Samsung Australia, who is confident that they can grab back the #1 TV slot in Australia, is set to use an April function to launch a brand TV strategy based around “connectivity” and the linking of various devices to a TV screen.Called the Nth-Screen strategy, Samsung Australia is set to launch several new “Smart TV’s” that allow users to share content between multiple display devices both in and outside the home.
Samsung executives have described the term Nth-Screen as a play on the math symbol representing multiple, as opposed to simply three-screens as some people are referencing in the quest to define a true TV everywhere experience.
Samsung Australia is expected to promote connectivity and sharing between its Smart TVs, PCs, PC monitors, Galaxy tablets and smartphones, among other devices at the April function.
The strategy is based on consumers wanting content access and flexible use between different devices. Central to that strategy are the multiple TV platforms that Samsung will launch shortly in Australia.
According to Lambro Skropidis Head of Marketing at Samsung Australia the company has a “strong” Smart TV offering this year which will drive sales in 2011.
“There are smart TVs and Smart TVs. What we will deliver is an exciting offering consisting of applications and connectivity, he said earlier this week.
The new range will offer consumers a wide variety of apps either embedded on the set when purchased or available after purchase through Samsung’s Apps store. A classic example is the Big Pond Movie service which will also give Samsung TV owners access to 30 Foxtel Channels.
In the USA the Samsung app store has been expanded to be a store-within-a-store concept offering the purchase of apps through apps, as well.
The Smart TV platform also offers an integrated Smart Hub that enables users to easily search through multiple content services for programs while also delivering suggestions based on user viewing patterns, and engaging in social networking all on one screen.
The Media Hub is also available on various handheld devices and PC monitors.
What is not known is which new content services Samsung will deliver in Australia when they launch their new TV offering as LG, Sony and Panasonic are fighting to secure content deals for their Smart TV offerings.
In Australia only the top of the line Samsung LED & plasma models will include the Smart TV system which will also include Samsung’s active-shutter 3D technology.
And in what is shaping up as a battle over 3D standards, Samsung is expected to push the benefits of active-shutter 3D glasses which deliver full 1080p resolution, and wider viewing angles than past offerings.
Smart Hub will be available on almost all of the 40-inch or larger LED TVs, including D8000, D7000, D6400, D6300 and D6000 series models and on select plasma models, including the D8000, D7000 and D6500 series.
One app that is tipped is a MTV Music Meter app that allows consumers to discover, share and interact with new music.
It features a countdown of the top 100 trending artists based on social-media buzz as well as audio, video, artist news, tweets, bios and a feature that showcases similar artists.
In Australia Samsung is tipped to offer new 3D models from eyeglasses designer Silhouette that integrates Bluetooth technology to link wirelessly with less interference than IR to the TV emitter. The new active-shutter glasses weigh less than an ounce and are prescription ready.
The company said it will also offer a 3D glasses recharging station that resembles a top hat and accepts up to four pairs of glasses at a time for battery charging.
