Samsung reveals future of Smart TV at CES 2012

Samsung Electronics Co, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, proclaimed a new era of entertainment by placing TV at the centre of the home ecosystem and breaking down boundaries between connected devices.

Boo-Keun Yoon, President and Head of Consumer Electronics Division at Samsung Electronics, unveiled the future of Smart TV on the CES press conference stage, explaining the TV's role in bringing family members together in front of a large, central screen after spending the day apart on individual devices. President Yoon's vision is flanked by three driving philosophies for a 'smarter life: smart interaction, smart content, and smart evolution' - all of which arm consumers with the future of Smart TV technology, today.

“The TV is the heart of our homes, and is the central device that connects our family at the end of a long day. For Samsung, this means providing the future of Smart TV now - through new TVs that recognise and respond to you, connect your family in and out of the home, and offer amazing new content options personalised to your lifestyle and needs,” said President Yoon. “Further, to extend the new TV experience and equip families with future technologies, Samsung has created the ability to scale up your TV each year - ensuring the best new TV experience for years to come.”

As content grows to become smarter, robust and more accessible, Samsung's vision for the way in which consumers interact with their TVs has also enhanced. Debuted yesterday at CES, Smart Interaction enables Smart TV owners to communicate with their TVs via voice control, motion control, and face recognition - providing an alternative to using a remote control when it is not desired or convenient.

Thanks to a built-in HD camera and dual-microphones on Samsung's flagship line of 2012 Smart TVs, consumers may simply say “Hi TV” to turn on voice control, speak “Web browser” to get online, and browse and select search results or increase the volume by just pointing a hand. In the LED 8000 series, these broad range of Smart Interaction capabilities are complemented by a stunning post-minimalist design featuring an ultra-slim bezel.

Expansion of more personalised content offerings to better meet consumers' needs is a principal goal of Samsung Smart TV. On the press conference stage, Samsung spoke to its content success - more than 1 400 Smart TV apps now available, including Angry Birds, Discovery Channel, and the number of third-party developers that has grown from 550 to 25 000 in just two years. Samsung's new powerful dual-core processor allows consumers to access even more of Samsung's abundant content choices at once, through the ability to use and download multiple apps while browsing the Web or watching live TV - providing a true multitasking experience.

In 2012, Samsung is further meeting the needs of consumers by providing greater access to content from anywhere in the world. New this year, Samsung has revamped its AllShare service into “AllShare Play” - enabling content to move from device-to-device and from device-to-cloud, regardless of location. AllShare Play enables consumers to push content manually to the cloud or pull the content directly from their Smart TV or other mobile devices. AllShare Play will also be equipped with a limited amount of free, online storage.

Samsung is taking the connected ecosystem one step further with three new Signature Services for Smart TV: Family Story, Fitness and Kids - enabling families to share photos and messages with each other, easily sync their fitness goals and activities, and help kids partake in educational viewing while recording progress every step of the way.

2012 Samsung Smart TV will be “future-proof” for years to come. Thanks to its proprietary system-on-chip technology, Samsung is the only company that can deliver an evolving TV, which allows you to easily enjoy the benefits of the latest TV technology year after year, without purchasing a brand new set. With a simple slot-in to the back of TV, Samsung's Evolution Kit will bring the latest and greatest TV technology to life.

Also in 2012, Samsung is continuing its collaboration with Google to develop and provide the best TV experience for consumers. By combining the strengths and experiences of each company, a forthcoming offering will deliver an entirely distinct experience in the category.

Continuing its future-forward path, Samsung also introduced the ultimate TV delivering new sensations, and an entirely new category of television that the industry has been long awaiting - Samsung's very first 55-inch Super OLED. As a CES “Best of Innovations 2012” award winner, Samsung is proud to utilise its long history and expertise surrounding OLED product development to bring this technology to large-screen TVs.

Samsung's proprietary Super OLED technology incorporates the ultimate in vividness, speed and thinness, with true-to-life picture quality, enhanced colour accuracy and motion picture quality even in the fastest scenes. Also incorporated into Samsung's Super OLED TV is Smart Interaction, Samsung Apps, 3D functionality and multitasking - enabling the TV of tomorrow to be delivered now. The Super OLED TV will be available in South Africa in the second half of 2012.

“As the global television leader for six consecutive years, Samsung has forged its vision for the Future of Smart TV via Smart Interaction, Smart Content, and Smart Evolution - all backed by impeccable product performance and design. Locally, this offering is what makes Samsung stand out from the rest and through the new range of products and offerings that will be available from April 2012, we are looking forward to offering our consumers an even better viewing experience and of course, a highly interconnected platform - not to mention a range of locally relevant content,” says Justin Shaw, Business Leader for Visual Display at Samsung Electronics South Africa.