LG Electronics is hoping to make its smart TVs more attractive by making it easier to share and find content, while Samsung Electronics is only hinting at what its plans are for 2013. Both companies will present new TV hardware and software at the International CES trade show in Las Vegas next week.
LG’s TVs will make it easier to share content with a feature called Tag On, which uses NFC (near-field communication) to connect a TV with a smartphone or other compatible devices. To connect, users just have to hold a smartphone or some other NFC-enabled device against an NFC sticker on the TV, the company said on Monday.
A recommendation function called On Now will suggest trending on-demand and broadcast content. Results pop up in thumbnail images, making it faster and easier for the viewer to make a selection, according to LG.
The TVs will also have thinner bezels, the frames that surround TV screens.
LG has already announced that its 2013 lineup will include two new Google TVs called the GA7900 and GA6400. Its TVs will also get better support for speech recognition, thanks in part to a new remote.
Samsung, on the other hand, is still keeping its new offerings under wraps.
Last week, the company posted a teaser on Youtube, which didn’t provide any details beyond the arrival of a new product that looks like it still has a bezel. The set will have an “unprecedented new TV shape,” according to Samsung’s official blog.
The next 12 months could have some interesting developments in store for consumers with the arrival of more Ultra HD and OLED TVs. But the big question is still if Apple will finally reveal its own TV.
Samsung and LG both have launch events planned for Jan. 7 where they will announce their new products. CES takes place between Jan. 8 and Jan. 11 in Las Vegas.