, via the Tizen-powered device.

This turns Samsung’s Smart Control into a direct competitor to Logitech’s Harmony Remotes.

Samsung has announced that the company is trying to bring a more unified approach to its TV OS. It intends to make it easier for users to switch from a content service to another, as well as between devices. Take linear TVs, gaming consoles – read, Microsoft’s Xbox One, Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Nintendo’s Wii U; and set-top boxes.

This means that users will be able to search for content across all of their devices via a single search box.

Samsung has also announced that they will be present at this year’s CES event in Las Vegas. The Consumer Electronics Show is the biggest tech event in the world, and it’s going to start on January the 6th. Until then, we can only speculate how awesome the tech giant’s new device will be. Stay tuned as we will report the biggest and most thrilling devices from this year’s CES event.

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PlayStation Now Launches on Samsung Smart TVs

June 10, 2015 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

Sony announces that their game streaming service PlayStation Now launches Samsung smart TVs – the service will be available on select devices for those who reside in the US, and Canada.

Even thought you won’t need a Sony console to play certain PlayStation games, you will need a DualShock 4 controller – fair bargain if you ask me.

The company announced last December that non-Sony devices will be able to support PlayStation Now, and that Samsung was their prime candidate – it makes them the first foreigners that support PlayStation Now.

At the current moment, PlayStation Now offers for streaming over 100 PS3 titles. At launch, the game streaming service featured the possibility of players renting certain games from their vast library, but now, gamers can acquire a monthly subscription for $19.99. Think of PlayStation Now as Netflix, but for games.

“Currently there are over 350 PS3 games available for individual rental and over 100 PS3 games available inside the subscription catalog. Games span a variety of genres, from action to RPG and everything in-between, offering something for everyone.” Sony said.

Uncharted 2 is available on PlayStation Now

Uncharted 2 is available to rent on PlayStation Now!

The catch is, if you wish to rent a specific game, you’ll need to cough up $1 a day for those games that aren’t listed in the initial bargain – you can rent them up to 90 days.

OnLive was a pioneer in the industry, and the sole challenger, but they were acquired by Sony earlier this year – rumours have it, that Sony wanted their patents. Read our very own article if you want to know more about Sony’s acquisition.

Samsung TV’s will support standard features like trophies, online multiplayer, and of course, one key piece of the puzzle, cloud-based game saves.

PlayStation Now made its début on Sony’s PS4, and in May it was made available for the PS3 also. If you don’t own a Samsung, or a Sony smart TV, you can use the game streaming services if you own a Vita, a PlayStation TV, or select Sony Blu-Ray players.

Bioshock Infinite is available on PlayStation Now

Bioshock infinite is available to rent on PlayStation Now

At the current moment it is unknown if Sony will add more companies to the list, or if they will form a tight alliance with Samsung.

The news has been well received by gamers, but some ask an interesting question – How about PC’s and Mac’s Sony? When will you show some love for us?

If Sony decides to move forward with their PlayStation Now service, meaning offering support for PC’s and Mac’s, they will most likely dominate the market. There is no challenger to the throne, and Sony can have its way, and that’s not such a good thing. Competition strives innovation.

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Firefox OS Smart TV’s Have Been Launched in Europe

May 18, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

The alliance formed between Mozilla and Panasonic seems to be really fruitful – their smart TV’s have just been launched in Europe, and in the upcoming months they will also ship to the United States. Fingers are crossed for shipping availability to shift towards globally.

The stock is limited, and it really depends from each European country to another.

The collaboration was announced in January of this year, and 6 smart TV models from Panasonic will feature Mozilla’s Firefox OS:

CR850
CR730
CX800
CX750
CX700
CX680

Models may vary by country.

Mashiro Shinada, the Director of the TV Business Division stated that – “Through our partnership with Mozilla and the openness and flexibility of Firefox OS, we have been able to create a more user friendly and customizable TV UI. This allows us to provide a better user experience for our consumers providing a differentiator in the Smart TV market.”

The Linux-based OS will be featured on some of the top notch smart TV’s available. Let’s take the Viera TX-50CX700B – a 50-inch, 4k Ultra HD TV with 3D capability. As you might wonder, it is indeed really expensive, and it has been seen at the price of $1570.

Firefox OS has first seen the light of day on tablets and smartphones – read more about their partnership with Orange on African soil in our very own article.

It’s going to be tough for Mozilla to break-in the smartphone marketplace which is dominated by Google’s Android, and Apple’s iOS, but when it comes down to smart TV’s there is no king of the hill, no knight in shining armour. Firefox OS has a really great chance on garnering customer loyalty, but it seriously depends on the quality they are offering along with Panasonic – and most importantly what kind of apps will the Linux-based OS run.

It does lack apps, but luckily, even though Mozilla has just breached smart TV domain, Netflix, and YouTube have already developed their official apps.

Mozilla states that it made it easy, and it’s continuing to make it easier, for developers that wish to port their creations to their OS.

You can read more about Mozilla’s partnership with Panasonic on Mozilla’s official blog.

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