Samsung offers some of the industry's sleekest, most bleeding edge smart TVs—from a hardware point of view. From a software standpoint, their "Smart Hub" interface is less than impressive. That's why it's curious that the company has released the $150 Smart Media Player to bring its flawed Smart Hub experience to any "dumb" HDTV—especially when there are so many other, better TV-smartening options.
Samsung's new set-top device gives users of any TV access to apps such as Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, or YouTube. And that's dandy! I'm just not exactly sure what the Smart Media Player provides that the recently announced $80 CoStar-LT box from Vizio won't. Not to mention the $100 AppleTV, multiple affordable devices from Roku, or any number of other options. And let's not forget Google's $35 Chromecast dongle for viewers who want access to just a few basic smart TV functions.
Samsung's Smart Media Player may appeal to certain low-information consumers who are familiar with the Samsung brand and interface and want to bring that functionality to a second "dumb TV" in their house. A Samsung release on the new product touts the ability to replace a second cable box with a more-affordable CableCard rental from one's moribund service provider.
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