Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced a collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group to expand its SmartThings platform to support connected cars, including electric vehicles (EVs). The announcement came after the companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on January 3 to develop solutions for future lifestyles that fully integrate the smart home and connected cars.

The two companies will work together for the next-generation smart home to connect Samsung’s SmartThings with Hyundai and Kia’s connected cars, including EVs to develop the “Home-to-Car” and “Car-to-Home” services, as well as an integrated home energy management service.

The Home-to-Car and Car-to-Home services connect the smart home with in-vehicle infotainment systems, allowing for remote control in both directions. Through the SmartThings platform, users will be able to perform a variety of actions pertaining to their cars while at home — starting them, controlling smart air conditioning, opening and closing windows, and checking their charging status. And from cars, the control of home appliances such as TVs, air conditioners and EV chargers will also be possible.

“This collaboration will enable communication from Home-to-Car and integrated home energy management services that are optimized for future lifestyles,” said Chanwoo Park, Executive Vice President at Samsung Electronics. “By connecting the SmartThings platform with vehicles, we’ll be able to significantly enhance the customer experience in both the home and the car.”

Users will be able to adjust their environments with SmartThings by simultaneously operating multiple devices — including vehicles — through routines such as “good morning routine” and “arriving home routine.” For example, when a Galaxy smartphone’s morning alarm goes off, the curtains will automatically open, and the lights and television will turn on. When users are ready to go out for work, the user’s car will adjust itself to an ideal temperature. Also, the smartphone and TV screens will display information such as the EV’s remaining battery and driving range.

“This is an opportunity to make the connected car’s Car-to-Home and Home-to-Car services more convenient in various fields,” said Haeyoung Kwon, Vice President of Hyundai and Kia’s Infotainment Development Center. “We plan to accelerate our technology development to continuously make global Hyundai and Kia customers’ journeys meaningful.”

The integrated home energy management service will allow users to monitor how much energy is consumed by the connected devices in their homes. Energy information of their EVs and chargers will also be available, enabling users to adjust the optimal time for charging their vehicles. EVs connected to the integrated home energy management service offer the possibility of automatically setting the optimal time for charging by factoring in different pricing by time of day ^[1], the power demand response (DR) program ^[2], photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage system (ESS) data ^[3], and time-specific carbon emissions ^[4].

To further strengthen Car-to-Home services, Samsung is working closely with HARMAN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. HARMAN’s “Ready Upgrade” is a digital cockpit package product that allows hardware and software upgrades. With Ready Upgrade, users will be able to install SmartThings functions to utilize various Car-to-Home services.

For more information visit: https://news.samsung.com/za/ces-2024

^[1] Higher rates are applied depending on the season and time of day.

^[2] Incentives are provided to participating households to reduce energy consumption in response to the DR signal during peak hours, when power usage is concentrated.

^[3] Monitoring of electrical energy production/consumption/storage through PV/ESS.

^[4] Carbon emissions and reductions are monitored through information regarding the amount of carbon emitted when consuming 1KWh of electricity.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has been at the forefront of television (TV) innovation for decades, from the days when all the members of a town gathered to watch a black and white TV through to the present day, when everyone enjoys watching their favourite shows on a big Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) screen while sitting comfortably in their living room. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Samsung is inching ever closer to delivering picture quality that is as close to reality as possible through ceaseless technological innovation. The company is developing TV technologies and enhancing the 8K viewer experience by building a robust content ecosystem.

In order to continue bringing the best and most vivid display to its users, Samsung has been expanding its 8K ecosystem, widening the scope of high-definition content experiences. With technology optimised to offer the brightest and sharpest 8K definition, users can enjoy a wide range of content including movies, NFT artworks and more. To learn more about Samsung’s 8K ecosystem, check out the card news below.

Stepping above and beyond the already high-performing Neo QLED 4K, consumers find Samsung Neo QLED 8K. These screens offer the dazzling picture quality users have come to expect from Samsung in even more brilliant 8K resolution. The resolution has progressed from high definition (HD) to ultra-high definition (UHD) which includes 4K and 8K with a higher pixel display, thus offering superior quality. Powered by Neural Quantum Processor 8K, the state-of-the-art upscaling neural networks ensure that all content is displayed with utmost precision and immaculate picture quality.

As streaming platforms begin to offer content optimised for a larger 1.9:1 screen ratio, perfect for an immersive cinematic experience, having an 8K TV with premium picture quality is a sure-fire way to future-proof a home entertainment setup. With an 8K TV, whether it’s simply for TV shows or movies, videos, gaming or digital artwork, you get to enjoy a great picture and an all-round enhanced experience from your TV set.

“Consumers viewing needs and habits have evolved over time and we have endeavoured to keep bringing them only the best viewing experience and better ways of staying entertained. Our extensive range of TVs lets them choose exactly the kind of viewing experience they prefer and with our 8K resolution on offer, they can have greater freedom to choose and something more cinematic and immersive to feast their eyes on,” said Mike van Lier, Consumer Electronics Director at Samsung.

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

Samsung Electronics has been shaping the history of television through the development of its technological innovations, from FHD and 4K through to 8K, thanks to its far-sighted strategic vision and an endless passion to bring new technologies to the market.

In order to learn more about the achievements made so far in the field of TV technological innovation, as well as the future of display technologies in the age of UHD screens, Samsung Newsroom sat down with TV experts.

(From left) Sangmin Lee, Head of the Picture Quality Solution Lab, Hyunchul Song from the Product Development Group and Youngseok Han from H/W Platform Lab of Samsung’s Visual Display Business

 Pioneering the Future of TV Through Endless Innovation

These days, picture quality has become one of the most crucial factors consumers consider when choosing a TV. In 1977, Samsung succeeded in the development and mass production of a colour TV, the Colour Economy TV, for the first time in Korea, ushering in the era of colour television for the country.

Samsung earned the title of being a pioneer in colour TV manufacturing in Korea thanks to its steadfast dedication to innovation, and the company was never complacent about the colossal success of its black and white TV model, the Econo TV, which took the lion’s share within the monthly TV market at the time.

Samsung’s first LED TV, launched in 2009, wowed the world as a breakthrough in TV technology.

Next to be developed was the LCD TV, and, in 2009, Samsung unveiled its breakthrough model — the Samsung LED TV. The LED TV was the culmination of all the innovative technologies available at the time, allowing for unrivalled picture quality brought about by light-emitting diodes. All components of Samsung’s LED TV were designed anew, and the number of patents acquired for this model exceeded 3,000.

Samsung’s QLED TV made its global debut at CES in 2017.  

In 2017, Samsung then went on to introduce the remarkable QLED TV based on cadmium-free quantum dot technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The company’s innovative TV was at the centre of attention that year, boasting superb picture quality and 100% colour volume. A year later, the company brought to the market a QLED 8K model that incorporated 8K resolution into Samsung’s proprietary quantum dot technology.

It featured Direct Full Array, a backlight technology able to precisely control the lighting balance across every part of the picture on-screen, as well as 8K AI Upscaling – an upscaling technology designed to intelligently upgrade lower-quality videos into vivid 8K resolution. Samsung’s innovative QLED 8K technologies played a crucial part in launching the era of 8K.

“In 2020, Samsung unveiled the incredible bezel-less TV that completely removed the bezels from around the display,“ said Hyunchul Song from the Product Development Group. “A year later, we further solidified our position as an innovator by introducing our Neo QLED technology based on Quantum Mini LED displays. From FHD through to 8K, we have undertaken ceaseless efforts to develop innovative products that offer differentiated experiences based on consumer needs.”

Striving for Superior Picture Quality Through In-Depth Research Into Human Behaviour

Samsung continues to strive to offer the best possible viewer experiences by delivering astounding picture quality. However, what does “good picture quality” mean to someone who works on its development?

“Picture quality is considered good when it delivers a sense of reality to the viewer that feels as if you are witnessing the images on-screen first-hand,” explained Youngseok Han, a developer from the H/W Lab. “To ensure good picture quality, display performance indicators such as high resolution, high luminance and excellent colour expression are essential. What also matters is how well-balanced the other trailblazing technologies of the display are, including the chip design, the picture quality algorithms and the sound.”

Han went on to provide further insight into the importance of balance to the corresponding picture quality. “The factors that impact picture quality the most are how well you organise the various relevant technologies. These include those designed to reduce distortion and any image transmission noise, those that reproduce colours precisely and richly and create sharp contrast for more vivid, clear images and those motion technologies that ensure the movement of objects on-screen appears smooth and fluid.”

It would be impossible to develop good picture quality with just one singular technology, no matter how great that technology is. This is why Samsung is committed to developing innovative technologies through all kinds of different approaches without resting on their laurels as one of the ground-breakers in the industry. Recently introduced on the 2023 Neo QLED TV, Real Depth Enhancer is one of the new features that has been developed to the end of further improving picture quality.

When human eyes are focused on an object, attention is directed onto the object by optimising sharpness, clarity and texture, all while also maintaining the background scene. Samsung’s Real Depth Enhancer technology was developed based on an understanding of this human behaviour, and harnesses AI to automatically separate an object from its background to create a greater sense of depth and make the images truly pop.

Furthermore, Neo Quantum Matrix Pro technology improves the playback of fine details through precise control of the quantum mini LEDs across a total of 16,384 levels. This meticulous adjustment further adds dimension and a sense of reality to the images on-screen.

“Our Real Depth Enhancer technology is the result of an optimisation of all the relevant technologies in a way that takes human psychology into account, instead of focusing only on improving resolution,” noted Han.

From 8K Games to Artworks on Samsung TVs in the Age of 8K Technology

These days, users are being bombarded by new content. Tens of thousands of new pieces of media and content are being published every day across all manner of platforms — but does the same apply for those pieces of content being made in 8K?

“Following the recent growth of 8K devices including smartphones, anyone is able to create 8K content and view it in ultra-high resolution,” said Sangmin Lee, Head of the Picture Quality Solution Lab. “High-performance graphics cards also now make it possible for users to play 8K games, meaning that we are already living in the age of 8K UHD.”

Song further detailed the growth of 8K content in today’s viewing market. “There is a growing amount of 8K content available on social media channels, and artists are creating digital artworks in 8K,” he explained. “We added in ‘YouTube Videos in 8K’ feature to the 2023 Neo QLED TV to allow users to peruse the 8K content available on YouTube and explore digital artworks, such as an image in NFT¹ form, at a single glance.”

Samsung is also spearheading the expansion of the 8K content ecosystem by being at the helm of the 8K Association, a global non-profit organisation established in 2019 with the aim of establishing 8K standards and expanding 8K content.

As of February 2023, the association has 33 members, including Samsung, TV panel producers, (System On a Chip) SoC chip makers and some well-known content creators. Last year, Samsung released a teaser for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series in 8K developed in collaboration with Amazon Prime Video, another member of the 8K Association.

Developing Optimal Picture Quality That Takes Viewing Experiences to the Next Level

In order to learn more about the next steps for Samsung in terms of picture quality in the age of 8K technology, Samsung Newsroom asked the three TV professionals what their goals are.

“As a developer, I feel the most accomplished when I hear the feedback that viewers think the images on-screen seem real to them,” said Han. “My goal is to further improve our algorithms by optimising a range of components in order to deliver picture quality that is ‘more real than real’ to viewers.”

For Song, creating technologies that bring real value to users is of the utmost importance. “While the development department works to create the best picture quality through technological innovation, I am more involved in optimising products to bring high-quality experiences to as many viewers as possible,” said Song. “I will continue to deliberate on what other kinds of user value we can bring to our viewers.”

Finally, from Lee’s perspective, the goal is and always has been to provide users with experiences that go beyond simply watching content. “The most important value that a display can provide is to present images that seem more real than reality itself,” explained Lee. “Through the best picture quality algorithms and outstanding sound performance, the optimal picture quality that is delivered then allows users to enjoy their favourite content without having to worry about adjusting the settings. Our ultimate goal is to offer superb picture quality that enables users to thoroughly enjoy their viewing experiences that go beyond simply watching content.”

Stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for the second and final part in this series highlighting the role of the 8K TV and the innovative technologies Samsung has been developing to provide the best possible viewing experiences to its users.

¹ SAVAGE is a high quality NFT marketplace featuring 4K/8K video and photography. With over 50 titles at launch in March 2023, SAVAGE will expand throughout the year with more than 250 new pieces from top creators and brands.

The number of levels in quantum mini LEDs has been corrected from 13,684 to 16,384 levels as of 04-13, 2023.

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

In addition to the existing requirements for resolution, luminance, colour and connectivity standards that ensure powerful big-screen performance, the 8K Association Certified logo program now recognises a broader set of video decoding standards that will promote the wider availability of 8K streaming content. In addition, the updated requirements ensure that 8K TVs enable access to multi-dimensional surround sound formats for a truly immersive home theatre experience.

“During this difficult time when a communal movie theatre experience is not possible for many, the availability of big-screen TVs with super-sharp 8K resolution offers an alternative cinematic option at home,” said Nivash Ramsern, Head: Visual Display at Samsung South Africa. “With the 8K Association’s support in promoting standards that include audio-video performance and interface standards, we expect that more homes will choose 8K TVs and more 8K content will be soon available in those homes in the year ahead, offering an exceptional home theatre experience.”

In addition to the 8KA’s updated performance standard for TVs, the organisation expects to promote the growth of the 8K ecosystem with a focus on educating video content creators on the benefits of capturing, producing and distributing video in 8K resolution.

Established just two years ago, the 8KA has grown to encompass a broad membership of leading companies that represent all the different parts of the ecosystem. From 8K content creators and technology suppliers that enable 8K content creation to semiconductor producers, panel manufacturers and the world’s biggest TV brands – 8KA member companies can deliver impressive visual images from lens to the living room.