Jordan O'BrienSamsung is serious about its acquisition of SmartThings, going so far as to integrate the company’s technology into every SUHD TV it launches in 2016. That’s not all either, as every Smart TV the company launches this year will also be SmartThings ready.
Like LG, Samsung wants to make the TV the hub of the home, with the SmartThings integration allowing users to control up to 200 devices all over the house from one device.
By integrating the hub technology into its SUHD TV, Samsung eradicates the need for consumers to have a separate device – which currently costs £99 in the UK – making a SmartThings home more attractive to Samsung TV owners.
While right out of the box every Samsung SUHD TV will be able to control a SmartThings home, it will only be able to operate Wi-Fi devices. To enable ZigBee and Z-Wave control, users will need to pick up a free SmartThings Extend USB adapter.
Unlike some home automation systems, the SmartThings integration in Samsung’s TVs is truly smart – enabling users to group together devices into certain ‘moods’ to control multiple devices with one touch of a button.
For instance, one mood shown off by Samsung is ‘Cinema Mood’ that will allow owners to adjust lighting and sound from the TV to create the ideal environment for watching a movie.
SmartThings is compatible with hundreds of devices and Samsung is hoping to integrate unique experiences for as many as possible into its SUHD TVs. Things such as doorbell cameras will pop up on the screen no matter what’s currently on the screen, allowing users to view who is at the door and open it, without ever leaving the sofa. It will also have pop-up alerts for other devices such as motion sensors.