It’s that time of year again! The holidays are fast approaching, and the holiday spirit is in full swing. Although we can all agree that 2020 has been a year unlike any other, the true meaning behind the season – the sense of togetherness, fun and cheer – remains as important as it’s ever been.

Like the holidays, Samsung QLED 8K brings people together, although they do so in a slightly different way. The first part of our series guided you through picking out the perfect holiday gift from Samsung’s lifestyle TV lineup. Here, we’ll show you how Samsung QLED 8K’s combination of convenient features and immersive entertainment can make celebrating the holidays that much more fun.

‘Deck the Halls’ with Ambient Mode

What better way to get in the holiday spirit than by surrounding yourself with holiday-themed art?

Samsung QLED 8K’s Ambient Mode allows you to do just that. The feature adds a fun new dimension to decorating your living space by transforming your TV’s off screen into an immersive canvas. It’s perfect for those of us who love watching cozy content around the holidays, because it offers us more opportunities to enjoy festive imagery.

Make Time for a Holiday Movie Marathon

Watching films with friends and family is such an important part of the holidays. With so many classics to choose from, you’ll want a TV that allows you to enjoy each and every one in crystal clear quality.

Available in sizes ranging from 43 all the way up to 98 inches, Samsung QLED 8K takes movie marathons to a whole new level. Immerse yourself in your favorite holiday films with bright, vivid colors and jaw-dropping detail.

Enjoy Concerts and Musicals

For many of us, the holidays just wouldn’t be the same without the music – the concerts, musicals and more – that makes this season feel so special. With so many concerts and performances going virtual this year, many of us are turning to our TVs to enjoy this important part of the holiday experience.

Samsung QLED 8K allows you to view concerts and performances at a level of quality that makes you feel like you’re there. They do so by combining impeccable visuals with powerful audio innovations like Object Tracking Sound+ and Active Voice Amplifier (AVA). The former follows movement on screen to create lifelike, three-dimensional sound, while the latter analyzes scenes in real time to optimize sound for speech, music and more.

Unwrap a More Immersive Gaming Experience

With next-generation consoles set to be among this year’s hottest gifts, those who wish to get the most out of their gaming sessions will require TVs that are capable of supporting the most immersive experience possible.

Samsung optimized its QLED 8K, inside and out, to offer gamers an edge over the competition. The TVs work seamlessly with consoles to minimize barriers to your immersion, including tearing, stuttering and lag, producing the type of smooth and crisp gameplay that takes console gaming to the next level.

Make More Memories Together

More than anything, the holidays are about spending quality time with friends and family, reflecting on memories, and forging new ones.

Samsung QLED 8K’s built-in screen-sharing features make it easy for families to relive precious moments. Sharing home movies and music couldn’t be simpler with Tap View and Multi View. Both features allow you to instantly mirror content on your smartphone’s screen to your TV’s spacious display. Once you’ve found a video you’d like to show the group, simply tap your smartphone to your TV’s side to mirror it with Tap View, or use Multi View to create a picture-in-picture window of your smartphone’s screen that you can display alongside what’s on TV.

As we’ve learned to adapt to this new normal, we’ve transformed our homes into makeshift offices, classrooms and gyms, and adopted tools that provide us with new ways to entertain ourselves and keep in touch with others. By making it easier for us to do all those things and more, Samsung’s Smart Monitor is so much more than a display. It’s a gateway to connecting and interacting with the world around us – even without a PC.

Let’s take a closer look at the features and technologies that allow Samsung’s latest monitor to make connecting more convenient.

Samsung Electronics today announced the global availability of its all-new Smart Monitor, an innovative, do-it-all screen that brings together an unprecedented suite of features for work, learning and entertainment in a single display.

Designed to meet the new needs of today’s consumers, who are now working, learning and consuming entertainment at home, Samsung Smart Monitor incorporates powerful mobile and PC connectivity, remote home office and learning features as well as Smart Hub, a comprehensive entertainment hub, similar to Samsung’s built-in Smart TV platform.

“Around the world, work, education and entertainment have transformed into home-centered activities,” said Hyesung Ha, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “With this new normal, it is no surprise that most indicators show a rise in digital activities and many are rethinking their technology use at home. Our new Smart Monitor is a direct response to that demand. Consumers no longer have to choose between a screen for one or the other as this display brings it all together.”

The new Samsung Smart Monitor provides numerous connectivity options for both PCs and smartphones. Users can connect their personal mobile devices with just a simple tap using Tap View,¹ App Casting or Apple AirPlay 2. For a complete desktop experience using a mobile device, users can also connect to the monitor with Samsung DeX.

For home office and learning, the display operates Microsoft Office 365 applications² without a PC connection thanks to embedded Wi-Fi, allowing users to view, edit and save documents in the cloud directly from the monitor. Remote Access also allows users wirelessly and remotely access files from a PC or view content from a laptop whether it is situated elsewhere in the house or at the office. The USB Type-C port³ allows for data, display and power — up to 65W — with just a single connection, keeping the area around the monitor clean and beautiful. Multiple USB ports and Bluetooth 4.2 allow for additional connection versatility while the display has built-in two channel speaker.

When work is done, the display also operates as a complete entertainment hub with the ability to stream content with Samsung’s Smart Hub. The monitor’s app store allows users to stream their favorite content including Netflix, HBO and YouTube⁴ even without a connection to a PC or mobile device. Content can easily be accessed with the supplied remote control, which includes streaming service hot keys. The display can also be controlled by voice thanks to Bixby integration.

The Smart Monitor also features technology designed to make viewing more comfortable. Adaptive Picture optimizes picture quality for any viewing environment by automatically adjusting brightness and color temperature in response to room conditions. This ensures the most comfortable viewing experience in any environment, reducing eye strain even after extended use. The monitor also features a special eye-saver mode to reduce blue light.

The monitor is available in two models at launch. The M7 supports Ultra-High Definition (UHD) resolution in 32-inch while the M5 supports Full HD (FHD) resolution in 32-inch and 27-inch options.

The Samsung Smart Monitor will be available from November 16 in United States, Canada and China, and Samsung plans to expand launching markets starting the end of November. For more information, please visit https://displaysolutions.samsung.com/monitor/detail/1762/32M70A.

¹ Tap view is compatible with Galaxy devices running Android 8.1 or higher, and version 5.1 in the SmartThings app.

² Subscription required.

³ Available on M7 model

⁴ Streaming service availability and the remote control’s technical specifications may vary by country. Subscription required.

⁵ Streaming service availability may vary by country.

⁶ Streaming service availability may vary by country.

With the ‘Mobile View’^{1, 2} feature available in a range of its latest TV offerings, Samsung Electronics has made all of these use cases possible with just a touch, and without the need for additional connections. As we see the border between mobile and television platforms being removed, Newsroom looked into the ‘Tap View’, ‘Multi View’, ‘Music Wall’, ‘My Album’ and ‘Smart View’ features to find out just what the future of outdoor viewing looks like.

‘Tap View’ ­– A Mobile Screen as Big as Your TV

In the past, trying to view a smartphone video on a bigger screen at home often required you to navigate a host of complicated settings and additional components. But now, Samsung has introduced the ‘Tap View’ feature, which allows you to enjoy mobile content on a large screen by simply tapping your smartphone on the edge of the TV. With Tap View, you can even enjoy content on a big screen without having to connect to Wi-Fi or data networks. To prevent devices from sustaining damage, you should not tap hard, but rather gently touch the top or side of the TV with your phone.

For those who want not just a bigger screen but also bigger sound, the new ‘Tap Sound’ feature embedded in latest Samsung soundbars³ is the answer. By lightly tapping your smartphone on the soundbar, you can quickly and conveniently enjoy richer sound quality, making the feature perfect for environments such as outdoor parties with loved ones.

To activate the Tap View and Tap Sound features, launch the SmartThings app on your smartphone and select the menu icon in the top left corner, where you can turn on Tap View and Tap Sound. From there, simply tap your smartphone on either the TV or the soundbar to enter a whole new world of sound.

‘Multi View’ – Powering Multi-Tasking With Two Screens on One TV

According to a Samsung survey, 92% of respondents say they enjoy using other devices while they are watching TV, with most users doing things like consuming other content or browsing social media. Thus, the ‘Multi View’ feature was introduced to allow you to display your smartphone screen on your television, and then divide your TV display into multiple screens so that you can keep using the TV as well. This allows you to view all of your content on one screen, making it easier to divide your attention without missing anything.

Users of the outdoor TV The Terrace will also find this feature useful for a range of reasons. Viewing real-time comments from your mobile while watching a sports match, being able to display kids’ programs at the same time as a movie and viewing strategy pages while playing video games on your TV are just some examples.

‘Music Wall’ – Ramp up the Excitement of Your Events

What better way to enhance the sensory experience of listening to your favorite music than enjoying it visualized with vivid colors with the ‘Music Wall’ feature. When using Bluetooth to play music from your smartphone on your TV, this feature creates a visual spectrum that mirrors the ambiance of the music on your television screen.

And the Music Wall feature is especially well-suited to outdoor environments. When listening to calming classical music, you will see a smooth, visualized motion that resembles flowing water on your TV screen, while playing exciting electronic music will create energetic visualized motions to enliven your experience. The Terrace delivers an average brightness of 2,000 nits (and a maximum brightness of 4,000 nits), which is three times brighter than that of regular TVs. For a broad range of genre and tempo types, users can create a host of music visualization combinations to complement a wide range of experiences.

‘My Album’ – Sharing Memories Through Photos

Another feature available when using Mobile View is ‘My Album.’ With 2020 models of Samsung TVs, uploading and displaying photos on your TV has become quicker and easier. Whereas before displaying pictures on your television required you to access the SmartThings app and go through a series of steps, now pictures can be exported directly from the Gallery app. Simply select the pictures you want to see on your TV, press ‘Share’ and select ‘View pictures on TV,’ and watch your photos spring to life on your television before your eyes. For users with multiple TVs, a preferred television for viewing photos can be selected.

In outdoor settings where people gather together and take group pictures, the auto gallery and slide show features make taking and displaying high-quality photos easier too. In cases where individual images have different aspect ratios, these features automatically adjust the photo layouts and play them in a series on your TV. The number of art filters has also been increased from three to a maximum of fifteen, allowing for a wider range of effects to ensure you find the one that best matches your shot.

‘Smart View’ – Connecting Your Smartphone and TV

Another way to display a range of mobile content on your TV is through the use of ‘Smart View’. Samsung mobile devices can be wirelessly connected to Samsung smart TVs or Chromecast devices, allowing users to enjoy photos, videos, presentations, and games on their televisions.

First, swipe down from the top of the smartphone screen twice to open the ‘Quick Setup’ panel. From there, press the Smart View icon to select the device you prefer to connect to and immediately enjoy mobile content on your television.

Both inside and outside the home, The Terrace TV and innovative Mobile View are enabling people to enjoy a higher standard of content more conveniently. With The Terrace, your smartphone and outdoor television strike a high-performance partnership that will elevate you to higher levels of viewing.

¹ All of the ‘Mobile View’ features except for ‘Tap View’ are available on Android OS and iOS-based smartphones. The Tap View feature is only available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

² Only available from 2020 QLED TVs, Outdoor TV, select TU series and Lifestyle TVs

³ HW-Q950T, HW-Q900T, HW-Q800T, HW-Q70T, HW-Q60T, HW-S60T, HW-S40T, HW-LST70T

In light of this, Samsung Electronics has introduced The Terrace, a TV that is designed for use in outdoor living spaces. To talk about how The Terrace was brought from the planning stage to the development stage, and then on to being rolled out, Samsung Newsroom met with the product experts who were responsible for bringing The Terrace to fruition.

Below, Samsung Newsroom talks to Giuk Ted Lee (Marketing), BeomEun Kim (Product Planning), Dongoh Kim (Mechanics R&D), Juyong Kim and, Seunghun Lee (Enterprise R&D), to hear exactly what went in to realizing premier outdoor viewing with The Terrace.

Taking the Viewing Environment Outdoors

Research conducted by Samsung Electronics has shown that around 50 percent of American households have an outdoor living space such as a terrace or yard. What’s more, across a range of territories, the habit of watching sports and movies outdoors has been becoming more popular.

Speaking to this trend, BeomEun Kim, who was in charge of product planning for The Terrace, said, “Outdoor living spaces in which people can relax and entertain have been gradually growing more prominent. It was this trend that inspired us to come up with The Terrace, which offers the most optimal QLED viewing experiences in a range of outdoor conditions.”

BeomEun Kim (Product Planning)

And the outdoor TV market has been developing as well. As reported by market research publisher QY Research, global figures for outdoor TV sales – which stood at around 170,000 units in 2018 – are expected to hit 440,000 units by 2024. Giuk Ted Lee from The Terrace marketing team explained that, “When compared to the indoor TV market, the outdoor TV market previously sold more models that were smaller than 40 inches. However, from this year, the uptake of mid-to-large-sized TVs that are 55 inches or larger is expected to grow rapidly.”

Optimal Outdoor Picture Quality Through Synergy With Global No.1 Digital Signage Technology

Juyong Kim (Enterprise R&D)

When it comes to the outdoor viewing experience, few factors are more important than picture quality. According to Juyong Kim, who was responsible for picture quality development, when viewing a TV outdoors it is difficult to make out what is on the screen with a brightness level lower than 1,000 nits. He emphasized that The Terrace delivers a maximum of 4,000 nits and an average brightness of 2,000 nits, which is three times brighter than the brightness levels offered by indoor TVs. This allows users to enjoy vivid images with original picture quality, even when the TV is viewed in broad daylight.

Thanks to Samsung’s leadership in digital signage market, in which it maintained the number one position globally for 11 straight years – The Terrace team was able to deliver an optimal outdoor viewing experience. Seunghun Lee, who was in charge of overall product development, related that, “Digital signage, by its nature, must be equipped to maintain its performance while being subjected to a range of different environmental factors. Our experience in developing digital signage has proved extremely helpful in identifying and applying the optimal brightness levels for outdoor TVs.”

Seunghun Lee (Enterprise R&D)

The Terrace additionally includes the ‘Adaptive Picture’ feature, which allows users to enjoy optimized picture quality that adapts to the surrounding environment. With Adaptive Picture, artificial intelligence analyzes illumination levels in real-time and automatically adjusts screen settings, increasing brightness during the daytime and reducing glare at night and on cloudy days.

The Terrace is also equipped with anti-reflection technology. When watching TV on sunny days, sunlight reflected by the display panel and other surfaces can cause discomfort for viewers, and glare can distort color and picture quality. Thus, The Terrace was designed to minimize discomfort caused by glare even in environments where light is coming from multiple directions. Seunghun Lee explained that this improvement in visibility was achieved by equipping the screen with surface-treated film to reduce glare.

Durability That Withstands the Elements – Water, Dust and Heat Protection

When developing an outdoor television, the issue of exposure to the elements is a key concern. Hence, The Terrace had to undergo rigorous testing during its development phase. Giuk Ted Lee reiterated that, “The Terrace was initially launched in North America, and will be released in a host of other markets soon. Because the outdoor TV will be expected to withstand a broad range of environmental factors, our simulations tested it in the harshest conditions and a range of climates.”

Particular attention was given to water and dust protection, which are essential features for an outdoor TV, as small particles and liquids can enter the device through even the tiniest gaps if it is not properly sealed. Certified with IP 55 water and dust protection, The Terrace maintains its performance even in rainy or dusty conditions.

Dongoh Kim (Mechanics R&D)

Dongoh Kim from the R&D team said, “All areas where individual parts connect were protected with special materials. We have also sealed all of the gaps in the enclosure with waterproof tape and rubber seals. To facilitate the open cell structure, a thin layer of special adhesive was applied between the front of the enclosure and the cell that composes the TV screen.”

Heat resistance is equally crucial for outdoor TVs, given that they are exposed to direct sunlight. Thus, the development team enacted numerous ways to ensure that The Terrace remains heat resistant, even under infrared and ultraviolet light. Although one of the most common means of protecting a TV from heat is through the use of a vent, the team had to explore different solutions, given that the inclusion of vents could have impacted the TV’s water and dust resistance.

The team considered multiple heat resistance solutions for the outdoor television. This led to the development of The Terrace’s sealed enclosure technology, which distributes internal heat over the entire product without the need for a heat sink. The result? An outdoor TV that maintains the highest standard of performance up to an external temperature of 50°C.

Smart Features to Deliver Unique Viewing Experiences

So how was the user feedback following The Terrace’s launch? Giuk Ted Lee commented that, “The Terrace has been garnering great feedback from consumers in the North American market. Sales levels are good, and the reviews from users are positive as well.”

While this feedback is encouraging, many markets still exist in which consumers are unfamiliar with outdoor televisions. We asked for tips on how to leverage The Terrace to empower users in every market to use the product to its full potential. BeomEun Kim noted that, “One of the advantages of The Terrace is that it can be easily connected to a smartphone. For instance, users can connect their phones via Bluetooth while listening to music, and the ‘Music Wall’ feature will display a series of patterns on the TV that complement the music. The ‘Multi-View’ feature also allows consumers to continue using their phones while also using them to watch content on their televisions, delivering a whole new experience.” She added that the ‘Tap View’ feature allows mobile content to be mirrored on the TV screen with a single tap of the bezel.

Despite being pioneers when it comes to the new outdoor television segment, the team responsible for bringing The Terrace to fruition is already up for a new challenge.

“The level of interest in outdoor TVs has been steadily growing. Our next goal is to introduce an outdoor TV that is portable, and can be brought along for activities such as camping trips,” the team related.

We look forward to seeing what is next for Samsung Electronics as they look to continue expanding the definition of what a TV can be.

The Sero – named for the Korean word for ‘vertical’ – has the ability to pivot between horizontal and vertical orientations just as a user might handle their smartphone or tablet. Geared toward younger users with an interest in viewing experiences such as the ones found on their mobile devices, The Sero is optimized for social media content, streaming services and gaming, for example, all wrapped up with an eye-catching design and innovative user experience formulated after extensive consumer research.

To learn more about the product, Samsung Newsroom sat down with Hayeon Kil, Chris Jo and Dong-wook Han from the TV Product Planning Group in the Visual Display Division at Samsung Electronics who spearheaded the process of bringing this innovative product to users around the world.

Interpreting Media Consumption Trends in the Mobile Age

Traditional visual content, such as photos and videos, are for the most part generated in horizontal formats. However, in recent years, users have become accustomed to enjoying social media or gaming content on their smartphones with a vertical orientation, as well as taking part in the growing trend of vertical-orientation music videos and concert footage.

During their extensive research, The Sero product planning team took note of these media consumption trends. “The trend we observed the most during our consumer surveys was that a variety of devices, from TVs and PCs to tablets and smartphones, are being used nowadays for media consumption, and furthermore that more people are using streaming video services as opposed to conventional media sources,” explains Hayeon Kil of the product planning process. “Therefore, we wanted to improve this content experience by moving it to a bigger screen.”

Samsung’s The Sero is the first TV equipped with an automated rotating display that can switch between horizontal or vertical orientation in accordance with the content being displayed just like a smartphone can. As it is the first of its kind, The Sero is setting new standards in all areas of its formation, from hardware to software and beyond.

“We worked hard to design and define a new user experience direction specific to The Sero,” noted Dong-wook Han. “The whole process was a challenge as we had to deal with a series of questions including how to go about designing the mobile-like viewing experience, how to best display and allow access to content and how to lay out the remote control, but we were careful to take care of each major decision one by one and verify each feature through extensive testing. Thanks to the cooperation of our colleagues and other teams, we were able to make this happen.”

A Seamless Mirroring Experience

One of the outstanding features of The Sero is its smartphone mirroring capability. The R&D team worked extensively to realize this technology without any setbacks. Just by tapping their smartphone anywhere on The Sero’s screen, users can begin automatic mirroring thanks to a feature called Tap View. They can then enjoy such mirroring perks as viewing their portrait-orientation videos in high definition or seeing themselves on a bigger screen after taking a selfie with their smartphone’s camera.

What makes The Sero exceptional is how it can seamlessly turn to match your smartphone’s orientation when mirroring content. “The Sero will display your mobile content in all its colorful glory on its screen, as well as doing the same for TV content,” explained Han. “Whilst mirroring their smartphone, users can enjoy a clear picture quality on The Sero supported by machine learning-based AI upscaling technology.”

Unlike other TVs, The Sero’s speakers are located under its vertical stand. Its woofer speaker is supported by a passive radiator to offer more resonance and deeper, richer bass sounds. “When playing videos, games and music, The Sero’s speakers provide a vivid and clear sound because they are positioned to face front and deliver sound directly to listeners,” explained Chris Jo. “While other TVs feature sound powered by Bluetooth, The Sero’s sound mirroring has a 4.1 channel configuration and a powerful 60W output. We have observed that over four times the number of consumers are making use of this superb sound mirroring than they are of similar features available on other TVs.”

Ready to Match Any Interior and Any Lifestyle

The Sero boasts a modern design that stands out in any space and offers a range of different standby display features for when it is not in use. By enabling Portrait Mode, users are able to display various clock effects or choose from a selection of cinematographic content when the TV is turned off.

The Sero has designed to serve not just as a TV, but also as a lifestyle object, just like the frames or posters people have all over their homes. “According to the consumer research we undertook after the initial launch, seven out of ten users are making use of the Portrait Mode,” said Kil. “Aside from making use of the content that comes with Portrait Mode, some users are engaging in creative uses of the feature by configuring their device’s standby mode to present their own pictures. We think that users are really enjoying using the vertical screen configuration as a method of showcasing their own content.”

The Sero is a stand-alone product, unlike other TVs that require being mounted on a wall or placed on a stand. Every aspect was taken into account during the design process, from how The Sero looks when at both vertical and horizontal orientations to how the sides work when it rotates – even its minimalist rear design. This is why wherever it may stand, The Sero can work well with any home décor, just like a piece of furniture.

Furthermore, The Sero suits any room of the house, not just the living room. “The Sero can serve as a large vertical monitor for showcasing work-related images or videos in a personal study or library. In the kitchen or dining room, The Sero can serve as a screen for playing a recipe video or as a music source to provide atmospheric music during mealtimes,” added Kil. “Commercially speaking, be it a restaurant, a café or a medical clinic, The Sero can serve as a promotional screen for videos or as a digital book, of sorts, for menus.”

A Whole New TV Experience

After its successful debut in Korea last year, The Sero will soon launch in other markets around the world. At CES 2020 this January, the Samsung booth was crowded with visitors who wanted to experience The Sero first-hand. “We aim to continuously develop the user experience of our TVs as people increasingly look to use their devices in scenarios that they cannot execute with conventional TVs,” said Han. “Our goal is to inspire users with lifestyle TVs that can meet their every need.”

The team is ready to put in even more effort to expand the possibilities of the vertical display. “To sum up The Sero in one phrase, it is a blank slate that comes in a range of attractive colors,” said Jo. “In the future, we will look to diversify the size, the shape, the installation process and the mobility of The Sero while constantly evolving it to be more connected to mobile by a growing number of app services. We will continue with our efforts to develop what is next for the TV industry.”