Smart TV
any TV manufacturers are offering Smart TVs, with a wide range of apps that add extra functionality to the set. There are many Smart TV apps available (Samsung currently offers more than 400) for services such as Catch-up TV, like BBC iPlayer; social network sites like Twitter and Facebook; online movie services like LoveFilm; and video sites like YouTube. Various Smart TV platforms are available, including, Smart TV (from Samsung), Toshiba Places, LG Smart TV, Philips’ NetTV and Panasonic’s Viera Connect. Sony offers ‘internet-enabled TVs’. And this year, a new Smart TV platform, YouView, is set for launch. So would a single platform help drive the Smart TV market? “History has shown that a single platform will be adopted faster than multiple competing platforms,” says Amit Rullay UK marketing manager, Philips TV, “the TV industry needs to ensure that the development of Smart TV is focused on providing the best consumer experience and not on
How smart? M
technical standards battles or content land grabs.” But Darren Petersen, Samsung’s content services manager, Smart TV thinks that, “The different platforms help drive innovation,” adding that the smartphone market is thriving, despite having several competing platforms. However Graham North, commercial director, Humax Electronics, points out that, “The Smart TV space can be confusing to the consumer, which may hold back take-up of this feature.”
A walled garden or an open road?
Some Smart TV platforms are walled gardens, which limit internet access, while others offer full web browsing. Which one is best for TV viewers? Edd Uzzell, Sony’s category development manager, says, “Navigating the open Internet via your TV is not yet as good an experience compared with using a laptop, tablet or smartphone, thus an extensively curated service, as
16 The Independent Electrical Retailer March 2012
Is 2012 destined to be the year of the Smart TV? asks George Cole
offered today, probably offers the best combination of choice, ease of use and access.” “We’ve found an app structure is the best solution when balancing content with an enjoyable user experience,” says Glenn Zanoni, product marketing manager, TV and Blu-ray at Toshiba, “TVs are used differently from personal devices like phones and laptops – they’re designed for inputting text as conveniently as possible. An open internet platform doesn’t provide a smooth user experience on a TV, whereas apps allow people to find and enjoy the content they want
“The concept behind the Second Screen is to add to the experience of watching TV on a main set rather than replace it”
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