The apps require the TV to be connected to the Internet either directly or via a wireless network. Viewers can decide which apps to use, similar to the set-up on smart mobile devices.


Swanni Sez
Commentary:
This is not the first time that an ambitious company has tried to turn the passive experience of watching TV into an interactive one. Remember Web TV, the failed Net TV set-top from Microsoft? WebTV was supposed to revolutionize the television by allowing viewers to surf the Net, get their e-mail and perform other Net-related chores on the home TV screen.

Turns out, though, that most people had no interest in doing that; they just wanted to watch TV. Not much has changed here, so you can forget your Twitters and Google Maps on your TV; no one wants them.

But today's 'Smart TVs' from Samsung and other TV makers offer  somewhat different from WebTV. Applications such as Netflix, Vudu and Hulu Plus actually allow you to watch TV on your TV, via video streaming services.

I realize that watching TV on your TV may be a novel concept, but it could just catch on.

Seriously folks, the video streaming services can enhance your viewing experience by providing access to more content -- and more quickly than Netflix's by-mail DVD rental service. Consequently, there is some potential here.

But before the TV makers start to get giddy, they need to remember that most Americans are still baffled by the concept of a wireless home network system, the likely minimum requirement to make a Smart TV work.

Despite what the San Jose crowd may think, most Americans are not tech-savvy; it's not easy for them to buy a Smart TV, bring it home and immediately connect it to the Net. In fact, many Americans are downright intimidated by the idea.

So the Smart TV has a major obstacle ahead before it reaches millions of homes. Somehow, Samsung and its compatriots must convince Americans that the benefits of the Smart TV outweigh their innate fear of bringing home a gadget they don't understand.

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