Smart Devices, and Inflationary Language

Samsung last week previewed their upcoming range of TVs and accessories, displaying some very interesting and unique features.

Samsung tv

For instance, in their TVs they’re including apps that permit you watch movies from Big Pond movies, in high definition. The fact that the actual viewing of these movies can start from within just a few seconds of you ordering them from the source is a very saving – of your time – when compared with the trip to the local video store. And there’s no need to return them; and no late fees to pay.

Styling is very nice, with one of the less premium models having just a 5mm, clear bezel surrounding the screen. Believe me, this is actually very nice from a styling point of view. It’s not very narrow, but being transparent, I can visualise this unit being mounted on a wall, and content being watched, in such a way that there’s no real border around the screen where the image lies. This sounds like something small, but I suspect that it’s not.

The sets are also very thin, so they will occupy less space within your home than before.

But …

They are being billed as “Smart TVs”. As you may know, I have a problem devices labeled as “Smart”; I have yet to see any device that is truly “smart” it’s a marketing buzzword, and I think you know what we think of buzzwords and jargon here on the Gadget Grill.

So, what of the Smart TV? Well, it has a media hub, so you can watch movies, videos, IP TV, listen to music … it has built in social media clients, so you can Tweet, and Skype and Facebook Like TV shows and content, direct from the tv, while the shows are being watched, using the new optional remote control with its built-in QWERTY keyboard.

Or you could use your phone or tablet or laptop, just as you do today.

3D: Of course, no TV launch today would be worthy of mention if it didn’t include some new 3D TVs, and Samsung certainly don’t disappoint in this realm. There’s greater variety, cheaper glasses and a better choice of available glasses too. It’s all good.

Samsung TV accessories

And apparently, size matters, too. The new TVs are now coming in what they are calling a “Plus 1″ configuration. This means that the size of the screens is now one inch larger than it was: your 32″ screen is now going to be 33″, 48″ becomes 49”, and so on, and so fifth, as Victor Borge said in his legendary Inflationary Language monologue.

I’m not against making the screens larger, provided the quality doesn’t suffer and the pricing remains good value for their customers, and that certainly seems to be the case. I just don’t like marketing slogans, buzzwords and jargon.

I’d like to think that as consumers, we’re smarter than that.

I suspect that I’m probably wrong, though.