With the latest Smart TVs around users don’t need to have an external media box to be able to stream content like their favourite shows, movies or music on your TV. Samsung Smart TV is one of such TVs which offer great content without the need for a set-top box. The Tizen-powered Smart TV range from Samsung is fast and responsive but in order to enjoy this amazing feature, users need to install apps on their TV. Samsung Smart TV apps are readily available on the Samsung store and there are loads of apps to choose from, depending on your needs. More apps are always being added, the latest being the Starz app for users in the U.S. Here is a round up of the best 10 apps that could help you get the best out of your Smart TV.
Best Samsung Smart TV app
-
- Netflix – Netflix is almost a household name all over the world when it comes to online video streaming services. It has remained at the forefront since it invented the entire concept almost ten years ago. Netflix has an impressive selection of existing TV shows and movies in its arsenal presently. Not just that, the company is also investing heavily in its own exclusive productions including political drama House of Cards and comedies such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.When you talk about the amount of content in its database, Netflix is the largest streaming service around. The contents available, however, varies depending on your location. Contents available on the UK app store may not be in the US store. Netflix is also a great starting point if you’re new to video streaming.
- Amazon Prime Video – Amazon is another amazing app that offers you great contents on TV. The outfit’s offering has improved a great deal in recent years and it now offers its own catalogue of exclusive shows such as alternative history thriller The Man in the High Castle and comedy-dramas Transparent and Catastrophe. Amazon also has an appreciable collection of content from other providers, but just like on Netflix, the contents differ on US and UK stores so, it’s difficult to specify here. One good thing about Amazon Prime Video is that you don’t have to get an account before you can view available titles, unlike Netflix. Amazon Prime’s listing is available directly on Amazon’s website for users to peruse if what they like is available before subscribing.
- Hulu (US-only) – Hulu previously offered two tiers of services which included a free service with limited contents and adverts in between streaming and a paid service which extends the selection and with ads still present. However, the company finally introduced a completely ad-free (not entirely ad-free) subscription tier in September last year, bringing the service at par with competitors Netflix and Amazon Prime.Hulu is some steps behind Netflix and Amazon Prime as its exclusive offering is a way smaller than its competitors, but there are some interesting contents in its offering. Another snag is that a small selection of shows will display ads even when you’re on the service’s premium tier.
- iPlayer (UK-only) – The BBC iPlayer app is only available in the UK and lets you stream high-quality TV and radio shows, as well as movies. You get the opportunity of watching some of the best BBC produced TV shows in recent years such as Doctor Who, Sherlock and Luther, and, lucky. Although the BBC only makes shows available for 30 days after their first broadcast, the iPlayer makes up for this with what is possibly the widest selection of shows available on any of the streaming services on this list.
- All 4 (UK-only) – If BBC has got iPlay, Channel 4 also has its own All 4 app which covers content from Channel 4, E4 and More 4. Its offering is, however, different from the BBC iPlayer’s as more popular shows are available indefinitely on the service. So, if you want to sit down and watch every episode of the excellent Peep Show since it was first broadcasted in 2003, then you’re as free as a bird.
- Playstation Now – This isn’t a video streaming app per se but it is the gaming app which allows you to play a variety of PlayStation 3 games on your TV. Well, the processor on the Samsung TV isn’t meant for heavy games like Assassin’s Creed II but app streams the game directly fromSony’s server so, the game isn’t really being run by your TV’s processor. This has to rely heavily on internet speed if not faster games won’t be as responsive as if they were running natively on a console. You’ll also need a game controller in order to use this app.
- HBO Go / HBO Now (US-only) – HBO Go and HBO Now are both available in the U.S. only. They offer streaming services from the Home Box Office television network credited with several video classics such as The Sopranos, The Wire and more recently Game of Thrones. HBO has the highest number of classics in its arsenal which surpasses those of networks.A number of HBO’s top shows, such as theGame of Thrones and others are available on Amazon Prime Video, but HBOs own apps get access to shows immediately after they’re broadcast. So, if you want to stream Game of Thrones the day it’s released, you’re going to have to subscribe to either HBO Go or HBO Now. HBO Go is only available to HBO cable subscribers, while HBO Now is available to anyone irrespective of whether you pay for the premium channel or not.
- YouTube – Oh well, you know about YouTube, right? What you may not know is that apart from getting amateur footage of everything from skateboarding fails to cat videos, YouTube in recent years plays host to a range of content, from scripted comedies to reality TV shows right down to documentaries. YouTube also contains full movies which can be rented for 30-days or bought outright.
- Spotify – If you have got a great audio setup for your home theatre, it would be nice to also play music with the system and not just streaming video content. Spotify is perhaps the most established and the biggest music streaming services around currently. There are well over 30 million tracks in its database.There is a free package which comes with ads and a paid offering which is ad-free and offers better quality.
- VUDU (US-only) – We come to yet another video streaming service named VUDU. The service is only available in the US and you can only rent or buy movies on an individual basis. The website runs frequent sales where you can grab a bargain. Rental fees run from between $0.99 and $5.99, while purchases will cost you from $4.99 to $24.99. VUDU has a much smaller library of movies when compared to Netflix’s but it stocks titles as soon as the home release is available, unlike Netflix who tend to feature older films in their library. It is best to use this as a supplementary service to Netflix and Amazon Prime.
- Netflix – Netflix is almost a household name all over the world when it comes to online video streaming services. It has remained at the forefront since it invented the entire concept almost ten years ago. Netflix has an impressive selection of existing TV shows and movies in its arsenal presently. Not just that, the company is also investing heavily in its own exclusive productions including political drama House of Cards and comedies such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.When you talk about the amount of content in its database, Netflix is the largest streaming service around. The contents available, however, varies depending on your location. Contents available on the UK app store may not be in the US store. Netflix is also a great starting point if you’re new to video streaming.
