Hasta La Gadget!

Earlier today, we reported that Samsung gave a nice peak at its updated Smart TV user interface, which it plans to show off at the upcoming 2013 CES tech event. A few hours later, the Korean company then dropped a teaser video on YouTube also hinting at the unveiling, featuring awestruck TVs traveling to behold a Smart TV draped in cloth. Check out the video after the jump.

The video itself doesn’t tell us much in terms of what to expect of the new user interface, except perhaps that our TVs will crawl out the window and take the bus to go see it. A post Samsung made earlier today, however, states: “Samsung Electronics introduces a whole new “Smart Hub” at 2013 International CES in Las Vegas from Jan 8th. The new Smart Hub is Samsung Smart TV’s dedicated contents platform where viewers can enjoy various contents such as real time broadcasting TV programs, on-demand movies, apps, and photos.”

According to Samsung, the updated platform will offer a different background image and a simplified user interface to make it easier for viewers to find what they’re looking for. As can be seen from the images, the content seems easy to both take in visually and flip through manually without much hassle either way.

While all the attention has been focused on the Smart TV user interface, there’s been no word thus far about the televisions in terms of hardware – what is planned, what is to be expected, etc. What we do know is that the user interface update will be provided across Samsung’s lineup, not just the Series 8 upon which it is demonstrated.

[via Samsung Tomorrow]

Samsung releases teaser video for CES 2013 Smart TV unveiling is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

LG Display has confirmed to Ubergizmo that it will showcase its latest innovations in display technology resolution and design at CES 2013. The company, touted as the world’s largest LCD panel maker, says that it will first showcase what is believed to be the world’s highest resolution 4K2K monitor, together with its line-up of Ultra High Definition TV displays during the said event. Specifically, LG Display is expected to reveal three UHD panels – a 55-inch, a 65-inch, and an 84-inch Ultra High Definition panel. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: MarkerBot announces new dashboard and follow feature on Thingiverse, Google Glass First Video Surfaces; Do Not Watch if You Get Queasy Easily,

If you’re going to be doing a lot of traveling tonight to and from the homes of friends and family, you might be looking for some entertainment options to keep you occupied during a road trip. DirecTV has announced that its customers who subscribe to Starz and Encore now have access to the authenticated online streaming services for both pay channels. This means you can watch your favorite Starz or Encore programs or movies on the go.

The Starz Play and Encore Play apps are available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch at no cost on the App Store. DirecTV subscribers can also stream content through Wi-Fi and broadband connections on their computer at StarzPlay.com and EncorePlay.com. Android users will get access to the applications in the future. DirecTV customers simply need to provide their account information to link their accounts and stream the content using the apps.

Encore Play promises about 900 different monthly selections including 300 movies and select original programming. Starz Play offers about 400 monthly selections including 300 movies, some of them being first-run titles. Starz also offers access to its original shows including the awesome Spartacus series.

A new streaming video service called NimbleTV is currently being tested in New York. It’s still in beta, but NimbleTV offers something compelling – the capability to stream cable TV on any Internet-connected device, including phones, tablets, laptops, and connected televisions, without the need of an extra hardware. Apparently, the company behind NimbleTV has been working on the service since April. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Netflix-Backed Bill Passes Senate, Teen Arrested After Bragging Crime On YouTube,

The Apple Television has been rumored for a long, long time. We’ve heard that the television will come in multiple sizes, probably be priced a bit higher than the average set on the market, and integrate iCloud. Better yet, it’ll support apps, allowing for more functionality across the board.

The most talk surrounding the television cropped up last year when Walter Isaacson published his Steve Jobs biography. In that, Jobs noted that he believed that he had finally “cracked” the code for a television that would best all others in the marketplace. Analysts, ready to predict Apple’s plans, performed a host of supply chain checks to find out if Apple was in fact working on a television. Nearly universally, they said that it indeed was.

Over the last several months, however, we’ve heard precious little about an Apple television. Either the set never existed in the first place, or Apple has closed ranks and is keeping its plans extremely secretive. It’s as if the television, which was once so much a part of our lives in the technology world, is now a ghostly product that might or might not exist.

That is, of course, unless you read through the lines on what Tim Cook recently said in an interview with Brian Williams of NBC. He stopped short of actually saying that Apple was working on a television, but his admission that the industry is one that’s awfully intriguing to the company makes me believe that there is in fact a set on the way. Exactly when it will launch, however, remains to be seen.

That launch date could be extremely important to Apple’s television’s success rate.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, a host of television vendors are expected to show off Ultra HD televisions – sets that are running the technology formerly known as 4K. Although those televisions won’t be ready for the average consumer in 2013, it’s a sign that they’re going to be hitting more consumer-friendly price points sooner than later.

“Apple prides itself on being ahead of the curve”

Realizing that, Apple, a company that prides itself on being ahead of the curve, will need to decide if it wants to stick with 1080p HD or go with Ultra HD. The smart move, of course, is to go with 1080p until Ultra HD pricing comes down. However, the clock is ticking. Ultra HD might be several years away from hitting consumer-friendly prices, but the later Apple launches its television, the sooner it might become obsolete.

Meanwhile, we can’t forget the growing importance of apps in the mobile space. At CES, companies like Samsung and LG are likely going to deliver televisions with boatloads of bundled applications. If one of them includes access to a broader application store than what’s already available, it could once again make Apple look late to the game.

I guess what I’m trying to say is time is of the essence if Apple finally launches its own television. It’s nice to be Apple and have everyone interested in your products, but if you wait too long to launch a supposed “groundbreaking” device, you might actually be stepped over.

And Apple cannot forget that.

When Will That Apple Television Finally Launch? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.