Wiselink™ Pro is a Samsung® technology built into some of their large-screen television models. These models are equipped with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port to accommodate external storage devices such as flash drives, flash card readers, and MP3 players. Using Wiselink, one can play sound files, view digital photographs or watch multimedia clips or movies. Function varies between original Wiselink and Wiselink Pro, and might also vary between models, depending on which flavor of Wiselink is incorporated.
To use Wiselink, simply plug a device into the USB port then switch the television to the Wiselink mode. This mode interacts with the USB port by providing various kinds of controls and options. For example, one can navigate through simple menus to engage a slide projector function to view a folder of vacation photos in JPEG format.
With the television at the heart of today’s entertainment center, the Wiselink port also allows easy access to the attached multi-channel, surround sound system. MP3 music players with the ability to hold one’s entire music library can be played through the best system in the house without need of a proprietary external speaker system. However, Samsung’s website states that Wiselink does not support the iPod®. To get around this, non-proprietary MP3 players are very inexpensive and could be used in the iPod's stead for this purpose.
Samsung’s Wiselink Pro also supports video codecs: MPEG1, MPEG2 PS/TS and MPEG4/H.264, making it possible to watch home movies downloaded from the digicam to flash storage devices. Without the USB port, one either has to drag out audio and video cables to connect the movie camera directly via auxiliary ports on the television (not always conveniently located), or burn movies to a compact disc or DVD. USB conveniently allows for more spontaneity in sharing holiday, wedding, birthday, graduation or vacation movies with friends and family.
If you’ve downloaded purchased movies or television programs to your PC, you can copy them to a memory stick and pop the stick in the USB port to watch these shows on your entertainment center. Never mind the expense and hassle of buying blank DVDs and taking the time to burn each program or movie to disk. With Wiselink your movie library can remain in a convenient, portable file format.
Samsung televisions and Wiselink might be upgradeable through firmware. Supported formats might also change with time, as could other features of this interoperable technology.
