Samsung announced that its 2016 line of SUHD TVs will support SmartThings technology. (Photo : Reuters)
Tech giant Samsung is delving deeper into the Internet of Things market. The South Korean company recently released a new Smart TV model that is capable of turning into a smart home controller.
Samsung announced that all of the TV models included in its upcoming 2016 Superior 4K UHD (SUHD) lineup are integrated with Internet of Things hub technology developed by SmartThings. This new technology allows user to control house locks, lights, speakers, cameras, thermostat and other home appliances, according to Daily Mail.
In a statement obtained by PC Mag, Samsung president of Visual Display Business Hyun Suk Kim, "The 2016 lineup of Smart TVs will offer consumers new possibilities and cement Samsung's market leading position as the first company to launch IoT-ready TVs."
To take full advantage of the SmartThings-compatible Samsung products, users new to connect their SUHD TV with the SmartThings Extend USB adaptor that comes free with the products. The adaptor also adds supports for Z-Wave and ZigBee devices.
Another important thing to note is that Samsung will activate the Internet of Things functionality depending on region. The South Korean company has yet to reveal which region will get the feature first. However, experts believe that it will be released first on the company's home country before released on a wider user base.
Samsung is scheduled to unveil its new SmartThings-enabled Smart TVs at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Following its debut, experts believe that the products will be available to the public within the following months. Samsung has yet to reveal the specific timeline for the official roll out of the product.
