Samsung forum: New Samsung Wireless Keyboard & Remote

d00002a -

We'll have to disagree, since you can go to URLs, view websites and even see video. This is exactly "surfing the web", so the point that we were dishonest doesn't make sense. What TV in 2011 had a more full web browser experience? None that I can think of, yet similar claims were made.

But that's what forums are for - the free exchange of ideas. We're glad you're here, and I don't mind that people post their opinions and experiences with our products. Nor do I mind pointing out when I think a claim is mistaken.

I remain a listening fan.

--HDTech

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Since I'm on a tear, I'll just keep babbling. This isn't a rant; just my thoughts on how this subject is bigger than the few issues we've discussed. Admittedly I've made a lot of obnoxious presumptions that come off like I'm saying I know more than Samsung; and that's not true.

Qualitative Feedback
- There's no need to compare Samsung's products to the other
manufacturers. From my view, you're in the #1 spot. So don't look down.
"But no one else has a good browser either!" can only hurt perception
that Samsung is the leader.
- Customers will rarely have the full view of the market like you do.
I'd rather hear you say "Understood. The browser can definitely get
better." than "Technically it does surf."
- Feature/app Usage (what/how/how often/how long) should be key metrics
that your data analysis team will soon care a lot about, if they don't
already. It's a lot different than tracking purchases of a TV. Example:
If Samsung KNEW [via data] that users weren't using the Hulu app because
it doesn't support key entry from the remote, then you might solve
future problems. Because as I said before, I've now hooked up a
computer. So instead of hitting Smart Hub, I now hit Source. Someday
this choice will matter a lot [financially].

Performance
The browser problems are quite quantifiable. Good performance is hard to achieve, and takes ongoing effort, but it will also continue to pay dividends. It might not be what marketing believes will sell more TVs today, but eventually I guarantee they will demand "the best, cleanest, fastest experience on the market." Bad performance creates lots of problems: short-term - unsatisfied/angry customers, and long-term - losing customers.

The yet-to-be-realized future is what we see/want/need in the Samsung TVs. A great web surfing experience (on par with the TV quality) will be required to win new customers -- very soon. I'd say it will come to a head in 2012.

The Market is Changing [or so everyone still believes]
The road to the best TV experience is littered with those that tried and failed to replace the Set-Top Box (STB) providers (basically Comcast & Time Warner). MANY companies have made a run at them and ALL have lost. Verizon = FiOS growth ended. Apple TV = never will be big since it is stupidly tied to iTunes (limited audience). Google TV = v1 and v2 have been failures; remains to be seen if they'll invest long-term. Maybe with Motorola (big manufacturer of the actual STBs) expertise onboard, they can do something. Microsoft TV failed a decade ago, although WMC is now ubiquitous and quite a powerful competitor to the STBs). And then there's all the small guys- Roku, Boxee, DIY/MythTV, etc. etc.

My point: The ONLY companies I believe that can dethrone the STB monopolies and make a step change in this industry are the TV manufacturers. And no one is poised to do this better than Samsung because of their 1) awesome TVs, 2) widespread devices, 3) [at least publicly] no ambition of creating an OEM'able OS that competes with other major systems, and 4) they already have a big and loyal customer base.

Hello HDTech,

I appreciate your prompt and informative responses. Any idea when Samsung will know if the new hardware will work for the 2011 models (I have UN55D8000)? From reading the Engadget hardware summary (link above), it almost sounds like if the older QWERTY remote works with your TV, the new hardware should also work. I don't want to jump the gun though in making that assumption. It's just the way I read the article. Perhaps the 2011 models will require a firmware update for the new hardware to function properly. I really hope this is the case. As I'm sure you know, a few similar threads here on CNET really bashed Samsung for not having a wireless keyboard/mouse option. At least Samsung is listening and making improvements despite others' claims that they don't listen. In my book you really can't beat Samsung's HD picture quality.

Also, when will the new hardware be released to the consumer market?

knight1fox3,

I touched on some of these points in my post above.

Engadget didn't contact me, so I'm not sure what information was delivered, how it was delivered, or in what context or source the author used.

I don't believe it will be rolled backwards to 2011 models. I've seen the threads, and you're right - some of them are prettier than others - but that's not necessarily how decisions are made for product offerings. We listen and try to implement ideas where we can, and I'll be passing up the comments here to management faithfully, as always.

--HDTech

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Likely the wrong spot, but why not.... Is the newly announced keyboard compatible with this unit?


Samsung UN46ES6500 (a 46" 1080p slim HDTV)
Better yet, is there a way to find thins info out on the Samsung Website?

SamsungNoob,

My current understanding is that the particular model you mentioned is compatible with the keyboard announced. As the product is yet to be released, there is no place on Samsung's website you can find out about it. Sorry about that.

-- HD Tech

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Hi samsungHD,

I just bought ua40eh5300 model, and already told my children that they can surf the internet with this tv, but after read this thread, I worry my kids will be upset

in the samsung website, it mention that my tv is compatible with windows usb keyboard, is it true? if it is not, what models is compatible with my smartTV?

one another things, I also want ti connect with my galaxy S2, what app should I have? and what benefit that I get by connecting those smarttv and smartphone?

nashrudinism

Thanks for your message. But just so you know, since you want Samsung support, I support US products and customers. And from what I can tell, this model is for New Zealand. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) So while I can't help you directly, if you want Samsung help, here's the Samsung New Zealand portal for support on that product: http://www.samsung.com/nz/support/model/UA40EH5306MXRD

But I did a little browsing through the manual for your model. And I noticed that it says, "Using Device Manager, you can set up a keyboard or mouse to use with the TV. You can view your device lists and adjust keyboard or mouse settings in this menu. Note: Depending on the model of the USB HID keyboard and mouse may not be compatible with your TV." To me this implies you can use other things than the official Samsung keyboard. Of course, I would get this verified by the support for your own country.

Hope this helps you!

-- HD Tech

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it looks so, I'm in Indonesia, maybe my model from NZ

tks for your support, I'll try to contact samsung nz portal help

best regards,
nashrudin

Not a problem...... I think I saw where the wireless keyboard release date is this month sometime.
Based on your reply to other users, I gotta believe that it will be compatible with all 2012 Model year ES series SMART TVs. one can only hope!

SamsungNoob,

I know that currently it's the ES6500 series and up that are going to be supported. So that's not all the TVs.

-- HD Tech

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True, but there sure are some very nice possibilities....

i bought the 6100 55 inch led smart tv a week ago and have been reading about getting a qwerty remote or wireless keyboard and apparently there are none available for this model,so what i did i gave it a go with a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse bundle with cost me 15 usd and it worked perfectly so I'm super relived becouse i thought i wasn't going to be able to use the web browser ,so there you go if you have a smart tv that would not take the samsung qwerty remote or the keyboard try logitech it might work for you aswell and its a much much cheaper option,like i said it worked on d6100 55inch tv i cannot confirm ill work on another model,good luck guys

Ivorymx,
As much as I've been following this topic, I'm surprised by your accomplishment. If you used the wireless Logitech keyboard & mouse, how were you able to get the TV to recognize the Logitech equipment. My TV uses the dongle to link into the network. I'm confused as to how you connected the accessories. Can you please elaborate? Thanks.

i have read from samsungs own marketing that one of the clear advantages of smart TV is that it will be updated and services will be added and improved as long as you bought a Samsung TV with Smart TV. So if a wireless keyboard is finally being shipped (well done) then its essential its meets this promise and works with all smart TV sets. not just the 2012 range.

I have a 6530 series and i specially paid more than i wanted to make sure the Samsung TV had Smart TV so that i would receive future updates and improvements.

If Samsung fails to keep these promises it would be in breach of its own marketing. So please lets not go there and all the hassle and bad feeling this would create.

ijudd98 -

You weren't promised a new remote control when new TVs had upgrades, or a new stand. Neither would other hardware automatically become available.

Hardware and software Apps are two different things, and you get software Apps as they become available already.

I hope this isn't turning into a legal discussion. I'm not a lawyer, so you'll have to address that somewhere else other than here if it is.

--HDTech

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its a software upgrade to Smart TV OS to allow the wireless keyboard to work. If you are doing that work it should be available to all Smart TV OS users NOT be somehow excluded so it only works for 2012 tv models!!!

It is ridiculous to go against the principles that Samsung outlined for Smart TV and exclude the other models that have it. I would never have paid the extra money if I had known that Samsung would then decide to exclude certain software upgrades by model number...

I think that making a good software interface for a wireless keyboard to be used with "smart" TVs is more complicated than sending a probe to the Mars. At least, so it seems to be.

Can you please urgently clarify from Samsung the following:

a) which actual TV's are compatible with the keyboard today / now
b) whether Samsung will upgrade SMART TV OS so that all smart tv's can use this keyboard and what the approx time frame for this update would be.

Thank you.

ijudd98,

So here's the most recent information on compatibility so you can plan accordingly:

2011 QWERTY Remote (RMC-QTD1)
Forward compatible with all 2012 models that have Bluetooth

2012 QWERTY Remote (VG-KBD1000)
Backward compatible with LED EH5300 and higher or Plasma Displays E550 and higher, except for the LED EH6000

As far as availability, they were announced nearly two months ago, so you can infer from that what you want, but I know nothing for sure as far a firm dates or even approximate time frames. I suggest you keep your eyes fixed on your favorite media outlet for updates that way.

Regards,
-- HD Tech

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So sorry in English not Samsung code speak what does that mean for the D6530 that I bought brand new only 6 weeks ago?

If its not yet compatible I want a proper statement from Samsung as to why the Smart TV OS updates are being excluded from some models and the OS is not been developed for all Smart TV OS models as per all the promises in Samsungs marketing ???

We could discuss it a bit. It's a very interesting area worthy of a top post there.

Be sure to have those links to those promises.
Bob

I have posted as you requested.

Article is "Samsung be ashamed - vg-kbd1000 wireless keyboard"

So go knock yourself out Mr R Proffitt and kick up a storm... Maybe Samsung will decide to honour the principles of Smart TV OS and provide this update to all smart tv's !!!!

Since you asked about your particular model, I did some research on it, and honestly, I don't know, because your TV's model that you gave me is a UK model. This forum is meant for North American products and customers. If I'm mistaken, and this is a US product, please give me the full model code so I can check it.

I'd refer you directly to your product, but the product code you provided doesn't tell precisely which model it is. So I'll refer you to the UK Samsung website in general: http://www.samsung.com/uk/

Also, I'm not part of marketing, especially not the UK's marketing group, so I can't make a statement for them. I realize you're frustrated, but I simply can't tell you why a decision was made for a particular product.

I hope you find the information you want.

-- HD Tech

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This should not be about model a,b or c... If the TV is a smart OS/Hub it should work simple, full stop, no excuses. This is a scandal for a modern operating system to be so poorly designed that something as basic as a keyboard can not work properly with any smart OS/hub TV.

When are Samsung going to do a smart OS/Hub update and just fix this ?

I need to buy another TV and I will never buy a Samsung TV again if this is not quickly fixed via a Smart OS/Hub update. Otherwise I will give my money to one of your competitors that can make a keyboard work with their TV's like Sony!

Even more scandal, Samsung be completely lost about what their products can or cannot do. Internal miscommunication, lack of knowledge. Within a global interconnected world we would not hear: We dont have information about products outside US. Man, we live in 2012 and not 1990.
Back to the subject, Samsung could launch a fix to accept a Bluetooth Dongle to work with bluetooth keyboard.

So, are you sure the VG-KBD1000 keyboard is compactible with EH5300 ?

igtoth,

Yes, I'm sure that the VG-KBD1000 keyboard is compatible with EH5300 for US products. Are you just verifying, or do you have a concern?

-- HD Tech

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I am about to buy a UN40EH5300GXZD in Brazil. The problem is that model is being sold in all stores here, big ones, but , there is no information about this particular model in the Samsung Brazil Website. So I dont have much information about this particular model, specs, etc. And I really want to have keyboard on this. I received reply from a comment I posted in the Youtube Samsung page from Samsung HK they saying EH5300 model is not compactible w/ the RMC-QTD1 (old one) becase they said EH5300 has no bluetooth, is this same thing for VG-KBD1000 or VG-KBD1000 uses another tecnology DNLA or Wifi instead Bluetooth? I cant even reach Samsung Brazil via telephone. Not sure why.

igoth,

I can't comment on Brazilian models. I only know what I was told concerning the US models. But I did look up the contact information for Brazil. Here's what I found:

4004-0000 (Capitals and large cities)
0800-124-421 (Other cities and regions)

Monday to Friday: 08:00 to 20:00
Saturday: 09:00 to 15:00

I hope that helps!

-- HD Tech

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