Twitter and Facebook on your TV? Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung recently released its latest range of Smart TVs that include Internet connectivity and application integration alongside high-quality, LED displays. TechCentral’s Craig Wilson put the 40-inch model, the 5500, through its paces.
Samsung isn’t the first manufacturer to incorporate Internet connectivity, applications, media sharing and USB support in its TVs, but it does offer one of the most affordable ranges on the market.
The company’s new Smart TVs include a built-in media player that can play video or music, or display photos, from USB devices. That’s not unique to the range, but Samsung has increased the number of file formats supported by the system, making an already great feature even better.
The combination of support for full HD 1080p video and Samsung’s DLNA (digital living network alliance) application called AllShare means it’s surprisingly easy to stream content to the TV over a home network.
In terms of connectivity, the 5500 offers plenty of choice, despite being a mid-level product. It includes four HDMI ports, one component input, one composite input, a 3,5mm jack for audio-in, support for optical digital audio output, a pair of USB ports, a VGA input and an Ethernet port.
Curiously lacking is a DVI port, further complicated by the fact that not all VGA to DVI adapters support all varieties of DVI, but considering the support for USB and the number of HDMI ports most users won’t find this a serious oversight.
Unfortunately, if users would rather connect the TV to a home network via Wi-Fi — as opposed to Ethernet — they’ll need to fork out more money (about R700) for the wireless adapter.
The adapter works seamlessly, but because of the placement of the USB ports on the rear of the TV, the adapter protrudes about 8cm from the back of the TV. This makes wall-mounting and Wi-Fi an incompatible combination.
Those with Samsung mobile phones or tablet devices will be delighted to know their devices can be used as a remote control for the Smart TV range. It may seem gimmicky, but the appeal becomes obvious as soon as you begin browsing the Internet with the supplied remote — typing with a four-way controller is an exercise in straining one’s patience.
Samsung’s Smart Hub not only allows users to interact with USB devices and the content on them, but it offers access to Samsung Apps, a selection of apps designed with televisions in mind.
Like all app stores, Samsung offers users a wide variety of games, social media apps, news and weather programs and lifestyle software. While many might see this as a novelty, there is something appealing about being able to interact with sites like Twitter while watching sport, or a political debate, or simply your favourite sitcom.
Similarly, while having Google Maps on your television is less useful than having it on your phone, it’s amazing being able to use it on such a large screen and this could certainly come in handy while sitting in front of the TV at night planning the coming day.
Frankly, if there’s any complaint to be levelled against Samsung’s new range of TVs it’s that the remote control seems far more cluttered than it needs to be and isn’t ideally suited to exploiting the new functionality the TV includes.
But then, that’s true of most TV manufacturers. While what you can do with a TV has progressed in leaps and bounds, how you interact with it to do so hasn’t.
It’s here that Samsung’s support for using mobile devices really comes into its own. Touch-screen devices make for great controllers, because although they’re less tactile than conventional remotes they’re entirely customisable.
The Samsung’s LED-backlit screen looks great, with rich blacks and vivid colours, and the inclusion of a light sensor is a great feature, both in terms of its energy-saving capabilities and its ability to adjust brightness automatically as conditions change — useful in sunny rooms.
At R10 999, the Samsung Series 5 40” LED TV is competitively priced compared to other full HD LED TVs on the market. — Craig Wilson, TechCentral
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