PN50B650- List of formats that FFD/RWD over DLNA?

Thanks for that. I'm OK with the functionality, just like to be informed, or to know if Samsung is still doing any work to improve the 09 models.

Which reminds me to ask, is there any update on bringing Netflix support to the 09 models?
I've read a lot of vague posts that allude to different things, but from what I gather, Samsung wants to do this but is waiting for certain licensing agreements to expire. That said, it's now September 2010 and seems unlikely any further changes will be made for the '09 models. I won't be buying a 2010 model for this feature alone, so I hope Samsung doesn't think this is an incentive to buy a new tv. A Roku box is $60. It would be nice to be able to free up a Roku box in my house though to an older TV.

yenic,

I don't believe Netflix will be on the 2009 TV models. I've gotten requests, begs, threats, complaints and even someone "shame on you"-ing me every week over it. Technology gets better and supports more things every year, and some progress means the inability to go backwards. Most any industry recognizes that unfortunate reality. Computers, Cars, even washing machines and appliances, cell phones, and the list goes on. Every year, things do more than last year's models could.

I can't speak on licensing agreements of any sorts - you know, what company can on the Internet, right?

But companies that participate with our TV or Blu-Ray models do have to author their own program, and then it goes through testing by both parties. I can't speak to either the side of Netflix or Samsung on this issue, or where it stands/stood/could stand/doesn't stand. I just don't have that privy information. If anything, Netflix is a valued partner, and is a big part of many products this year.

I don't think the plan is to have everyone buy a new Samsung TV every year. I see that suggestion posted a lot. So sometimes progress of great new things mean that other features can't be added to products from even last year.

This year, we did add Samsung Apps on our 2010 model Blu-Ray players, so on top of getting a great Blu-Ray player, the Apps that used to be TV-exclusive are now also available on the Blu-Ray players, and one benefit is that people don't have to buy a new TV to get all thenfew features that Samsung releases. That way, Samsung TV owners can have an inexpensive (I realize that is open to interpretation, but definitely LESS expensive) way to keep up with many of the new widgets that are available. In fact, some of the Blu-Ray players have built-in Wi-Fi, so it's ready to stream out of the box, whereas the TV would require a WIS09ABGN dongle.

Now, not all Samsung Apps are on every TV, and can vary by model. But I'm happy to answer questions on that as they arise.

Netflix is also available through other products too, so there are lots of options that can best fit the needs of most people. They certainly aren't exclusive to us, but we do have other Apps offerings and companies are participating more than ever before.

I hope that addresses some of your concerns properly.

--HDTech

I'm glad to get a final response on that. It will aid me in my purchases. I'm fully aware the whole 'widget' thing is new and still maturing overall. If I could've waited a few years for Internet TV to mature fully, I would've.

That said, the Roku boxes or WD Live TV boxes are both great solutions as are the DVD players you mentioned.

Personally, I'm trying to avoid having any boxes near my TV which is why I've been waiting for Netflix, but not that big of a deal. I'm not a fan of Bluray or DVD players and prefer to simply rip the discs I've bought over the years to my PC or external storage and stream them.. for everything else there's Netflix.

I bought my TV with full understanding that I was paying for what was advertised when I bought it, which did not include Netflix.. so I'm not complaining, just wanted to know for sure because I really have had my eye on a WD Live TV as it has full codec support, FFW/RWD over the network and Netflix support. The firmware updates for the 09 models have been great to see, so I figured Samsung was determined to get Netflix going too.

There are many solutions, and anyone who wants truly full featured networking abilities out of their TV alone would be best advised to wait 3 or 4 years until some of these technologies are mature and stable. I'm not sure the 2010 models are the "end all be all" for online services, or network streaming.

If the world doesn't end before 2014, a few years down the road such as then would probably be a good time. It's basically still in the growing pains for all manufacturers, but the stuff my TV DOES have works pretty well. I've rented quite a few movies from Amazon.

Thanks for the candid response.

I get confused here, because I just got off the phone with a Samsung customer service rep today who told me that the Netflix upgrade will be coming out later this month and will apply to '09 models as well...

If what you're saying is true though, I think the 'technology changes' arguments leaves much to be desired... I bought the PN50B650 set only last year here in Canada and it was considered a top model, advertising internet@TV loud-and-clear--but all I got was a few useless widgets and a promise that 'more will be added in the future'; a promise that now (if what you're saying is true) seems to have been forgotten as nothing of any remote value has been added to the widget gallery over this past year. We can't even access the amazon.com store here in Canada to rent movies...

What good is a so-called internet@TV feature if all it allows you to do is check a few measly news and weather snippets that I'd just as well do on a computer? I don't think anyone who bought this set with the internet feature in mind did so for any reason other than the ability to steam online movies and TV shows (it is a TV after all...)

As it stands, if Samsung just drops the ball on '09 customers, the internet@TV feature on those models was just an empty sales gimmick with no real substance...

You don't spend upwards of $2200 on a TV set just to be dumped like last year's fashion... and while you make it sound like customers are being unreasonable in their complaints or so-called 'threats'--I think that the issue is very real here: Between our TV, Home Theater, Convection Oven/Stove unit and Laser Printer, my wife and I have invested upwards of $5,000 of our hard-earned money in Samsung products in 09 alone.

If Samsung's official attitude is to break away with past customers, I honestly think twice now while looking at buying a new fridge, for instance, and the way this thing with Netflix is going to play out is indeed a major deciding factor. When I but a big ticket item it's not just about the point-of-sale, but about establishing a long-term trust with a manufacturer--and I'm not just saying this for effect; it's the way it is.

Most of us, who don't drop down thousands of dollars on big-ticket appliances every year, want to make sure that when we do we give our money to the right people--not only to those that offer attractive features at the time of sale, but to those that that will maintain support and remain reliable going forward into the future (and definitely not to the fly-by-nighters that flash enticing gimmicks on the box and then deliver little substance, which I'm hoping Samsung will not turn out to be)