Samsung Smart TVs can now Shazam what's playing on screen

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We've all been there. We hear a catchy or familiar tune playing on TV but, for the life of us, can't name it. Even if the magic of Google, it's not that easy to remember that song, much less discover it for the first time. That is the somewhat niche market that Shazam serves. Now that ability is available on your Tizen-powered Samsung Smart TV, ready to name that tune for your and even stream music based on that newly discovered song.

At one point in time, Shazam almost became a verb, just like Google or Googling. Even though it's a very specific use case, music discovery is apparently quite a common thing and very few have achieved popularity as much as Shazam. That said, Shazam's utility only works if you have it ready at hand when the music comes up, which is not always the case when you're sitting on your favorite couch or chair watching TV.

Samsung's solution? Build music discovery functionality right into the TV. Fortunately, it didn't try to build its own solution (hello Bixby Vision) and has instead partnered with an expert. Now you can simply click on a button to identify the song that's on TV, showing you title, artist, album, or even lyrics. Or, if you want to go about it the hard way, use voice recognition on the Samsung One Remote to verbally ask "What song is this?"

The purpose of music discovery is usually to get you to listen to more songs similar to that one, so Shazam's usefulness doesn't end there. It can also create a playlist based on that one song, sourcing from the streaming services already integrated into Samsung Hub, including Spotify, Napster, and Deezer.

Shazam integration with Samsung Smart TVs is rolling out to the Smart Hub homescreen. It is currently only available in the US, UK, and Korea. No word on specific Smart TV models or plans for expansion to other markets.

SOURCE: Samsung