14 DAY TRIAL // Smart TVs may have managed to stand out thanks to their expansive feature sets but, in the end, content still defines their appeal and marketing viability, so a pair of companies decided to jointly work towards developing this business facet.
Over the past year or so, tablets aren't the only new product type that managed to rise in profile, even though, true enough, they do seem to be getting the most attention.
Nonetheless, other things have come to the point where they qualify as at least a niche market in their own right.
In this instance, the eye of the market seems to have fallen upon the Smart TV market, due to actions taken by Samsung Electronics and SingTel.
For those that want a reminder, Smart TVs are those HD TVs which, besides the standard features, also have capabilities normally associated with PCs.
Mostly, USB and web connectivity are the relevant additions, though some also come with built-in storage, usually HDDs.
Needless to say, this gives users access to much content that would not be possible to reach via a standard set-top box, for instance.
Apparently, however, Samsung and SingTel don't think even the regular content availability upgrade is enough.
That said, the two entered a partnership that let them develop the SingTel Video Store and SingTel Video Search applications.
The former is an online video store meant to offer Asian and other international content and should be usable without a set-top box, complete with thumbnail previews, trailers and so on.
As for the latter, it lets consumers use an online catalog to search for standard definition, high definition and even 3D media, including not just movies but also news, entertainment etc.
The two SingTel apps should already be possible to download for free from the Smart Hub dashboard. A final advantage of those who own Samsung Smart TVs is that they will have access to he 3D VOD service at no additional cost is they get the Explore 3D application (it became available on Samsung Apps on July 1, 2011).