Smart Screens Target Smart Speakers

Samsung takes its very own smart screen concept to make its massive TVs the centre of a smart home.

14:21 13 March 2018

Major tech companies have started integrating screens to their smart speakers. Amazon started the trend when it introduced its Echo Show, which gives Alexa a box with a touchscreen that displays the weather, news and some content. Google Assistant then followed, adding hardware from Sony, Lenovo and LG. Samsung, on the other hand, is taking the concept a little further by trying to make its massive TVs the centre of a smart home.

 

The new TVs, which are set to ship later this month, are equipped with Samsung’s digital assistant, Bixby. It takes voice commands through the TV’s remote that can be tied into other SmartThings-compatible devices, such as Philips Hue Lighting and Ring doorbells.

 

Samsung is also taking steps to make the massive TVs less conspicuous by introducing the Ambient Mode, which enables the screen to blend into the environment around it. The feature attempts to make the TV transparent by filling in the screen with a picture of what’s behind it. For example, if the TV is on a brick wall, the display will show bricks.