Samsung forum: Connected TV Widgets

Any word on when and which widgets are going to be available? I'm looking at replacing our DLP with a new flat panel and was just noticing the eBay, Showtime and other widgets on Yahoo that weren't available on the Samsung yet. I've read the news releases where CBS and Showtime are planned for the initial Vizio lines in October, but I like the Samsungs better.

I have a query over creating your own widgets for the TV, the samsung tv indicates that you can access a developer category of widgets and gives you a code to use on the yahoo web site connectedtv.yahoo.com , but it is not obvious how to get access or use the code. I signed up to receive information for the widgets, as yet I have had no obvious reply and it seems to be geared to a company, as opposed to an individual. Can you tell me how you can create your own widgets for the TV ? and where do you go to obtain the information and upload ? or have I misunderstood what you can do ?

David

I've sent an e-mail to the Samsung Widget support team regarding. They have replied in the past, althought with absolutely nothing useful or helpful. I too signed up for the Yahoo Widget Development kit and got the 4 digit code. However, from what I read in their documentation, you have to install and develop on Linux (which I don't have or desire to get). Also, it's all coded in java and javascript. I dont' see why they just don't offer a wizard so you can create your own. Oh, that's right, why would they want to ENABLE the user? I also sent an e-mail asking if I could buy a widget. Something to show for what I paid for this TV!

I guess I need to devote a little time to it. Curious why developers aren't creating widgets that folks can pay them for or share and load on their TVs with the development code? Sort of like testing it for them.

I ran across a link for a mapstv widget. A guy had developed it and was looking for testers. Users were supplying him with their YahooID and Developer code and he would add them to his test list. The widget would show on their TV as if they were testing it. That's kind of the scenario I was thinking about to get around the whole Yahoo/Samsung formality. Or if a developer made the widget code available so I could upload it to my test area and then to my TV.

Here are the widgets that I'd like to see.
1) One that would link to my Hulu queue so I could watch Hulu on my TV
2) Netflix
3) An RSS type widget that I could link to my Phanfare.com rss feed and see the photos and short videos that I have online. No password or username is required.
4) Some sort of streaming news video widget from a major network like CNN, Fox, NBC, CBS, etc.
5) Google earth wouldn't be bad either.

All of the Samsung blu ray players have had Netflix all along. Now I want to upgrade to a newer system that has blu ray integrated into the surround system and can handle 3D, only to find that Samsung migrated to a widget platform and FAILED to secure Netflix day 1?!? Netflix is #1. Pandora is #2. Blockbuster's payment model is inferior to Netflix. This is a major oversight.

Dom

you must be in the usa as in uk we dont have most of the widgets you speak of and yes blue tooth for a keyboard i can not be leave they dont have a compatible keyboard give me a job samsung as the people you have hired are not doing there job /
the painful on-screen keyboard yes why would we when most people have a laptops

Here it is July 2011. I've owned my 2009 model PN50B650S plasma for a year and a half. Finally upgraded to cable internet vs DSL and now have a fast enough speed to make Netflix on the TV possible only to find out in the time I've owned my TV there has been absolutely no progress in getting a yahoo widget to access Netflix. Very ridiculous when you consider that the 2010 models that use Samsung apps have a Netflix app. I know I can buy a BlueRay player with Netflix access but why not be able to access direct from TV. Don;t give me the usual BS that its some sort of licensing deal. Accessing via a BD player or the TV is the exact same thing...its accessing via a internet connected device. My guess is Samsung wants to charge for the app and there is no way to charge for Widgets or its some kind of deal with Blockbuster and Amazon. There are no widgets that are at all useful . Without Netflix the idea of using the TV to access the internet is dead on arrival at my house. I do know one thing though....in the future if I access Netflix through a device it will not be a Samsung device. I will either get another brand BD player or connect through a small HTPC. Sign me....one very pissed off Samsung customer.

If its a licensing issue for Samsung TV's then it it's not Yahoo's issue. Just try finding out the issue why Sammie BD players have Netflix but TV's do not, but LG (or is it Vizio) TV's do. Very difficult to find out any info. Also, why do Samsung 2010and later models use an entirely different widget library and not yahoo. They use the Sammie Smart Aps.
Like anything that is Yahoo related, I expect yahoo support to slowly dwindle and die out altogether.