We're thrilled to announce the winners of the Samsung Free the TV Challenge!
View the winners and all the other submissions in the Gallery.
Thanks again to everyone who participated and made the challenge a great success!
The Samsung Free the TV Challenge team
By: Eva B.
The submission deadline for the Free the TV Challenge is fast approaching. Make sure to submit your converged app by Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. EST.
Let me quickly remind you about the great prizes we are offering. In addition to the cash prizes and the Samsung product prizes, we are flying two members from each finalist team (3 finalist teams total) to Consumer Electronics Show 2012 in January. The challenge winners will be announced at the Samsung press conference, just before CES.
The winning apps will also be showcased at the Samsung booth at CES, giving the winners more exposure and media coverage for their converged apps and their visions for freeing the TV.
And we may have some other surprises up our sleeves for CES — to find out what they are, the first step is to submit your converged app on time!
Good luck to everyone. We're very much looking forward to seeing all the great apps.
We're inching closer to the final weeks of the Free the TV Challenge. It's not too late to enter — start building a converged app today! We're here to help you every step of the way: just post your questions in the challenge forum or the Samsung D Forum.
If you've already started working on a submission, here are some reminders to help you make sure your entry is complete and your apps are easy to test and review.
Please note that each submission (specifically, all functionality and text) must be in English.
If your submission includes a companion iOS application that isn't yet available in the App Store, please add the following device UDIDs so we can test it on our end (these are also available on the Resources page):
Device 1: 320dd 029be fba28 d6be0 fa90c 3cf76 4e3a9 64918
Device 2: 8c03b b18e4 279b3 132c3 baa24 e1273 7888f 7792d
Device 3: 40878 eac62 7b835 b33f1 d6542 6b31b 87e71 39c64
Device 4: ffd688 23613 941e2 fef16 8d029 48be9 4b210 9ac49
For more information about iPhone testing, review these articles:
If your submission includes an Android app that isn't yet available in the Android Market, please declare the application as "debuggable" in the Android manifest. For more information, review Using Hardware Devices in the Android developer docs.
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We'll be sure to contact you if we have any issues with testing your apps during the judging period. Good luck — we're looking forward to seeing your amazing submissions!
By Ethan Rasiel
Having spent almost 15 years in the field of public relations, I know a PR stunt when I see one.
This year's Free the TV Challenge has gotten plenty of attention, but I want to make it clear that this is no stunt. In fact, the challenge represents the next step in a strategy that Samsung has been pursuing for years. Internally, we call it our N-screen Strategy, but it boils down to a determination and commitment to find new ways to link devices — in order to deliver unique experiences that truly enhance consumers' lives.
Today, you can use a Samsung tablet as a remote control, or even as a second screen for your TV. You can use a Samsung phone as a viewfinder for your camera. You can even use a phone as a controller for games on your Samsung TV. These sorts of experiences — in which people use existing products in unexpected ways — are what we’re all about. But we know we have yet to imagine all the ways these products can work together. We know there are people out there with amazing ideas we haven't even considered yet — ideas that are just waiting for the tools that will bring them to life.
That’s why we're giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes to the winners of the Free the TV Challenge. That’s why we're giving away our TV App SDK for free. That’s why our engineering team (not a call center) is providing support at the Samsung Developer Form. And that’s why the Free the TV Challenge is no stunt. It’s an opportunity.
You still have about a month to get those entries in. We can’t wait to see them all.
If you've been working on a submission for the Free the TV Challenge, you've probably explored the Samsung D Forum (SDF). The SDF is a great resource for developers, and it's the distribution point for the Samsung TV App SDK and other tools.
But for the next 7 hours (until 9 p.m. EDT), the SDF will be unavailable. It's currently being upgraded and redesigned, so you can look forward to an enhanced, easier-to-use site. When the SDF is relaunched, you'll need to create a new account. (If you try to sign in with your existing account, you'll be prompted to create a new one.)
Thanks for your patience during the upgrade. And remember, the challenge submission period ends Nov. 29, so you have about a month to create an amazing converged app!
When Samsung first rolled out its software development kit (SDK) for creating TV applications, it was received with both excitement and reservation by developers. Traditionally, not many hardware companies have boasted about an SDK that enables creating applications for TVs. The idea of running a browser on a CE device and enabling applications on your 46-inch TV was definitely impressive, but the question was, how long would the SDK last?
I’m pleased to say that we’ve come a long way from SDK 1.5. The current SDK, version 2.5, is available for creating converged applications for the Free the TV Challenge. Partners and developers have welcomed the SDK’s support for new features, such as HTML5, CSS3, Flash 10.1, ActionScript 3, and more, along with support for HTTP live streaming and HTTP adaptive streaming. The new SDK is truly a tribute to the engineering team’s dedication to understanding the market and meeting developers’ requirements.
The Samsung TV App SDK 2.5 also has rich new visual component features. Users can edit and inspect code, as well as use click-and-drag functions to facilitate design work. The SDK also includes a new Open Convergence Interface (OCI) API for developers who want to build external devices that work seamlessly within the Samsung environment. And interactivity with mobile device applications is now possible, through the API for XML-based communication between smartphones and Smart TVs. Version 2.5 of the SDK also introduces support for in-app purchases and subscription billing.
The learning curve has been steep but rewarding, and our engineering team strives every day to improve the usability and functionality of the SDK in accordance with industry standards. You’ll also find a wealth of resources (sample code, tutorials, documentation, examples, APIs) on the SamsungDForum, which helps developers creating leading-edge applications. Above all, we hope you’ll use the new SDK to build mind-blowing converged applications, and we can’t wait to see what you create!
By Greg Dudey, Vice President, Visual Display UX Lab, Samsung Information Systems America
I'm really excited to be one of the judges for the Free the TV Challenge this year. I'm hoping to see some innovative converged applications with great user experiences. What's a "great user experience"? I'm talking about apps that provide significant value to the customer, are very simple to use (taking advantage of the specific features of each device), and are visually stunning. So far, most of the successful apps in the Samsung App Store focus on media consumption and generally only allow people to watch more content. This year, I'm hoping to see some new applications that stretch our thinking about the potential role of the connected TV in our lives, especially in other locations around the house — or even in a corporate setting. Let's really "Free the TV" from the confines of living room video watching. I can't wait to be wowed by all the participants!
By Juan Pablo Gnecco, Founder and CEO of MOVL
Exactly one year ago, Alan, Daniel, and I went out to the heart of Silicon Valley to see exactly what Samsung was up to in the Smart TV world. We had a blast, and it didn’t take much to realize we were at the start of something great. Along with an opportunity to get trained on the SDK, it was a great networking event for us. We were lucky enough to talk tech and get advice from Pandora founder Tim Westergren, as well as Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder. Truly, it was an amazing experience. Later that night, we went out for dinner and could not stop throwing around ideas about how we could create great experiences for Smart TVs. During that dinner, MOVL was born. Alan and I outlined our vision on a restaurant napkin and cheered the start of an exciting new venture.
We never could have imagined we would be where we are today. After we won the 2010 Free the TV Challenge with WeDraw, Samsung invited us out to Las Vegas, where we had the opportunity to showcase WeDraw to everyone at CES. We won the grand prize, and MOVL now had some seed money to grow — and to drive around Vegas in limos. More important, we established a close partnership with Samsung that has led to great opportunities for the both of us, and we could not be more excited about the 2011 Free the TV Challenge.
The Samsung SDK just keeps getting better and better, and we feel that by combining the SDK with our MOVL Connect Platform, developers are going to have everything they need to seamlessly create converged apps. We see a future where anyone can reach into his or her pocket, take out a smartphone, and start interacting with nearby screens. It’s exciting stuff that we are working on. With our platform, we are making it easy for developers to focus on the content and quality of their apps. No need to worry about the connection between the TV and your devices — we handle that. We have even incorporated a way for you to make money through advertising and MOVL SmartAds. When we set out to create our platform, one of the things we wanted to focus on was making it easy for developers to use our technology to transform their current games or apps into a multi-screen, multi-user, multi-platform experience.
On connect.movl.com, we have sample code, tutorials, forums, and, most important, the APIs you need to get started. We plan on updating content and enhancing our platform over time with features that improve the quality of your apps. The possibilities are endless. With our platform, you can make multi-screen, multi-user, multi-device applications for businesses, retail spaces, outdoor advertising, marketing, entertainment, education, stadiums, bars and restaurants, social interaction, live TV, and so much more.
We think Samsung is a leader in this space and this is a great opportunity for developers to take advantage of the tools provided to create awesome apps. We saw it with smartphones, and it’s here with TVs now. Can’t wait to see your apps in a few months! Take your idea and run with it — go all out!
By: Eva B.
In 2010, Samsung introduced the first-ever TV Apps SDK and launched the first Free the TV Challenge for our industry-leading line of Smart TVs. We were thrilled to see so many great, original ideas coming from the developer community.
Since then, Samsung Apps has become the most popular TV app platform in the industry, with more than 900 apps available in the Samsung Apps Store and nearly 10 million downloads to date.
This year I am happy to announce the second Free the TV Challenge — with a twist! We're challenging developers to build a new era of TV apps. Converged apps (multi-screen apps) run on a Samsung Smart TV and at least one other screen, such as a phone, tablet or computer.
We're looking forward to seeing all the new, innovative ideas from developers who enjoy working with leading technology. Good luck!
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