Samsung Tizen Smart TV OS

Samsung is adapting a mobile operating system for use in a Television with Tizen OS. Tizen, which has struggled to find a suitable home in smart phones and smart watches, looks like it belongs in Samsung’s smart TVs. Similar in many ways to LG’s WebOS, Tizen OS doesn’t just grant access to apps and games (though it certainly does that) but it serves as the TV’s operating system, too, giving the user quick access to TV settings, control over connected components like cable boxes, and customized screens that put the user’s most oft-used channels and apps within quick reach.
We were able to spend some time looking at Samsung’s Tizen-based smart TVs at CES 2015, but it wasn’t until a Samsung SUHD TV event held at the historic Rainbow Room in New York that we got a chance to go hands-on and learn what the system felt like. Now that we’ve had a chance to have a go at it, we think Tizen has finally found a home that suits its abilities.
Working within Tizen requires the use of a motion-activated remote control. The simplified pod works much like a Nintendo Wii controller or LG’s Magic Motion remote, with one key difference: In order to activate an on-screen cursor, you must lightly touch a motion control button. You mustn’t press too hard (that action performs a “select” or “OK” function) but a light touch will bring up a motion-controlled cursor with which you can point-and-click, and drag-and-drop your way through the interface.
SUBSCRIBE FOR THE LATEST VIDEOS
VISIT DIGITAL TRENDS
/
CHECK OUT OUR LATEST PODCAST
/