Samsung Announces FiOS TV App Coming to Smart TVs
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Bloomberg recently reported that Samsung has plans to offer an interactive app for FiOS TV on smart TVs and Blu-ray players as early as this year. The app will allow users to view Live Multichannel HD TV and VerizonFlex View On-Demand content from any connected Samsung device.
Mobile access to live TV is the new trend in media. Samsung is planning on joining the fold this year with a new app that will allow Verizon FiOS TV subscribers to have instant access to 26 live TV channels directly through a connected Samsung Smart TV or Smart Blu-ray player.
According to Verizon and Samsung, subscribers will also have access to over 10,000 movie titles anytime through Verizon Flex View.
“Our companies are squarely focused on two objectives: adding tangible value and excitement to our customers’ entertainment experience,” said Eric Anderson, vice president of content and product solutions, Samsung Electronics America. “By combining our respective capabilities and technologies, we are advancing our goals to transform entertainment throughout the home.”
Mashable was on hand for a look at Samsung’s new smart TV line and said they are more like computers than HDTVs, adding that the FiOS app will make the sets even more computer-like.
Mashable also noted that Samsung has intentionally decided to limit the channels it 26 channels on the app, even though the FiOS TV service offers 1,00 channels due to the way content will be streamed to the device using the App. According to Mashable, “The infrastructure to support all 1,000 channels would have been humongous.”
Most interestingly, Mashable pointed out that this app is very similar to the one Verizon released a year ago. When asked why iPad users don’t have access to live TV, the company said they made a strategic decision to roll out the service, first on devices like the Xbox and now on Samsung Smart TV. Mashable did see the FiOS app working on an iPad though, so it may be out sooner than later.
