Samsung Reaches Out to Cable, DBS

Samsung (www.samsung.com) apparently is in a partnering mood, having just announced partnerships at CES with Comcast, Time Warner Cable and DirecTV.Comcast plans to launch Xfinity TV on Samsung Smart TVs and tablets this year. For the first time on a connected TV, the new Xfinity TV service will offer a Web-like interface, enabling simpler navigation and the ability to seamlessly search across linear TV, DVR recordings, and VOD among tens of thousands of content choices. The partnership also will deliver a customized and integrated multi-platform viewing experience on the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab. On the tablet, the Xfinity TV experience is a virtual TV guide and a mobile video player all in one.Samsung and Time Warner Cable announced a collaboration intended to allow TWC subs to access their cable subscriptions on the Samsung Smart TV and Samsung Galaxy Tab in their homes. Time Warner Cable anticipates beginning to offer the apps commercially on Samsung devices later this year.The consumer electronics manufacturer is teaming with DirecTV on RVU-compatible production televisions, which are intended to provide more than 19.1 million DirecTV subs with the ability to watch live broadcast and stored content from their DVR on Samsung smart TVs, without the need for additional set-top boxes.