Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. Videos

Tizen OS takes shape in Samsung smart TVs | Hands on

Caleb Denison
By
Until recently, smart TVs have never really felt all that smart. Even with powerful computing hardware under the hood, smart TVs have had a terrible time relating to their users. Forced to scroll through multiple screens, flip through several pages of unwanted apps just to get to Netflix, and tolerate inexplicably slow navigation, smart TV owners were often forced to turn to streaming set-top boxes from the likes of Roku and Apple for a more user-friendly, intuitive experience. But a strange, perhaps unlikely phenomenon has turned the tide: mobile operating systems masquerading as smart TV platforms.

LG was the first to go this route with WebOS in 2014, and now Samsung is following suit in 2015 with Tizen OS. Tizen, which has struggled to find a suitable home in smart phones and smart watches, looks like it belongs in Samsung’s smart TVs. Similar in many ways to LG’s WebOS, Tizen OS doesn’t just grant access to apps and games (though it certainly does that) but it serves as the TV’s operating system, too, giving the user quick access to TV settings, control over connected components like cable boxes, and customized screens that put the user’s most oft-used channels and apps within quick reach.

Recommended Videos

We were able to spend some time looking at Samsung’s Tizen-based smart TVs at CES 2015, but it wasn’t until a Samsung SUHD TV event held at the historic Rainbow Room in New York that we got a chance to go hands-on and learn what the system felt like. Now that we’ve had a chance to have a go at it, we think Tizen has finally found a home that suits its abilities.

Related

Working within Tizen requires the use of a motion-activated remote control. The simplified pod works much like a Nintendo Wii controller or LG’s Magic Motion remote, with one key difference: In order to activate an on-screen cursor, you must lightly touch a motion control button. You mustn’t press too hard (that action performs a “select” or “OK” function) but a light touch will bring up a motion-controlled cursor with which you can point-and-click, and drag-and-drop your way through the interface.

Tizen, places a row of “cards” or “tiles” along the bottom of the TV screen for quick access to recently used apps and channels, a Web browser, and a search feature. Up top, Tizen places all of the TVs various inputs just a click away.

Though a switch in operating system required some quick action by app developers, it appears Samsung’s smart TVs come ready with the most popular apps, including 4K-capable Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime Instant Video, YouTube, and Pandora. We were told by a Samsung representative that more Tizen-friendly versions of Samsung’s extensive selection of apps are being made available all the time.

Have a look at what Tizen looks like in our video above, then tell us what you think in the comments section. Does Tizen OS make you more excited to use a smart TV? How do you think it stacks up against WebOS? Are you excited by the idea that Firefox will soon power Panasonic’s TVs? We look forward to hearing from you, and to a year of far-less-frustrating smart-TV testing.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Caleb Denison
Caleb Denison
Editor at Large
Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…
LG says its G3 OLED evo TV will be 70% brighter, with no visible wall gap
LG G3 OLED evo 4K TV seen wall-mounted.

Ahead of its official CES 2023 presentation, LG has given us a taste of its TV tech for the coming year, especially as it relates to the company's lineup of OLED TVs. Once again, the G Series takes center stage, with the G3 OLED evo 4K. LG says that thanks to its Brightness Booster Max technology, the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch G3 models will see an increase in brightness by up to 70%.

The G3 OLED evo will also look a lot better when wall-mounted. LG calls its new One Wall Design approach "ultra-seamless" and says that it will leave no visible gap between the wall and the G3. That's saying a lot considering the G2 OLED evo was already impressively tight to the wall when wall-mounted.

Read more
First non-Samsung Tizen OS TVs are here, but not in the U.S.
samsung s95b oled tv review qn65s95b tizen interface

Samsung today announced that it's going to license its implementation of Tizen OS — which was itself born from the Linux Foundation in 2012 — to a number of television manufacturers starting this year. That's hardly an aberration, of course. Roku and Amazon Fire TV each license their operating systems to various manufacturers (and Amazon just started making its own branded TVs in the Omni series), and LG's webOS has gotten into the game, too. You also can find Google TV on a number of sets.

But don't look for the Tizen OS on any familiar TVs in the United States anytime soon. The first brands to get Tizen are Akai, Bauhn, and Linsar — all found in Australia — and are available now. Other TVs from the likes of RCA, Vispera, and Axen will hit Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom later this year.

Read more
No Xbox? No problem. Game Pass is coming to Samsung smart TVs this summer
A tv shows the new Xbox Game Pass that comes to Samsung Gaming Hub soon.

Xbox Game Pass is coming to Samsung smart TVs. The service will get its own app on all upcoming Samsung TVs, allowing owners to stream Game Pass’ cloud library without a console. Digital Trends went hands-on with the app at a press event this week.

Back at CES 2022, Samsung announced that it would break into video games with its Samsung Gaming Hub. The feature, which is set to launch with Samsung TVs this summer, includes cloud services like Google Stadia and GeForce Now. In partnering with Microsoft, Xbox Game Pass will join the hub at launch as well. Players will just need a Game Pass Ultimate subscription to access it.

Read more