Samsung / Yahoo Internet@TV widgets revealed

Samsung and Yahoo! promise the Best of the Web on select 2009 HDTV models, thanks to the Internet@TV widgets we snuck a look at a few weeks ago. Developers build Javascript and XML apps that then run directly on your Samsung HDTV, starting with USA Today, YouTube, eBay, Showtime and Yahoo properties like Flickr and Yahoo! News. Next up their sleeves? Video streaming and "other popular Internet services" running through the built-in Ethernet or optional Wi-Fi USB dongle. Also, unlike some others, the Internet@TV Content service isn't just a U.S. thing, headed to 12 other countries this year: Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Having the Internet no further away than the nearest remote was your biggest request for '09, right?

[Jonathan @ Jan 5th 2009 1:35PM]

Cool stuff coming to Canada? I must be dreaming.

[wrabbit @ Jan 5th 2009 1:58PM]

I know! The best part of it is that it's coming to Canada. I'm tired of getting the shaft every time something cool comes out.

[NHAnimator @ Jan 5th 2009 1:35PM]

It's only a matter of time before these "widgets" become "features" and I won't be able to watch TV without it showing me what I want to buy today. Royal PITA.

[Alex @ Jan 5th 2009 1:36PM]

Nice, good thing I didn't get suckered into buying LCD during black friday so I can wait for this baby.

[Josh @ Jan 5th 2009 1:35PM]

this is actually pretty cool, it's like dashboard for your tv

[ScooterDe @ Jan 5th 2009 2:02PM]

coming soon, flash games and a remote with an accelerometer; kiss the Wii goodbye!

[From My Cube @ Jan 5th 2009 1:35PM]

all i want is Hulu beamed right to my tube

[TJ @ Jan 5th 2009 4:45PM]

I can watch Hulu and anything else from my computer using the Internetvue 2020. Its not perfect, but gets the job done for now.

[MAAD @ Jan 5th 2009 1:38PM]

If I can get me some Hulu on that set my world will be complete.. until I find something else I want.. but since this set can take apps.. shouldn't be much of problem.. in theory

[Oli D @ Jan 5th 2009 1:38PM]

When your getting to this point, why not just build a media pc, and get a tv tuner.

You end up with real vista, 500Gb HDD, dual sat recievers, dvd or Blu-Ray drive and internet all in one caboodle...

I made mine for 70+50+20+25+50+50 £265 and ive already saved that on sky bills.

[andres @ Jan 5th 2009 3:12PM]

because not everyone can build their own computer, or even operate it.

[Peter @ Jan 8th 2009 12:40PM]

@andres - Pretty much everyone who reads Engadget can.

[soupcxan @ Jan 5th 2009 1:43PM]

How long until the first virus/spyware is written for these TVs?

[essemm @ Jan 5th 2009 1:46PM]

just what we all need - more commercials.

[FOREX @ Jan 5th 2009 1:49PM]

**** BREAKING NEWS *****

Neilson Ratings has just been idicited for creating and diseminating spyware for internet capable TVs. Sources close to the company state that this was done in order to make Neilson relevent again. More as the story develops.

[bite me @ Jan 5th 2009 1:51PM]

AWESOME DUDE, you mean I can has MOAR advertising on my tv - sign me up!

[andres @ Jan 5th 2009 1:49PM]

haha, popup banners now available on your TV ;-(

[FOREX @ Jan 5th 2009 1:50PM]

Stupid comments, that was supposed to be at soupcxan

[Phoenix @ Jan 5th 2009 2:02PM]

Javascript.

Eww.

[absinthe party @ Jan 5th 2009 2:04PM]

Yo, TV manufacturers: Please just get it over with by incorporating my entire life into my TV and stream everything directly in my face. Enough of this laptop/desktop nonsense. Make ghosted pop-ups of local take-out menus, complete with internet ordering. Also, have the TV answer my phonecalls and automatically alert me to dangers outside. I never want to have to get off my couch again. kthx.

[jbuers @ Jan 5th 2009 2:11PM]

Please tell me this is relegated to 5 series and below and the 6-9 series are left alone...

[Phoenix @ Jan 5th 2009 2:18PM]

...what?

[GFunk84 @ Jan 5th 2009 2:19PM]

6-9 series already have Internet crap, except it's slow, useless, and doesn't work outside of the US.

[DustoMan @ Jan 5th 2009 2:15PM]

Hey those look like they came straight from Yahoo Widgets! Cool!

[Scott Kerns @ Jan 5th 2009 6:52PM]

That's exactly where they came from. Yahoops! stopped supporting Konfabulator (I refuse to call it YWE) almost a year ago. They transferred (or fired) all the staff to working on this project. Gee thanks Yahoops! just another example of how badly you can screw up a decent program.

[BigD145 @ Jan 5th 2009 2:22PM]

Stupid popups. Damn you, advertising industry. If I wanted weather updates, I'd get a TV with PiP.

[Boarderwoot @ Jan 5th 2009 2:30PM]

The scoreboard across the top of the tv is already annoying enough, i don't need other useless information taking up screen realestate, and if i wanted to know the weather i'd switch to the weather channel during a commercial break.

[Phoenix @ Jan 5th 2009 2:44PM]

turn it off?

[superfresh @ Jan 5th 2009 2:31PM]

Will a firmware upgrade get this on the TV I just bought, or will it require more hardware than I have?

[Kschroppe @ Jan 5th 2009 3:14PM]

For Two hundred dollars they could Marry an Archos 605 WIFI inside any large screen LDC and give you full OPERA browser capabilities and flash 9 support and the remote keyboard. It could run any widgets you wanted plus store your music and Photos on a 30 gig hard drive. Oh yea it could also be your GPS in your car.

[duffc @ Jan 5th 2009 3:11PM]

you people understand that this is an XML widget set not a full html capable web browser right?

Pop-ups and spyware are not going to be capable.

[George @ Jan 5th 2009 3:24PM]

Why can't a TV just remain a TV? If I want more information about something while I'm watching TV, I'll just use my iPhone/iPod. Actually, that's the better experience. The TV should be able to provide context information wirelessly to an iPhone or remote that you can then use to do other things. Please don't clutter up the viewing experience for me and the others in the room.

[Brian Hellewell @ Jan 5th 2009 7:42PM]

Does this mean that something similar will be coming to AT&T UVerse TV service - seems like a simple thing to do...

[umm....hello??? @ Jan 5th 2009 4:19PM]

umm....yeah, because I'm really interested in having my TV give me MORE ADVERTISEMENTS while I'm watching a program.

[FILA @ Jan 5th 2009 4:38PM]

and i thought stock quotes scrolling on the bottom of the screen was annoying.

ok so maybe one or two widgets would be ok, but yea...

[digitallysick @ Jan 5th 2009 4:39PM]

A new way to spam you besides commercials? do not want

[oxchronxo @ Jan 5th 2009 5:02PM]

soo right duffc, these widgets are not written in html in a browser so you are correct that pop-ups are not an issue. and these widgets aren't going to be able to throw up pop-ups at will. you will have to interact with a widget to get any visual feedback. so to all who are assuming that you will be getting stuff thrown in your face you are wrong. use it if you want or just interact with your TV the same way you have since Egyptian times when things were simpler.

[ill trooper @ Jan 5th 2009 7:36PM]

Not criticizing, just mentioning: those widgets sure look like the Apple dashboard/iPhone graphics. Actually, 'exactly' is a better adjective. Isn't there some other way to typeset the weather these days?

[ill trooper @ Jan 5th 2009 7:40PM]

I just had to go through and down-vote everyone who's acting like these things will pop-up and interfere with your viewing experience unannounced. Please, folks - who would do that? This will be like calling up the guide on your Tivo/DVR: "I wonder what the weather is..." (click widget button) and the weather pops up for you to read it. No need to switch over to NY1 for the weather update, sounds cool to me.

[lessthantito @ Jan 6th 2009 7:33PM]

all I want is Hulu for my new HDTV

[Quikboy @ Jan 5th 2009 9:05PM]

Seems kinda similar with Windows Media Center, and it's online extensions. Or any add-ons.

[thisiscool @ Jan 6th 2009 11:43PM]

Ok...all the complaining needs to stop.....welcome this.
Bringing the power of the internet to the tv is a good thing. You forget that since this stuff is based on linux, its open source, http://www.samsung.com/global/opensource/ meaning, you can look at the code, and hopefully modify and improve on it if you wanted.

Adding internet features may mean that one day you won't need that stupid set-top-box which actually limits what your TV can do. You should be able to get your TV listings online, and possibly pull you scheduling/alerts off the web.

Personally I wouldn't mind if I could check to see if I had email or watching a stock price while watching TV, even if I had to see a tiny little add since this services is being provided free of charge.

The stupid comments of "why can't a tv just be a tv.....i can look a the internet on my iphone"...how hypocritical is that?

And as others have stated, if you don't want to see the advertisements, don't use the features. If you want you tv to just be a tv, go buy a POS that is still in the stone age.