Samsung Wants to Bring Web Browsing, Office Work to the TV
By Janko Roettgers
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Samsung’s 2019 smart TVs will allow consumers to browse the web, access their PCs and even edit work documents from the comfort of their living room couch. The company previewed a new feature dubbed Remote Access this week, which integrates both ’s own Knox security framework as well as remote access software from VMWare.
Samsung stopped short on revealing key details about Remote Access. It did disclose that Remote Access will make it possible to remotely access a PC from a TV, which then seems to function as a gateway to the web, as well as a way to play PC-based games.
To use Remote Access, consumers won’t have to just rely on their TV remote controls. Instead, it will also work with a keyboard, mouse, and other input devices. These may come in handy when consumers access what Samsung vaguely described as a “web browser-based cloud office service” to “access files and work on documents.”
“Samsung is committed to creating an intuitive and convenient user experience for consumers,” said the executive vice president of the company’s visual display business Hyogun Lee in a statement. “With Remote Access, consumers will be able to easily access various programs, apps and cloud services installed on multiple connected devices directly through their TV screen.”
Whether consumers really want another screen to access work documents is another question, and the idea of using a keyboard on the couch didn’t exactly catch on in the past either. Still, without additional details, it’s hard to judge who Samsung is even targeting with this new feature.
The company is expected to demo Remote Access at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month, where it will introduce its 2019 TV line-up in earnest. Variety was first to report that the company’s 2019 TVs are expected to also include access to the Google Assistant , and may also offer better audio quality powered by HomePod-like smart tuning features.
