Close-up with Samsung's Tizen OS TV prototype
At the Tizen Developer Conference, Samsung unveiled a prototype television set running the open-source Tizen operating system.
The Tizen TV is merely a prototype, but it offers an interesting look at what manufacturers like Samsung can do with the open-source operating system.
As with most Smart TVs these days, you'll be able to load a Tizen-powered TV with apps. As the TV is still just a prototype, there was no word on what those apps might actually entail.
The entire Tizen ecosystem is interconnected: if you've connected your cloud storage apps with the Tizen CloudBox offering, you'll be able to access your files right from your television set.
Photos and videos will be accessible from your phone through cloud storage apps, or via external devices by way of USB.
Music will be accessible in the same manner. Music streaming apps are ostensibly in the cards, but (once again) this is a prototype unit, so details are scant.
If you'd like to do a bit of Web browsing on your television set, you'll find a full browser baked right into Tizen. Some sites -- like YouTube -- are already optimized for TVs.
Tizen puts the entire Internet at your disposal, though you'll run into some snags on multimedia websites. You'll be able to type Web addresses through a virtual keyboard, which is as painful as it sounds. Fortunately, you can also use any mobile device that's connected to the same Wi-Fi network as a wireless keyboard.
The prototype TV was coupled with a Samsung remote, which offers a directional pad to help you navigate menus.
If you'd rather take a more immersive approach, the remote can double as a pointer, driving a cursor on screen.