In a media landscape where digital reigns and it seems like there’s a new streaming service announced every day, Smart TV’s have become a must-have for many households. The televisions allow users to have access to various services and apps right form the television, eliminating the need for additional devices. However, for users or certain Samsung Smart TVs that integration is coming to an end. Beginning at the end of this year, Netflix will no longer work on certain Samsung devices.
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According to a notice on Samsung’s website, support for some Smart TV apps will end on December 1, 2019 — including Netflix. Per the notice, some of the older Smart TVs will no longer be compatible with some of Netflix’s latest features. However, according to the notice, owners of the impacted devices will still be able to stream Netflix, they will just have to do so through a supported device, such as gaming console or streaming media player. You can read the notice below.
“Although some of our older TV’s will no longer support Netflix directly beginning December 1st, 2019, many other devices you may have connected to your TV are still supported. You can find a list from Netflix at netflix.com/compatible devices. As long as you have one of the supported devices, like a game console, streaming media player, or set-top box, you’ll still be able to watch Netflix on your TV,”
While employing the use of a supported device does allow users of the impacted Smart TVs to have some recourse, its one not likely to go over well with consumers. Some users may have to invest in dedicated streaming devices, such as Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV and those devices come with a price tag — usually between $40 and $120. The upside to these devices is that they allow users to access many different apps so as support for other services, like perhaps Hulu, begins to dry up on older Smart TVs, having the device will make things much smoother. But there are challenges there, too. Earlier this year it was reported that Hulu was ending support for many DVD and Blu-ray players
Of course, there are other changes to the streaming landscape that may ultimately end up creating additional challenges for some Smart TV users. A whole new wave of streaming services is coming. Apple TV+ launched last week. Disney+ will debut later this month. After that, we’ll be getting HBO Max, Peacock, and potentially even more going forward. As the streaming landscape changes, certainly so will the technological demands and requirements for televisions and devices.
What do you think about Netflix no longer being available on certain Samsung devices? Let us know in the comments below.
