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Smart TVs offer additional software and
connectivity functions, such as video streaming and web browsing
capabilities. Samsung demonstrated TV sets powered by Tizen at
developer conferences last year.
"We are focusing our efforts on Tizen right now," Kim Hyun-suk,
Samsung's president of visual display business, told Reuters in
an interview. "We hope that other TV makers will also use it and
help build an ecosystem that will help the platform grow."
Televisions would be an addition to the modest stable of Tizen
products, which consists of a few smartwatches and cameras
despite years of development and support by the world's top
maker of smartphones and TVs.
The platform represents the most visible effort on the software
front by Samsung, which has sought to free itself from Google
Inc's Android platform.
But Tizen has so far failed to take off, due in part to
Samsung's failure to launch a smartphone powered by the system.
Some analysts are skeptical about the platform's viability
despite Samsung's standing as top smartphone maker, especially
as Android and Apple Inc's iOS tighten their grip in the
smartphone sector.
Developers say that until there is a meaningful user base for
Tizen they will have little incentive to make innovative
software applications for the system, deemed crucial if Samsung
is to convince wary consumers to try it out.
While the launch of Tizen-based TVs will increase the platform's
user base, it is unclear if that alone will be enough to pique
developers' interest. Users of smart TVs tend to use fewer apps
than they would on smartphones.
Still, the operating system is expected to play a key role in
Samsung's smart-home business. Tizen can also run on devices
with low computing power such as refrigerators and washing
machines, offering a way for users to monitor and control such
devices remotely.
Samsung did not give sales targets for Tizen-powered TVs.
(Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by David Holmes)
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