Samsung and SmartThings are buddying up to introduce Samsung’s latest line of Smart TVs, complete with SmartThings platform integration so folks can use their TVs as an interface to control the home.
There is no shortage of internet-connected devices out there, from standard security systems and smart lighting systems all the way to the connected kettle. But a connective language that unifies those devices is harder to come by. SmartThings is aiming to introduce that by teaming up with potential interfaces, including the Amazon Echo and this most recent foray into Smart TVs.
With this latest move, owners of the new 2016 Samsung SUHD TVs will be able to use their television as a controller for more than 200 SmartThings-compatible devices.
The integration will also allow users to connect to the SmartThings app to bring up a specially-tailored television interface, designed in a collaboration between SmartThings and Samsung. And beyond that, the user will be able to include the TV in different automated routines, from switching a regular old room into the perfect environment for a home theater, or tapping into security cameras outside based on certain triggers from security sensors.
The biggest issue for the IoT landscape is not necessarily a lack of solid products, but rather a way to interact with those products that is natural and not leaving users hopping between hundreds of different apps. As SmartThings adds more products to its list of compatible devices, the real challenge is making those devices controllable in the simplest way possible.
Recent integration with Amazon Echo made it easy for users to control various devices with their voice alone, and given that the television is the centerpiece of most American living rooms, adding Samsung Smart TV integration into the mix will only open up more functionality to the end user.
