Samsung hopes to improve TV experiences next year with a new lineup equipped not only with Google Assistant but also Bixby, its proprietary digital assistant.
CES, of course, doesn't open until January, but some companies, including LG for example, are already hard at work letting everyone take a peek at what's in store at this year's show. Samsung, on the other hand, is inevitably going to show off a bunch of new TVs, and next year's lineup is going to focus on better audio and smarts.
Smart TV Assistants
Other manufacturers already have Google Assistant-powered TVs, and some even have Amazon Alexa, which means Samsung is a little bit late to the game. Regardless, expanding third-party support is always a boon for consumers, especially those who aren't planning to buy into Samsung's burgeoning smart home ecosystem anytime soon. Great third-party accessibility makes pairing smart home devices together easier since the platform and protocols will already be there.
More importantly, most people are most likely used to these protocols already, especially Google's set of smart home implementations, so setting it all up should be a breeze.
Improved Audio On Samsung's 2019 TVs
Apart from digital assistants, the other big thing with Samsung's 2019 TV lineup is improved audio, with Variety mentioning trademarks recently filed around spatial and volume intelligence. These apparently refer to "software for televisions, namely, software for use in optimizing sound quality depending on the surrounding environment, such as space size and ambient noise."
Just from those tidbits of information, one can infer that Samsung might be planning to unveil audio technology similar to that on Apple's HomePod smart speakers. The HomePod can scan a room for physical obstructions or surfaces that may affect sound quality and make adjustments to keep the sound even. Whether Samsung's forthcoming TVs implement this or a version of this remains to be determined. A Samsung spokesperson declined to comment on these alleged features.
Samsung is also poised to further improve its TV Plus service, which presents over-the-top streaming channels in a linear-like environment. Similar services saw significant uptick this year, with over 70 million minutes of linear OTT content streamed to consumers per month.
More details are bound to surface as CES 2019 nears, so make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more.
Thoughts on Samsung bringing Google Assistant and Bixby to its TV sets? How about the new audio and spatial intelligence features? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
