Samsung's New Smart Touchscreen Remotes - Redefining the Two Screen TV App Experience

written by: Richard Kastelein

Details

Published on Sunday, 09 January 2011 11:54

From the single screen experience - pioneered by companies like NDS, Orca Interactive, and Yahoo in 2007-08, then the introduction of the iPad which sent everyone scurrying to the two screen experience - the evolution of the Connected TV landscape has been tremendously exciting as everyone positions for inevitability of Smart TVs - which are expected to be over 90 per cent of the new market by 2015. In other words, whether people want them or not, the capability will be there in almost all new TVs in a very short time. As quick as Smart Phones came to domininate the market, Smart TVs will follow the same path. And the TV manufacturers will make sure that happens because it gives them access to a tremendous opportunity to reduce scarcity in the living room, help democratize content and most importantly, tap into the hundred billion euro spent in TV advertising budgets worldwide as they offer a direct route to consumer via Smart TVs. 

When the two screen play came into being - and was taken more seriously with the advent of the Tablet - I thought that Samsung and other CE TV manufacturers could parlay up with a play to dominate the two screen experience with an advanced remote that ships with the TV... therefore making moot the competition from the likes of Apple and other competitors whose 3DP developers are building strong Social TV applications on devices that are not necessarily related to the TV manufacturer. Samsung's RMC30DS is going to change the way innovators and third party developers approach the two screen experience in the future.

The 2010 Samsung series C9000 LED TV was a testing ground and actually was shipped with brilliant touchscreen remote control, according to Pocket Lint.

...that allowed you to watch TV on it in a different room. However, it didn't allow you to watch a different channel to the one that was being watched on the television. The company has rectified that, and added a whole bundle of new features to its RMC30D Touch Control TV remote this time around, and we have to say that we're very impressed.

It is, essentially, like getting an iPhone or Galaxy Player in the box, as the new remote will be bundled with all of Samsung's crazily thin bezelled D8000 LED TVs. It'll also be available to buy as an extra for those who would rather opt for a step-down model in the Korean manufacturer's 2011 Smart TV range.

As the device uses Wi-Fi, it pairs with your Samsung TV and you can then take it around the house with you. It doesn't need line-of sight or a separate IR or RF box to be set-up. And this is important for one of its most fun features: TV playback. Yep, the RMC30D is a mini TV as well as a remote control. It can also use a second tuner inside your Sammy set, so you can watch a separate channel to one being viewed on the main screen. And you can wander about the house with it, if you choose.

It can also control and playback DLNA content from anywhere on your home network (through the TV's processor), so you can watch a movie stored on a PC elsewhere, or play music like a housebound iPod.

I can smell an upgrade coming - as I am still on the horse and carriage version. There's currently no price for the RMC30D, but it is expected to arrive in the UK in Spring, along with the new D7000 and D8000 3D LED TVs.

So it appears that Samsung has made that play stronger not with a tablet remote, but rather a very iPhone-like TV remote with a touchscreen that fully syncs with the TV Apps and offers high potential for an impressive two screen experience. The key is, these will be SHIPPED with the 2011 TVs which will not only pull viewers from other devices such as smart phones, tablets and PC's in the two screen play, but will also educate an entire new demographic of users who don't have Smart Phones or Tablets and tie them to the brand for an enormous wave of new consumers.

Endgadget Notes:

Well-done Guys! The Engadget Teams succeed to get some first hands picture on the RMC30D, Samsung new 3" touch Remote display and, I am not sure how Apple is going to react after than, but it seems that Designers at Samsung took their iPhone 4 as inspiration when making this universal remote. This said, the RMC30D is nonetheless a true wonder with DLNA support, VoIP Support and also capable to play YouTube video directly from its nice little 3" screen. The RMC30D also includes a QWERTY keyboard and other little wonders that we have yet uncovers, so stay tune for further update on this matter.