In a report by Variety, it appears that Samsung is planning to integrate Google Assistant into its 2019 smart TV lineup. A partnership announcement with Google may happen as early as next month, possibly coinciding with CES 2019 as well.
While there isn’t much to go on, the report states that the integration of third-party voice assistants is expected to be similar to the way its competitor LG does it. This allows for the voice assistants to take control of the TV directly, as well as other Google Assistant-compatible devices. You can even ask about more general things like the weather.
This is an odd direction for Samsung to be taking. The company has pushed hard for users to adopt its Bixby smart assistant and has included it in a lot of its products, including a smart speaker. Allowing another voice assistant into its TVs – especially Google Assistant – will likely lead to Bixby being left unused.
Third-party voice assistants aside, Samsung will also be making sure that its 2019 TVs will ship out with better and improved sound quality. They will also optimise sound quality depending on the surrounding environment, such as space and ambient noise. Supporting this are a number or trademarks registered last month.
(Source: Variety)
