Preface

I want to first take this opportunity to thank you for reading Samsung SmartTV Application Development. You have made a wise decision, both in the platform you've chosen and the book you are holding. This guide comes straight from the team that built the world's leading smart TV—the Samsung SmartTV—a platform that is new and bursting with potential.

The historical impact of TV is undeniable. Television has been the dominant media force in much of the world for over half a century. The events that we have collectively experienced thanks to TV—triumph and tragedy, news and entertainment, drama and reality—have been the source of the defining images of our time.

But it's not just what we watch, it's how we watch that has also shaped our world. Since its introduction, the TV became the focal point of many households and a natural place for families and friends to gather around. In the broadcast era, popular programs could drive so-called “appointment viewing,” with viewers planning their schedules around their favorite TV programs. Later technologies like VCRs, DVRs, and Video on Demand then provided some degree of flexibility—and marked the beginning of the watch “what you want, when you want it” era.

Now we are well into the Internet era, with a level of freedom, personalization, and convenience that was once only dreamed about. High bandwidth connections allow customers to stream content to their PCs and smart phones. Among all this new technology, consumers have found themselves asking, “Why can't my TV do this?” SmartTV provides an answer: “It can.”

As a TV application developer, you can enable the freedom that audiences desire from their TVs. You can bring them the content, the entertainment, and the interaction that they are expecting. Or perhaps you'll choose to create innovative experiences by leveraging SmartTV features in new and unexpected ways.

No device is an island, and the Samsung SmartTV has been designed to be a vital part of the consumer's complete entertainment ecosystem. With convergence technologies that connect SmartTV with PCs, tablets, and smart phones, app developers are now exposed to a new world of opportunities. For example, the Samsung SmartTV Smart Interaction feature allows for voice and gesture input, providing endless possibilities for new games, apps, and experiences.

I hope that reading this book gives you the power to turn your ideas into reality. Platforms succeed because of developer support. In this “Age of the App,” consumers expect a rich and diverse set of applications for their products—and developer support is key for meeting that expectation. I am proud and honored that you have chosen to develop for Samsung SmartTV, and we will continue to work to earn your confidence.

What is the next killer app for SmartTV? How high will our imaginations go? That is for you to decide. This book is just a guide. You are the pilot.

Suwon, South Korea – July 2013

Hyogun Lee, R&D Office Leader, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business,

Samsung Electronics

IT innovation that has created the “smart” phone is now expanding the innovation to TV—the true king of home electronics. The new SmartTV moved beyond receiving broadcasted service into contents services such as video game, education, sports, and video-on-demand. As smart phone applications did, SmartTV applications are also creating a new apps store based on an open ecosystem that directly connects providers with consumers. However, this emerging market has not been fully accessible to contents providers because there has been a lack of application development tools and know-how for new developers.

Handstudio has led the SmartTV application development for the past four years, since the inception of the technology, and is willing to share all its knowledge and know-how with the new developers through this book.

The Samsung SmartTV has led the world's SmartTV market and continuously reinvented the technology into the new 2013 standard—irresistible to anyone who comes to notice it. Gesture and motion recognition features have become refined and stabilized in the last year, and enabled developers to create unique features not available on other platforms. The Samsung SmartTV's standard-adhering web-based application development environment allows easier transition to web developers, which is why Handstudio picked the Samsung SmartTV to introduce its SmartTV app development method.

Handstudio and all its members have been preaching for the SmartTV platform's possibility and market prospect for the last four years. The year 2013 is now the exploding moment of SmartTV's new innovations and popularity. It is also the best and the most emotional moment for us to finally publish this book. This book is dedicated to all who encouraged us, and especially to those who guided us and wrote recommendations for the book. Thank you.

Dear developers, here is the wonderful new platform awaiting new heroes. With this book, take the chance and become the master of the promising new SmartTV platform.

Lastly, I sincerely thank Vice President Kwangkee Lee, Principal Engineer Kiho Kim, and Principal Engineer Taedong Lee at Samsung Electronics for their efforts in publishing this book.

Thank you.

Joonhee Ahn, Handstudio CEO