Harking back to the 2012 International CES, we remembered a big announcement between Samsung and DirecTV whereby over 19.7 million customers would gain the ability to watch live and recorded TV content from Samsung's 2012 line of Smart TVs - and without requiring a set-top box. Given the difficulty of controlling multiple pieces of gear, unification on this scale seems like a no-brainer. Besides, now that 3D has pretty much flopped like a wet fish caught in the desert sun, manufacturers are looking for ways to generate premium pricing for their television sets. These new integrated DVRs are designed to give consumers the same user experience as the GUI of a regular DirecTV DVR. Normally we'd make a quip here about how that's not such a great thing to advertise, but honestly DireTV has it down pretty well and their GUI's are more or less refined. What custom installers - as well as interior decorators - will like is the ability to mount the TV without having to worry about locating an additional box. Less clutter, more aesthetic appeal - and there's nothing wrong with that in my book... just more room for the coffee table-sized subwoofer.
Discuss "Samsung Smart TVs to Offer Box-free DirecTV DVRs" here.
Read the article.
