Samsung is bringing the ultimate home entertainment experience right to your doorstep with the Blue Tag Sale – on until 2 March 2025. It’s now easier than ever to transform your home into a space where comfort meets connection. Elevate your entertainment, streamline your hosting experience, and enhance your home’s functionality with Samsung’s range of innovative products that are designed to make every moment spent at home effortless, immersive, and memorable.

Entertaining Made Effortless

Samsung’s range of innovative products is built to make hosting gatherings a breeze. Whether you’re planning a movie night, a lively dinner party, or a thrilling game-day gathering, Samsung’s technology ensures seamless operation from start to finish. Transform your home into the ultimate entertainment hub with the perfect ambiance and hassle-free control. Samsung makes it easier than ever to be the host with the most.

Immersive Entertainment Experiences

Samsung’s top-tier Smart TVs, advanced sound systems, and immersive displays create a cinematic experience that will leave your guests in awe. With stunning picture quality, vibrant colours, and crystal-clear sound, every movie, show, and sports event is an opportunity to experience entertainment at its finest. Whether streaming the latest blockbusters or enjoying the latest music hits, Samsung technology brings joy and excitement to your living space like never before.

Seamless Connectivity and Smart Home Integration

Samsung’s smart home ecosystem, powered by SmartThings, takes home connectivity to a new level. Control every aspect of your home’s entertainment and environment with a single device. Adjust the temperature, and effortlessly switch between media – all with a few taps. Samsung SmartThings is compatible with various brands – just look for the “Works with SmartThings” badge or Matter and Home connectivity Alliance badges to make your home smarter, more connected, and easier to enjoy.

Design Meets Functionality

Samsung’s products are crafted to blend seamlessly into your home décor while delivering exceptional performance. With sleek, modern designs, each product enhances your living space without compromising on functionality. Hosting becomes even more enjoyable when the technology in your home is as aesthetically pleasing as it is practical.

Awesome deals on great products

To make your home even more special, Samsung’s Blue Tag Sale offers incredible discounts on some of its most popular products:

• 75″ DU7000 Crystal UHD 4K HDR Smart TV – UA75DU7000KXXA: Now R12,999* (Save R2,000)
• 85 Inch QLED 4K Q60D Tizen OS Smart TV (2024) – QA85Q60DAKXXA: Get it for R27,999* (Save R2,000)
• Music Frame HW-LS60D Wireless Smart Speaker (HW-LS60D/XA): Now R5,499* (Save R1,500)
• Bespoke AI 12KG Front Loader, with Eco bubble (WW12BB944DGBFA): Now R14,999* (Save R1,000)
• AR9500T Wall-mount AC with Windfree TM and AI technology, 18000 BTU/h (AR18BSAAAWK/FA): Available for R22,999* (Save R4,000)
• Side by Side Fridge, Non-plumbed Water & Ice dispenser, Gentle Black, 617L (RS64DG53R3B1FA): Yours for R29,999* (Save R2,100)

The Samsung Blue Tag Sale runs from 13 January – 2 March 2025, in Samsung stores, online, the Samsung Shop App, as well as participating retailers. Don’t miss out!

For more information, visit www.samsung.com/za

▲(From left) The Samsung developers who built the integrated circuits in the company’s 8K TVs – Sangdeok Kim, Hansoo Seong, Junghyun Lim, and Yongjoo Song

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 9 November 2021 – With the continued evolution of high-definition televisions, the worlds displayed on our TV screens are becoming more realistic than ever. 8K TVs, which represent the new standard of premium television, maximize immersion by providing such vivid high definition that it is like users are beholding the scenes before their very eyes.

This incredibly sharp resolution was made possible by the enhancement of the semiconductors within the TVs. Capable of enabling the functions that allow sharper resolution, these solutions are the DTV SoC (Digital TV System on Chip), T-CON (Timing Controller), and DDI (Display Driver IC). Samsung Newsroom sat down with the developers of S6HD820 (which opened the door for 8nm¹ DTV SoC), S6TST21 (the industry’s first 8K 120Hz T-CON) and S6CT9BC (a DDI with a maximum speed of 8Gbps) to hear the story of the unseen innovation behind these solutions.

From DTV SoC to DDI – Sending Video Signals to Displays

Unlike in the past when televisions were only used for watching shows, the role of the TV has gradually expanded over time. These days, our TVs are becoming a platform that also allows us to play games, work out as well as do a broad range of other activities. As people come to expect a more diverse range of features from their TVs, a higher standard of premium features is also being brought to televisions.

TVs are output devices for content, making a high standard of picture quality crucial for user satisfaction. Digital signals generally undergo three stages before being displayed. First, the DTV SoC receives compressed data from broadcasts or the internet, extracts the data to convert it into video and sends the video and audio to the screen and speakers. The T-CON then receives the processed video data and sends it back to the DDI with careful timing to ensure smooth operation. Last, the digital signal sent to the DDI is converted to an analogue format and the video is displayed on the TV screen.

Simplifying DTV SoC with ‘One Chip’ and Enhancing NPU Function

The DTV SoC, which receives video data from a cable or set-top box, is also referred to as ‘the brain of the TV.’ Hansoo Seong, who is part of the DTV SoC development team, explains that, “The DTV SoC extracts the audio and video signals separately from the compressed input stream. It then provides the function that adjusts the audio and video data according to each scene being displayed.”

As picture quality has evolved from the 4K to the 8K standard, the role of the DTV SOC has become more important. Samsung’s developers were committed to finding a solution that would support 8K resolution while also reducing power usage at the same time. An NPU (Neural Processing Unit) was applied to the DTV SoC so that AI technology could be applied to the overall improvement of both picture quality and audio processing. This technology led to a much more precise display output. On top of this, the DTV SoC has been integrated with an upscaling IC² to improve power efficiency.

The biggest hurdle in creating the 8nm¹ DTV SoC, known as S6HD820, was the complex engineering required to integrate two ICs into one chip and the subsequent issue of overheating. “The better the NPU performance, the more the AI learning is reinforced, which leads to better TV performance. But this also makes semiconductors that much more complex to engineer and results in more severe overheating,” said Hansoo Seong. “We worked hard to find the right balance to prevent excessive overheating, and eventually succeeded in optimizing the solution.”

The Evolution of T-CON: From Two 60Hz Chips to a Single 120Hz Chip

The T-CON takes the video data from the DTV SoC and converts it according to the demands of the DDI. “The bigger the panel size and the higher the resolution, the more important the role of the T-CON becomes,” said Junghyun Lim, who participated in developing Samsung’s latest 8K T-CON. “The data transmission speed of the T-CON is also important when it comes to quickly transmitting high-resolution video data to the DDI.”

With the improvement from 4K to 8K, screen resolution increases by four times. Thus, the amount of data that needs to be sent also quadruples, which means the T-CON’s speed needs to be enhanced as well. The development team solved the overheating problem that accompanies rapidly rising speeds by applying a new node process and simplifying the chips. In addition, the two 8K 60Hz chips have been integrated to become one S6TST21.

Previous systems required four semiconductors in 8K TVs, including the DTV SoC, the upscaling IC² for 8K, and two T-CONs. The new system has reduced the total amount of semiconductors required to two by combining the DTV SOC and the upscaling IC² into one solution, and merging the two T-CONs into one. These changes have made it much easier to design the required boards.

DDI Integration Increases Speeds and Reduces Chip Count

The DDI is responsible for the final step before the video is displayed. This is where the digital data received from the T-CON is converted into the analogue signal that will be used as input for the display. Yongjoo Song, who participated in development of the DDI, said, “The DDI needs to deliver high analogue voltage to the panel quickly and precisely to allow the video data from the T-CON to be displayed accurately.”

To facilitate the increase in voltage, a new driver IC became necessary that could simultaneously handle higher voltages and prevent overheating. “Increasing the speed of the driver buffer was the most difficult challenge,” said Yongjoo Song. “After changing the circuit structure and layout in a range of ways to reduce the driver IC’s input/output latency, we were able to develop a new driver IC that could operate at faster speeds.”

The development of a DDI that operates at high speeds resulted in the number of DDIs being reduced by almost half and the number of relevant chips being reduced by dozens. This makes TV panels easier to construct.

The Secret to Tech Leadership: Development of Samsung’s Own Interface and Organic Semiconductor

From 4K to 8K TVs, the secret to Samsung’s technological leadership is its know-how and the high level of consumer trust it has accumulated over time. In addition, Samsung is constantly analysing market and technology trends to apply them to products, and Samsung’s own interface has played a huge role in these efforts. “The Samsung interface not only delivers speed but also utilizes the company’s semiconductor driver technologies,” said Sangdeok Kim. “By utilizing its own interface, Samsung was able to make the 8K TV DDI based on the industry’s fastest interface.”

Another one of Samsung’s unique advantages is that it is developing the DTV SoC, T-CON and DDI in tandem with one another. This offers a big advantage, as it allows better integration and compatibility among the three components that must work together.

The developers from Samsung’s S.LSI Business make no secret of their excitement regarding 8K TV technology and the future of semiconductors. “When I first started working in this area, I was making semiconductors for FHD-resolution TVs. I remember feeling very proud when the products entered mass production,” related Yongjoo Song. “Already, TV resolutions have surpassed 4K to reach the 8K standard, and TV screens continue to get bigger and bigger. With larger high-resolution TVs being introduced to the market, semiconductors must be equipped to perform more complex functions, which adds to the challenges in developing them. But overcoming those challenges will remain the ever-present goal for developers like us.”

¹ nm: nanometer

² Upscaling IC: A semiconductor that converts low-resolution videos into high resolution (converts 2K and 4K videos into 8K)

]]> https://news.samsung.com/za/samsungs-smart-tv-oriented-research-efforts-recognised-with-a-best-paper-award-at-icce-2021-2?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=direct Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:34:41 +0000 https://bit.ly/3D1JoiD JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 9 November 2021 – Researchers from Samsung’s Visual Display (VD) Business have been declared winners of a Best Paper Award at the IEEE’s (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE 2021) for their technical paper entitled “Analysing Images for Music Recommendation.”

ICCE is the flagship conference of the IEEE Consumer Technology Society (formerly the IEEE Consumer Electronics Society), held annually in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA. A total of 190 research papers were accepted this year, with five finalists nominated for the virtual conference’s Best Paper Award. The competition consisted of video-recorded paper presentations and a live Q&A session, and just three papers were selected as winners.

“The work portrayed in this paper connects domains such as AI, UX and affective computing with the goal of providing an emotionally enriching user experience by bridging artworks and music in an unconventional manner,” said Anant Baijal, a Samsung Staff Engineer (Advanced R&D Group) and the lead author of the paper. “We propose a method that considers both an artwork’s style (classical, baroque, impressionist etc.) and the emotion it conveys (calm, joyful, mellow, etc.) to automatically curate music that is well-suited to accompany the image.”

The research highlighted in the paper is under review for possible commercialisation in Samsung’s flagship products, including the recently announced Neo QLED TVs, along with lifestyle products such as The Frame. Currently, through Ambient Mode on QLED and Art Mode on The Frame, consumers can display pictures of their choice when they are not watching TV. The research team wants to take the user experience to the next level by giving consumers the option to play music that is curated based on automatic analysis of the image displayed on the screen. The results obtained from initial tests conducted during the research support the efficacy of the proposed approach.

“When a user uploads a picture, such as artwork or a photograph, our proprietary AI algorithms evaluate the image to recommend music through a user-subscribed music streaming provider,” added Baijal. “Future work on this technology would include integrating other parameters into the algorithm, such as the weather, time, geolocation and user activity, in addition to the image being displayed. We are designing the algorithm to be capable of adapting to individual users’ preferences.”

“At Samsung’s Advanced R&D Group, we’re continually striving to provide a more dynamic screen experience by developing innovative technologies that complement consumers’ ever-changing lifestyles,” said Dr. Danny Hyun, Corporate Vice President and Head of Advanced R&D Group at Samsung Electronics and a co-author of the paper.

The Advanced R&D Group’s research spans multidisciplinary areas such as AI, Big Data and connectivity, and the Group is also responsible for creating futuristic concepts and product prototypes. Multiple international patent applications covering the technology’s concept, components and user scenarios have been filed by Samsung Electronics.

Check out Samsung’s First Look 2021 event (highlights available here) for more details on the company’s vision for the future of screens, including its latest display innovations and 2021 product line-up.

Expanding to other spaces, the event served as a picture-perfect backdrop to the launch of The Premiere, which brought the themes to life in a big way. Over time, the focus of Samsung’s Lifestyle TVs has continually shifted and evolved. Due to the pandemic, many people prefer watching movies at home to going to the theatre these days. The Premiere is specifically designed for those who want to create a theatre-like environment in their homes. This easy-to-install model boasts a large, theatre-like screen with very sharp picture quality. With The Premiere, you can enjoy your favourite content on an ultra-large screen from the comfort of your home. With a premium fabric finish, The Premiere also serves as an excellent complement to your interior décor.

As the global leader in the TV category for the past 15 consecutive years, Samsung’s approach to innovation has seen their TVs evolved to be more visually stunning than ever before, while accommodating new uses and functions that showcase the TV’s diverse and flexible role in the home. Whereas the TV used to simply be a device for delivering entertainment, it has now become a central component of users’ interior design schemes. The Frame and The Serif TV reflect this theme by giving South Africans the opportunity to express their vision in unexpected ways, while still enjoying 4K QLED picture performance.

The Serif TV blurs the lines between modern design and technology. It is both stylish in concept and stunning in picture quality. With its Iconic I-shape profile, The Serif beautifully integrates into your personal style and interior décor. Its slim frame turns it into a statement piece.

TV when it’s on, art when it’s off, with its frame-like design, The Frame TV looks impressive on any wall. When it’s switched off, it turns into pieces of art in your home. Turn it on and enjoy your favourite shows in stunning 4K QLED quality. The Frame is a TV with an elegant and modern frame that seamlessly blends into your decor. You can customise your look with a range of different colour frame options to beautifully complement any space.

More than just a TV, Samsung’s lifestyle range is an opportunity to express yourself, in your space, in your own unique way.

In addition, Samsung picked up the top award in the following categories:

• Winner of the Television category;
• Winner of the Mobile Phone devices category; and
• Winner of the Tablet devices category.

The TGI Survey, where the Icon Brands results are sourced from, is the largest of its kind in South African with 19 sectors, hundreds of product categories and thousands of brands included in the measurement. An enumerated area sampling design was employed and the universe includes all communities with more than 8,000 inhabitants and people 15+ years old. 23,326 consumers were surveyed representing 26 922 000 adult South African consumers. Brand loyalty is an integral part of the survey. However, the awards also celebrate thought-leader brands that positively impact the lives of South Africans, especially within the 15 – 34 age group.

“We are humbled and honoured by these awards and are thankful to the youth who have reaffirmed Samsung’s people-centred approach to innovation. They inspire us to create human-driven technologies that make life easier and infinitely better,” says Cambridge Mokanyane, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung South Africa.

Samsung has a proud history of excellence when it comes to these awards, having already received accolades across many categories over the years.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 23 April 2019 –  Samsung announced today that its 2019 TV line, including new QLED 4K and 8K models, are available at select retailers nationwide from May. Powered by Samsung’s proprietary Quantum Processor, the 2019 QLED TV line-up features more screen size options, stunning picture quality enhancements, dazzling colours from every angle, exciting new design elements and intuitive smart TV upgrades.

“Our 2019 QLED line is designed for users who want the best combination of picture quality, smart TV capabilities and design,” said Reginald Nxumalo, Director of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa. “This year’s line-up represents our largest screen size offering ever. It brings together innovative feature enhancements and exciting content and service partnerships to deliver a truly ground-breaking viewing experience and unprecedented value.”

A More Pristine Picture

The 2019 Q80 and Q90 feature ‘Ultra Viewing Angle’ technology, which restructures the TV’s panels so the backlight passes through the panel with lights evenly onto the screen. Engineered to reduce glare and enhance colour, Ultra Viewing Angle provides a vibrant picture regardless of the viewing position. In addition, Q70, Q80, and Q90 models offer Direct Full Array technology that uses a panel featuring concentrated zones of precision-controlled LEDs. These LEDs adjust automatically to display deeper blacks and purer whites, delivering stunning images with pristine contrast.

A More Intelligent Quantum Processor

Q900 Series 8K TVs incorporate Samsung’s proprietary Quantum Processor 8K, which up-scales lower resolution content to stunningly crisp 8K while also allowing for playback of native 8K content. This year’s models also utilise the Quantum Processor 8K that optimises audio and video to the specific content on the screen. It can create an even more detailed sound experience by tailoring the audio settings to the specific layout of the room.

Samsung’s new QLED 4K models also feature their own proprietary Quantum Processor 4K, which can use AI upscaling to deliver improved brightness, picture quality and sound optimised for each scene.

As announced at CES 2019, Samsung will take the user experience to the next level by offering iTunes Movies and TV Shows and Apple AirPlay 2 support on 2019 Samsung Smart TV models. Support on 2018 Samsung Smart TVs will be made available via firmware update. In an industry first, a new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app will debut on Samsung Smart TVs in more than 100 countries. AirPlay 2 support will be available soon on Samsung Smart TVs in 190 countries worldwide.

Using the new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app on Samsung Smart TVs, Samsung customers can access their existing iTunes library and browse the iTunes Store to buy or rent from a selection of hundreds of thousands of movies and TV episodes — including the largest selection of 4K HDR movies. iTunes Movies and TV Shows will work seamlessly with Samsung’s Smart TV Services, the new Voice Command and Search, to create a consistent experience across Samsung’s platform. With AirPlay 2 support, Samsung customers will be able to effortlessly play videos, photos, music, podcasts and more from Apple devices directly to Samsung Smart TVs, including QLED 4K and 8K TVs as well as other Samsung UHD and HD models.

A More Convenient Content Experience

2019 Samsung Smart TVs offer even more ways for users to discover and watch content. It features an improved AI algorithm that leverages a user’s subscription services, favourite content, and TV viewing habits to offer customised recommendations about what to watch. Users will be able to leverage the new Voice Command on 2019 QLED TVs and soon use Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant to easily control their TVs and access their content through voice commands. They can quickly and easily navigate their content with Samsung’s OneRemote. And with the addition of Far Field Voice Capability on the OneRemote, users can use voice commands to control their TV even if they are across the room from their remote.

A More Immersive Gaming Experience

Real Game Enhancer optimises the gaming experience through a unique set of gaming features. This year, Real Game Enhancer features AMD Radeon Freesync variable refresh rate technology, which helps prevent tearing and stuttering, as well as Game Motion Plus, which removes motion blur and judder. Real Game Enhancer combines these technical innovations with Auto Game Mode, which minimises input lag on compatible devices. It also includes AI-based audio and video enhancements that optimise the settings to delivering cinematic sound and smooth, lifelike visuals that can remain clear even during bright and dark scenes. Ambient Mode complements any living space by turning a blank screen into a decorative or informational display when the TV is not in active use.  It can display artistic content like photos and works of art. This year, Ambient Mode offers users an even greater variety of artistic and decorative pieces for the home, through new decorative patterns, photos, and artwork and mattes, as well as new ways to display information on the TV.

A More Comprehensive Line-up

Samsung’s QLED line-up offers 4K and 8K models in a range of sizes from 55” to 98” to suit the needs of every home and every lifestyle.

For a limited period, from 24 April to 5 May 2019, you will receive a Samsung soundbar with every 2019 QLED TV purchase. This offer will be available from your nearest participating retailer. All QLED purchases come with Samsung Signature Service which includes delivery and installation. Stock is limited. Terms and conditions apply.

For more information on Samsung’s 2019 QLED TV line-up, please visit SSA Newsroom

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 03 December 2018 – On any given day, we’re glued to multiple screens all at once. We’ll have one eye on the Springboks and another on the heated reaction on Twitter. The one screen that has remained the cornerstone of South African homes though, is the TV. And now, the Samsung Frame has changed our idea of what a TV is meant to be. It’s not just what’s inside that counts but what it says about you.

The Frame is an elegant 4K UHD Smart TV designed in collaboration with renowned designer Yves Béhar. It transforms into a gallery-like art display, delivering premium entertainment experience combined with innovative and aesthetically-pleasing design.

“The Frame stands out as much as you want it to. Because it reflects your sense of style, it becomes an extension of who you are. As a human centred brand we’re pleased to offer our customers that ideal balance of personalisation and cutting edge innovation,” says Reginald Nxumalo, Director of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa.

The Frame can be customised to your individual style. It can take the form of a piece of art, one of your favourite pictures or even a selfie. As your style evolves and home décor changes, so can the look of your TV. It’s a truly elegant TV hidden in plain sight – transforming any living space by delivering beautiful design and content while blending into your home. When it’s on, it’s an amazing TV. And when it’s off, it’s like a work of art. The Frame comes pre-loaded with artworks from world-renowned artists. Samsung Collection is expertly curated to provide a sensational art experience. Of course, you have your own photos and memories. These can be easily uploaded via a mobile device or USB drive. It’s all about using the space to reflect your personality and individual flair. Additionally, the Invisible Connection and No Gap Wall-Mount keeps The Frame looking tidy and minimalist. It hangs flat against your wall with no messy wires or cords.

A TV that is beautiful to look at every moment and enhances your living space that adds premium style and design; the Frame’s 4K UHD resolution boasts astounding clarity and radiance. With four times more pixels than Full HD, it’s four times more detailed for a rich, stunning viewing experience. Essentially, it’s an immersive viewing experience captured in cinematic clarity. And you can easily control all your devices with One Remote Control. Which means you can seamlessly access all your favourite entertainment and stream content to your TV from your mobile device.

Putting the smart in Smart TV, a brightness sensor and motion sensor can automatically switch The Frame’s various modes. The brightness sensor effortlessly adjusts to ambient lighting so that it truly blends into your living space. Also, in order to conserve energy, the motion sensor recognises when someone enters or exits the room and can put The Frame into a power-saving mode when no one is present. It then automatically switches The Frame back on when someone re-enters the space.

The Samsung Frame has expanded the boundaries of what a TV should be. It’s that seamless marriage of form and function and it frames your life picture perfectly.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 17 September, 2018 – Interior design trends come and go and it’s not easy to ensure a home remains fresh instead of dated. Soft furnishings can only go so far in adding those ‘pops’ of colour so favoured by interior decorators. A splash of paint here and there can help spice up a room’s look, but it’s the layout of the room as well as the larger pieces of furniture that need to be addressed when it comes to keeping up-to-date.

One of the biggest problems in the past has been the ubiquitous television set. If it is wall mounted, then there are cables to contend with. If it sits on a shelf, table or TV unit so the cabling can be discreetly installed out of view, then that becomes yet another piece of furniture to manoeuvre and place.

Reginald Nxumalo, Director of Consumer Electronics for Samsung South Africa, says, “Not only are Samsung’s TVs highly advanced technically, we’ve also solved design dilemmas. Cables are simply not an issue any longer; the One Near-Invisible cable merges everything into one and allows you to place your TV wherever you want. Coupled with that, the One Connect Box gathers all your connections, with just the One Near-Invisible cable connected to the television.”

With cables out of the way, the next challenge comes up when the TV isn’t in use. Usually, when the TV is off, the black square simply doesn’t fit into the décor, unless of course it’s a black and white minimalist theme and even that’s debatable. Samsung’s Ambient Mode solves that as well – it elevates your television room or living space with decorative content, useful information, your own photographs or even by mimicking the texture of the wall behind it.

With greys still a popular base colour, but more moody and darker accents coming into play, the Samsung’s Ambient Mode feature can play a major role in introducing new colour into the room or creating a whole new style focus.^[i] For example, Pantone’s Ultra Violet is 2018’s colour of the year. If displayed on a television screen either as a block colour or an appropriately themed and shaded artwork, it could update a soft grey palette to a richer and more dramatically provocative style, in line with current interior trends. Much like Samsung’s drive towards innovation, Pantone’s Ultra Violet has been touted as communicating originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us toward the future.^[ii]

“Only Samsung removes the black screen, allowing your TV to seamlessly blend into the room and enabling you to completely personalise your space,” concludes van Nxumalo.

Solving the issue of a blank screen dominating whichever room it’s in makes an immense difference to the way interior designers will view the television. In the past, it’s been about hiding the screen, but now it’s about how best to display it, integrating the TV into the décor theme and style. Additionally, connecting the television to a smartphone means a room’s ambience can be seamlessly changed to address moods and activities – from a serene image with soft background music to an invigorating scene with upbeat music to match; making the television an interior décor game-changer.

^{[i] http://www.idealhome.co.uk/news/home-decor-trends-2018-191244}

^{[ii] https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2018}

Creating a visually pleasing and comfortable environment in your home makes it more of a personal sanctuary from the outside world. Combining functionality and beautiful design, The Frame TV by Samsung is versatile and provides an appealing aesthetic.

WHAT IS IT? Jointly developed by Samsung and Swiss designer Yves Behar, The Frame is a TV that, when switched off, acts as an interactive frame. It not only allows you to display your personal images, but gives you access to a range of pieces from renowned art museums worldwide.

HOW IT WORKS There’s something for everyone in Samsung’s extensive library, from photographs and drawings, to paintings and digital works, or items from your phone. Combining 10 genres from 37 acclaimed artists and 100 artworks, its Art Store provides access to the world’s finest museums and galleries from the comfort of your home, giving you the opportunity to buy artworks or pay a monthly subscription.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN DISPLAY Mix and match your display to suit the style of your home. There are numerous mounting colours and templates available for displaying your art. Art can be displayed in three styles: shadow box, no mount and modern. For photo displays, you can choose shadow box, modern, panoramic, squares, triptych and mixed. Mount colours are polar, warm, antique, neutral, black, sand, sea foam, sage, burgundy and navy.

NO MESS, NO FUSS A transparent optical cable, the Invisible Connection, is designed to eliminate the messy set-up of mounted TVs while providing improved data transmission capacity. Paired with the One Connect Box, it enables you to connect your devices discreetly and control all connected devices with the Samsung Smart Remote

source: ELLE DECOR

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 20 June 2018 – The shift in the way people communicate, access knowledge or entertainment and keep up to date with what’s going on in the world means that television has become a highly sophisticated window into the human mind. While many people watch television as a stress-relieving mechanism, research also suggests that watching can have a positive impact.

Long before written language, storytelling was an important aspect of everyday life and a new study has confirmed that it’s just as important today. According to research, “storytelling is a powerful means of fostering social cooperation and teaching social norms, and it pays valuable dividends to the storytellers themselves, improving their chances of being chosen as social partners, receiving community support and even having healthy offspring.”’^[i] How does this affect modern society, though? One of the interesting aspects is the ability for immigrants to more easily assimilate into their adopted country by observing social norms through TV series, news and local programming.^[ii]

Numerous studies have been conducted on the influence of television programming on social change. One such study has focused on the advent of satellite television programming in rural India. Within a year of programmes other than those aired by a public broadcaster being available, there were significant changes in gender attitudes. Women were less likely to accept domestic abuse and there was an increase in school enrolment for younger children. In fact, the differences in attitudes between women in rural areas and those in urban areas decreased from seventy to forty-five percent.^[iii]

Lyle Mitchley, Head Product Manager for TV at Samsung South Africa says, “You’d be hard pressed to find a home without a television these days, but it’s the quality of the viewing experience that makes all the difference. Samsung’s range of superlative QLED TV’s ensures that whatever you’re watching becomes a fully immersive experience.”

While putting a child in front of the TV for extended periods of time has always been a contentious issue, the content they consume is more important than the time spent. A research study showed that children in Finland scored higher than most of the rest of the world in their reading skills. One reason for this, concludes the research, is that they are often served American shows and have to read the captions in their own language.^[iv] Understanding the narrative of their own local society and learning about other societies, as well as interesting or fundamental facts about the world is also a highly value aspect of watching TV. So, while sitcoms can teach societal intricacies, its usually best to ensure children are watching age-appropriate programmes that are geared to teach. In fact, a whole new aspect of psychology has arisen from the advent of the internet – media psychology. Reports show that there are a number of positives garnered from viewing or leaning online, such as rising IQ’s due to media-assisted learning and interactive game playing; advancement of women in science; people are learning more about learning itself; communication across cultures is increasing public understanding of numerous crucial issues^[v]

“The connected home and Internet of Things (IoT), means that you can remotely control most of what goes on in your home electronically from your smartphone – and TV is one such example,” adds Mitchley.

With on-demand television programming and streaming services, researchers have been able to track viewer behaviour even more effectively across the globe. Interestingly, it’s been found that viewers tend to multi-task – by being online on various social platforms and commenting while watching a TV programme, whether its live TV or streamed.^[vi] On demand or streaming services mean that multiple programmes can be watched by different members of a household. One of the negatives in streaming, however, is that viewers feel content is better watched on a TV screen. Of course, Samsung agrees with this, which is why its QLED models are connected through smart hub and with one remote, so numerous streaming platforms can be viewed, offering a fully immersive, vivid picture no matter what is being watched. The Samsung Smart View app also means users can seamlessly connect their mobiles to their TV screens and be in complete control.

“The way people are watching TV and similar content may have changed, but one thing is for sure, the quality of the image is vital to enjoyment. Samsung affords viewers an incredibly vibrant and detailed experience that ensures they pick up every detail and nuance, whether its sport, cooking, interior design, fantasy or fiction,” concludes Mitchley.

^{[i] http://time.com/5043166/storytelling-evolution/}

^{[ii] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249471805_The_Bridging_Role_of_Television_in_Immigrant_Political_Socialization}

^{[iii] http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/emily.oster/papers/tvwomen.pdf}

^{[iv] http://www.teachhub.com/how-television-can-actually-help-learning}

^{[v] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-media-psychology-effect/201203/brain-behavior-and-media}

^{[vi]http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/de/docs/Nielsen%20Global%20Video-on-Demand%20Report%20DIGITAL%20FINAL.pdf}