THIS IS QLED TV, Part 6: The Convergence of TV and AI

In April 2017, the market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) made a prediction that the cognitive and artificial intelligence (AI) system market will continue its high growth of a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 54.5 percent by 2020. The characteristics of AI systems such as prediction, recommendation and intelligent assistance are expected to take important roles in creating intelligent services.

These functions of AI are already influencing consumer electronics, especially smartphones and TV products. The convergence of AI and TV is subtle, but it is a trend that is taking place and will continue to develop. Let’s look at the convergence of TV and AI and how it will change the future TV viewing, particularly for Samsung QLED TVs.

For Overwhelming Content, AI Is Necessary

People no longer just view channels provided by TV broadcasters. There are terrestrial networks, cable TV, satellite channels, internet protocol TV (IPTV) and even over the top (OTT) programming, as well as smart TV applications that viewers can choose to watch. Yet no one wants to check all the available options to find a show they might enjoy.

An AI recommendation feature could sort the content for you. AI embedded into the TV could analyze the viewer’s preference and show content that viewers might be interested on the TV screen. The 2017 Samsung QLED TV shows a large choice of content en bloc per service provider on a launcher section that is located on the lower side of the screen. Your favorite channels or services are showed first on the launcher by default and you can also use a voice commend to choose a show to watch.

In the near future, features like prediction and intelligent assistance that the IDC mentioned will be implemented in TVs and change the viewer’s experience. For example, AI can analyze weather conditions, time and issue of the day to offer the best content suited to those variables. Also, intelligent voice recognition in the future will allow conversation with viewers to recommend content depending on age, mood and content preference. These features will enhance TV viewing for everyone.

TV+AI, the Preview of IoT TV

As AI starts to be embedded into TV, viewers can use their TVs in a more convenient way. The 2017 Samsung QLED TV automatically recognizes set-top boxes, game consoles and other peripheral electronics. Instead of using technical terms such as HDMI to show the viewer which device is connected, it uses the product name like Xbox One and its logo. With this intelligent assistance, viewers no longer need complicated settings to use their TVs.

Let’s delve a little further into the examples of more advanced AI TVs. The Intelligent image engine of the Samsung QLED TV analyzes video sources automatically to change the brightness in real-time according to the light intensity. Also, the engine provides an immersive experience to viewers by enhancing perspective and three-dimensional perception.

Samsung’s The Frame which looks like a picture frame for an art, has an intelligent sensor that never existed on other televisions. The motion sensor of this product turns off the screen when there is no one around and it turns on the screen when someone comes near the TV. Furthermore, the brightness sensor automatically sets the brightness for the screen, which smoothly matches to surrounding ambient light sources.

TVs with the intelligent sensors are the previews of the future internet of things (IoT) -enabled TV. The IoT TV will optimize brightness, sound system and other features according to content characteristics such as movies and sports. In the morning, your TV could recognize your motion to control lights, blinds, air conditioner and other electronics.

Samsung plans to add IoT compatibility to all its TV products by the end of this year. In 2020, all Samsung products will become IoT-ready. Samsung’s anticipative investment towards AI and IoT will drastically change home entertainment and provide a whole new TV experience to viewers.