TVs are purchased for their picture quality, size, audio, and so on, and it makes sense: after all, the TV is considered to be a factor of creating a relaxing home atmosphere. And yet, there has been a fragmented approach to buying televisions in the past: there's “the furniture,” the couch/sofa, table, carpet, curtains, etc., and then there's the TV. One can have a color scheme in the home that matches his or her design or style, and then have a TV that completely violates the color scheme. TVs of the past have rarely added anything to overall home décor.
But, over the last few years, flat-screen TVs have become more common. Their design attests to their utility: they're flatter and thinner so that they're easier to carry and move around the home. And yet, home decorators are not fond of the utility by which tech is approached; they want something more fashionable, to have Smart TV makers think of TVs in the same way they’ve come to think of smartphones and smartwatches: high-tech gadgets with fashion and flair. TVs, like smartphones and smartwatches, can be designed with style in mind.
This is why Samsung has designed a QLED TV that could be mistaken for a favorite home portrait, a TV that, as Samsung says, will become a lifestyle product, a device that is made for living, a device that will give new meaning to “electronic device.” It does; it goes against the common notion of tech and electronics as utilitarian devices that take the typical “fashion, be damned” approach that is so common in the tech sector. Outside of devices like smart glasses, smart rings, or wearables as a whole, electronics are perceived in a utilitarian manner where greater emphasis is placed on what they can do, their functionality, not their fashionability or how well they can blend into a home setting.
It is a new approach to electronics. It goes against common thinking on the subject that has persisted for so long, but it makes sense for the more fashion-centric among us. I myself have always believed that tech could be fashionable, provided that the “tech” isn't lost in the process. And with this new portrait-styled QLED TV, tech isn't lost in the process but merged with a fashionable home look that almost lets you mistake the TV for a typical portrait or piece of artwork hanging on the wall.
This is why we didn't see Samsung unveil another curved TV monitor at CES 2017: because Samsung plans to help TVs blend into the home setting, not stick out in them. It also makes sense that Samsung unveiled its new optical cable at CES that seems “barely there” in the TV setting without the usual mess of cables and wires that surround the TV:
Now, let's talk about how these TVs fit in your home: after all, TVs are getting bigger, so they need to have a clean design aesthetic. So today, we are taking a big step in that direction. The new QLED will quite literally blend into your décor. We have designed a slimmer bezel and a single, nearly-invisible optical cable that connects your TV to our one connect box. No mess of wires or clunky equipment, just one cable connecting every device to the TV. This is innovation made for living…
Now, I want to show you how we're taking another major step in home entertainment and design. We challenged our team of engineers and designers to create a TV that goes beyond what we thought a TV could do and what it could look like, a TV made just for those people who care just as much about the design and aesthetic as the entertainment they are watching. We wanna share with you a sneak preview of this very special TV that we are showing the world for the first time today. This is a TV that will transcend the definition of “electronic device,” and become a true lifestyle product. And, it has already been named the winner of the 2017 CES Best of Innovation Award. – Joe Stinziano, CES 2017, Samsung Press Conference (bold mine)
Sure, with TVs, time around the device should be spent “seeing the big picture,” the screen, but home décor demands that we “see the big picture” as well: that of the home and living room setting. And home decorators have seen little attention given to that “big picture” for so long. The new demand of elegance in style with the best in innovation is the reason why your future TV will give a sense of completeness and wholeness to your living room and make home design a true masterpiece.
Now, the TV of the future will truly be part of home furniture. The attention in design that started with the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge has now trickled down to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Gear S2 and Gear S3, as well as Samsung's Smart TVs. Tech can be beastly in its specs and beautiful in its appearance without compromising either.
That's what seeing the big picture is all about.
