By John Bugailiskis
LAS VEGAS – At CES 2022 in Las Vegas, Samsung is introducing a number of enhancements to its Smart Hub menu system that will be included in its 2022 Smart TV sets. This includes smarter content discovery, video chat, as well as a Gaming Hub (above) that basically turns Samsung’s TVs into a cloud gaming platform.
The Gaming Hub will allow game streaming providers to bring their game libraries directly to the TV. Samsung announced partnerships with Nvidia GeForce NOW, Google’s Stadia and Utomik, and says more partnerships will follow. Users will require a fast Internet connection and a compatible controller to take advantage of the service.
These announcements are not unexpected as smart TV manufacturers like Samsung continue to try to outdo each other to become the entertainment hub for smart homes. What was surprising was to learn Samsung plans to include an NFT aggregation platform in its new Smart TVs that allows users to discover, purchase, and trade digital artwork.
Non fungible tokens (NFTs) are the latest cryptocurrency phenomenon to go mainstream. They work by transforming digital works of art and other collectibles into “one-of-a-kind, verifiable assets” that are easy to trade on the blockchain.
NFTs use the security and transparency of the digital ledger of blockchain to authenticate the uniqueness of digital items. So, they can be used for example to confirm a piece of art is a one-of-a-kind collectible, and that is creating all sorts of new business models.
According to the Chainalysis 2021 NFT market report, approximately $26.9 billion worth of NFTs were traded across all NFT marketplaces.
“With demand for NFTs on the rise, the need for a solution to today’s fragmented viewing and purchasing landscape has never been greater,” Samsung said in press release.
“In 2022, Samsung is introducing the world’s first TV screen-based NFT explorer and marketplace aggregator, a ground-breaking platform that lets you browse, purchase, and display your favorite art – all in one place.”
In addition to gaming and NFT support, Samsung Smart TVs this year will offer a Watch Together feature, allowing users to video call friends and family while watching content together.
To enable different types of smart devices to communicate more easily with each other, Samsung will also be adding its SmartThings Hub into its 2022 TVs, smart monitors and family hub refrigerators.
“Historically, consumers relied on dedicated hubs to connect each of their devices,” said Mark Benson, head of product and engineering at Samsung SmartThings. “By integrating SmartThings Hub technology into select Samsung products, we are eliminating a barrier to entry and streamlining the entire process to enable consumers to create the connected home of their dreams.”
Samsung’s new MicroLED TVs in 2022 will be available in 110-inch, 101-inch, and 89-inch TV sizes. With Micro LED TV technology, Samsung’s TVs are directly competing against OLED TVs, including LG Electronics.
At CES Samsung also announced the launch of its all-new portable projector The Freestyle (above, right). The projector is designed to “deliver optimal viewing and entertainment for customers looking to bring video and audio content wherever they go.”
