Samsung is already one of the world's leading smart TV makers, but it has now decided to enter the streaming box market with an Android-powered media center.
Once hooked up to an individual's television set, the Jelly Bean-based HomeSync can stream Android movies, TV shows, games and more to the big screen in full HD resolution. In its current incarnation, the HomeSync can be connected to the TV through an HDMI cord, but wireless options via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi also exist.
Samsung announced that HomeSync's Jelly Bean media player will grant users access to all the apps they've downloaded on the Google Play store, and that the device can be synced to multiple devices.
What's more, the box comes equipped with 1TB of storage space, which Samsung claims is "big enough for the entire family," leaving users no reason to worry about filling up that space quickly. Eight separate accounts can be created, too.
"HomeSync is a really exciting addition to the Samsung portfolio," said Simon Stanford, vice president of IM division at Samsung UK and Ireland, in a press release. "As the number of smart devices that a person owns continues to grow, sharing and streaming content will become even more popular, creating demand for somewhere that all this content can be stored safely and readily accessed.
"HomeSync was borne from our experience across multiple markets, including mobile, digital imaging and TV, enabling us to create a single connected media environment, where people's content is accessible at any time through whichever screen they choose," Stanford continued.
The company mentions wireless phone options in its press release, too, so that might mean smartphone integration in the future.
Samsung is hoping that HomeSync will be able to compete directly with the Apple TV box in an effort to court those interested in streaming movies and TV shows but don't currently own a set such as a Roku or, say, a PS3 or Xbox 360.
