There’s a TV for that – Samsung’s Connected TV message
First shown off at CES back in January, it appears that Samsung is ready to make a huge push in the TV market with their web applications on newer model TV sets and Blu Ray players, under the name ‘Samsung Apps‘, not to be confused with the mobile phone Samsung Apps. To sell the point to consumers, they’re making a play on Apple’s “There’s an app for that” iPhone advertising, which, while not the most original approach, will probably resonate with consumers used to the ubiquitous phrase. This is the back cover of the July 12, 2010 edition of the New Yorker…
To run Samsung Apps, users will have to purchase a Samsung LinkStick, which is a $60 wireless adapter to plug into a free USB port, as the current devices lack WiFi connectivity. It’s certainly not a huge expense for the number of features that Samsung Apps could bring to the table, provided you live in the USA…
That’s the real crux of the problem with such integrated app experiences. How Samsung Apps will parse out various applications in different markets is a major issue. Some of the most compelling applications available, such as Pandora, Hulu Plus and Netflix, which pretty much covers the gamut of mainstream music, television and film, respectively, are not legally available outside the US. Will non-US consumers be presented with these Apps, only to get a geo-block warning that content isn’t available, or will the interface know what region the user is in, and only present content that is available there?
That question still hasn’t been answered, but I’m sure it will be soon.
UPDATE: That was quick. SamsungCA sent us a direct tweet us to mention that they will be using regional settings, so that Canadian users won’t see US only apps like Hulu and Netflix.
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