Normally, you'd need some sort of hub to control the so-called "smart devices" in your home, like internet-connected lights, door locks, and thermostats.
A hub is another piece of hardware that occupies space, and many of them don't necessarily look good. Yet they're an essential piece of the smart home.
Samsung is helping you ditch the need for another gadget by combining its SmartThings hub with its 2016 lineup of UHD TVs, effectively turning the TV into a central hub for your home.
You'll also be able to control your home's smart devices with Samsung's 2016 regular full-HD (1080p) lineup, which will run the SmartThings app, though they won't have the actual SmartThings hub built-in.
Samsung's 2016 smart TV lineup will also allow you to stream games from Sony's PlayStation Now and Gamefly's cloud gaming service. You can play games from those services using a PlayStation controller.
Samsung claims that it'll let you ditch consoles, but it's no replacement for next-generation consoles like PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The games available for streaming on PlayStation Now and Gamefly are mostly older games from previous generation consoles, so Samsung's game-streaming TVs are better suited for casual gamers.
Still, Samsung's 2016 offering of smart TVs are a clear indication that TVs are well on their way to becoming much more than just screens.
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