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More and more people are using their big, flat-panel TVs to watch Internet video, view photos, play music and casual games, and access apps, social media and websites. The trouble is, this is primarily being done via plugged-in PCs, or add-on boxes like Apple TV, Microsoft's Xbox, and Roku players. They use separate remotes and are accessed via separate inputs on the TV.
越來越多的人都在用大尺寸平板電視機(jī)來觀看網(wǎng)絡(luò)視頻、瀏覽照片、播放音樂、玩休閑游戲并運(yùn)用應(yīng)用程序、登陸社交媒體和網(wǎng)站。問題在于這主要是通過連接PC電腦，或蘋果電視（Apple TV）、微軟(Microsoft)Xbox和Roku播放器等外接盒子來實(shí)現(xiàn)的。它們各用各的遙控器，并且通過不同的接口接入電視機(jī)。
Lots of people have been counting on Apple to unify standard TV with these apps and Internet content in a simple, elegant device. The company is working on it, but the major TV makers aren't waiting. They are offering Internet-connected 'smart TVs.' Their pitch is that you can switch between, or even combine on one screen, regular TV and Internet content, without adding extra devices and remotes, or switching inputs.
很多人都在指望蘋果公司能把普通電視機(jī)和這些應(yīng)用程序、互聯(lián)網(wǎng)內(nèi)容統(tǒng)一到一部簡單易用的設(shè)備當(dāng)中。蘋果正在努力，但幾家主要的電視機(jī)生產(chǎn)商也沒有按兵不動。它們推出了連接互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的“智能電視”，其賣點(diǎn)在于，不需要配置多余的設(shè)備和遙控器，也不需要切換接口，你就可以在普通電視節(jié)目和互聯(lián)網(wǎng)內(nèi)容之間轉(zhuǎn)換，甚至把這些內(nèi)容放在同一個屏幕上。
I decided to check in on the state of the smart TV by living for a few days with the latest version from Samsung. While competitors like LG, Sony and others also offer smart TVs, I chose Samsung for two reasons. First, it's a powerhouse across the world of digital devices that run apps. Second, this year it introduced to its smart TVs a new kind of touch-based remote and a concept called Smart Interaction, which uses a camera and microphones built into the TV to support voice control, gesture control and facial recognition.
我決定用幾天三星(Samsung)的最新款智能電視，來看看智能電視行業(yè)的現(xiàn)狀。雖然LG、索尼(Sony)和其他競爭對手也有智能電視出售，但我因?yàn)閮蓚€原因選擇了三星。首先三星是智能數(shù)碼產(chǎn)品界的巨頭。其次，今年它為自己的智能電視推出了一款新型觸摸式遙控器，并引入了“智能互動”(Smart Interaction)的概念，用電視機(jī)內(nèi)置的一個攝像頭和麥克風(fēng)來支持語音控制、手勢控制和面部識別。
I installed the smallest top-of-the-line Samsung LED model with these new features, the 46-inch ES8000. It costs about $2,000, after rebates.
我安裝了三星擁有這些新功能的LED電視機(jī)當(dāng)中配置最高、尺寸最小的型號，即46英寸的ES8000。優(yōu)惠后的價(jià)格在2,000美元左右。
My verdict is mixed. The Samsung Smart TV worked well for some functions, like watching standard cable TV, conducting Skype conversations with the camera and mics, and watching streaming television and movies via services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus and MLB.TV. I appreciated not having to switch inputs and remotes. I also liked the companion apps for the TV Samsung makes available for Android devices and for the iPhone and iPad, which act as remotes or can beam content onto the TV without an adapter.
我對它的評價(jià)有好有壞。三星這款智能電視的某些功能表現(xiàn)不錯，如觀看普通有線電視，用攝像頭和麥克風(fēng)進(jìn)行Skype通話，以及通過Netflix、Hulu Plus和MLB.TV.在線觀看電視電影等。我喜歡它不需要在接口和遙控器之間換來換去。我也喜歡三星為安卓(Android)終端和iPhone、iPad提供的附帶應(yīng)用程序，安裝程序之后，這些手機(jī)、平板電腦就可以充當(dāng)遙控器，或在不用適配器的情況下把媒體內(nèi)容傳輸?shù)诫娨暀C(jī)上去。
But I found the new Smart Interaction - voice, gesture and facial recognition - unreliable and awkward. Many of the key apps, including Facebook, Twitter and the Web browser, seemed crude and hard to use without a keyboard, which Samsung sells for about $100. The Smart Touch Remote was disappointing. I focused my testing on the Smart Interaction, the new remote and the latest version of the Smart Hub, Samsung's built-in interface for apps and Web content. I wasn't evaluating the ES8000 as a standard TV, though it handled regular TV just fine.
但我發(fā)現(xiàn)新的“智能互動”（語音、手勢和面部識別）不可靠、不好用。包括Facebook、Twitter和網(wǎng)頁瀏覽器在內(nèi)，很多關(guān)鍵應(yīng)用程序似乎都很粗糙，在不使用鍵盤的情況下不太好用。三星有鍵盤出售，價(jià)格在100美元左右。“智能觸摸遙控器”讓人失望。我的測試重點(diǎn)是智能互動、新的遙控器和最新版“智能應(yīng)用中心”(Smart Hub，即三星提供應(yīng)用程序和網(wǎng)頁內(nèi)容的內(nèi)置界面)。雖然ES8000播放普通電視節(jié)目沒什么問題，但我不是把它當(dāng)普通電視機(jī)來評估的。
Setup was easy. The TV easily hooked up to my cable box and linked to my home Wi-Fi quickly and reliably.
設(shè)置過程并不復(fù)雜。這部電視機(jī)很容易就接上我的機(jī)頂盒，并迅速而可靠地連上了我家里的Wi-Fi網(wǎng)絡(luò)。
Smart Interaction
智能互動
The Samsung ES8000 allows you to control many functions, like turning the TV on or off or launching apps, by saying 'Hi, TV' then speaking a command. When you say the trigger phrase, a list of possible voice commands appears at the bottom of the screen.
說一聲“你好電視”(Hi, TV)，然后講出命令，你就可以控制三星ES8000的很多功能，如打開、關(guān)閉電視，或啟動應(yīng)用程序等。當(dāng)你說出“你好電視”的時(shí)候，屏幕底部就會出現(xiàn)你可能會用到的一些語音命令。
It was disappointing. In many cases, my commands were ignored, interpreted inaccurately, or had to be repeated several times - even in a quiet room and within the recommended distance. I could only get the TV to turn on via voice once in a dozen tries.
這個功能讓人失望。在很多時(shí)候，我的口令都被忽略、被誤解，或者是不得不重復(fù)數(shù)遍。而且在安靜的房間里、在建議的距離之內(nèi)都是這樣。測試通過語音打開電視的時(shí)候，我試了十幾次才能有一次成功。
Gestures were similarly frustrating. You're supposed to enable them by just waving your hand toward the camera, but this often failed. When it didn't, I found using gestures to navigate among apps on the Smart Hub screen to be cumbersome. The exception was 'Angry Birds.' It worked well with gestures.
手勢功能同樣讓人絕望。本來只要朝著攝像頭揮手，你就應(yīng)該能夠啟動手勢功能，然而這一功能常常失靈。沒有失靈的時(shí)候，我發(fā)現(xiàn)用手勢在“智能應(yīng)用中心”屏幕上瀏覽應(yīng)用程序非常不方便?！稇嵟男▲B》(Angry Birds)是一個例外，手勢功能用起來很順暢。
Face recognition - mostly used as an alternate to a password for logging into Samsung's Internet services - failed for me utterly, even when I left my chair and squatted with my face lined perfectly up to the camera just a few feet away.
面部識別主要被用來取代密碼登陸三星的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)服務(wù)。我使用這一功能一次也沒有成功，哪怕是我從椅子上起身蹲下去，讓臉部完全對準(zhǔn)攝像頭、中間只隔幾英尺也無濟(jì)于事。
Even the guy conducting Samsung's online tutorials for Smart Interaction suffered some embarrassing failures in a video series called, ironically, 'Keep It Simple.'
就連有個人在網(wǎng)上演示三星“智能互動”功能的那部分內(nèi)容也出現(xiàn)了一些令人難堪的故障。諷刺的是，該系列演示視頻的名字就叫“Keep It Simple”（別搞復(fù)雜了）。
Smart Touch Remote
智能觸摸遙控器
I had better luck with the Smart Remote, which attempts to get rid of the typical plethora of buttons by using a touch pad. But I found this touch pad to be much less responsive than the best laptop touch pads. I sometimes grabbed for the standard remote that comes with the TV and preferred using Samsung's Smart Remote app on my iPhone. It was responsive and performed the same functions.
“智能遙控器”試圖通過一個觸摸板來擺脫普通遙控器上的多余按鈕，用它的時(shí)候我的運(yùn)氣要好一些。但我發(fā)現(xiàn)這只觸摸板的靈敏度遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)比不上最好的筆記本電腦觸摸板。我有時(shí)候會去找與電視機(jī)搭配的普通遙控器來用，并且更愿意使用iPhone上的三星“智能遙控器”程序。這個程序反應(yīng)靈敏，功能是一樣的。
Also, typing in things like passwords, search terms, tweets and Web addresses, was clumsy with either remote, and inconsistent, as it is on many TV-based apps. You have to peck out letters on an on-screen keyboard. The iPhone (and Android) remote app often was better.
另外，和很多電視機(jī)上的應(yīng)用程序一樣，不管是用哪種遙控器，輸入密碼、搜索關(guān)鍵詞、Twitter信息和網(wǎng)址都不方便、不連貫。你只能是在屏幕軟鍵盤上費(fèi)力地打出字母。iPhone（以及安卓手機(jī)）上的遙控器應(yīng)用程序常常要好一些。
Smart Hub
智能應(yīng)用中心
This screen, separate from the main TV display, contains the ES8000 apps and Internet functions. It isn't new, but has been improved. It contains some Samsung-based apps, like a family-photo and chat program, a kids' game and learning app, and a fitness app for exercise videos and charts of results. You also can download third-party apps from a built-in store containing 784 choices, of which about 70% are free.
這個屏幕與顯示電視節(jié)目的主屏幕獨(dú)立，含有ES8000的應(yīng)用程序和互聯(lián)網(wǎng)功能。它不是新推產(chǎn)品，但較老版有所改進(jìn)。其中包括一些三星的應(yīng)用程序，如一款家庭照片和聊天程序，一款兒童游戲與學(xué)習(xí)程序，一款播放健身視頻和成績表的健身程序。你也可以從一個含有784種選擇的內(nèi)置商店中下載第三方應(yīng)用程序，其中70%的程序是免費(fèi)的。
The Smart Hub screen features a small window that shows the TV program you were watching. But if it gets annoying, it can't be turned off. There also is a feature called Social TV, which wraps a large TV window with a small display of your social network feeds.
智能應(yīng)用中心的屏幕上有一個小窗口，顯示你正在觀看的電視節(jié)目。但如果覺得吵人，你是關(guān)不掉它的。還有一個功能叫“社交電視”(Social TV)，可以把一個顯示電視節(jié)目的大窗口和一個顯示社交網(wǎng)站新內(nèi)容的小窗口放在一起。
There are Facebook and Twitter apps, but they seemed stripped down. As noted, the best-performing apps were those that mimicked TV, such as Netflix. I also liked a Samsung app called SwipeIt, which lets you take a picture or video from a phone or tablet and with a swiping gesture, make it appear on the TV. It worked perfectly on a Samsung tablet and an iPhone.
里面有Facebook和Twitter應(yīng)用，但這些程序似乎只具備最簡單的功能。如前所述，運(yùn)行最佳的是Netflix等模擬電視的程序。我也喜歡三星一個名叫“SwipeIt”的程序，你用手機(jī)、平板電腦拍一張照片或一段視頻，然后通過一個劃動手勢就可以讓它顯示在電視機(jī)上。這個程序在三星平板電腦和iPhone上表現(xiàn)完美。
There are flashes of a great future merging regular TV and the Web on the Samsung Smart TV. But it needs work.
我的結(jié)論是：三星智能電視將普通電視和網(wǎng)絡(luò)融合在一起會有很好的前途，但它還需要進(jìn)一步的改進(jìn)。
