Samsung to widen gap with Chinese rivals with AI TVs

Yong Seok-woo, head of visual display business at Samsung Electronics, speaks during a press conference in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics said it is confident in maintaining its No. 1 position in the global TV market by widening the gap with Chinese rivals with its advanced artificial intelligence technology.

“We believe that AI TVs will be a unique differentiator that other companies do not offer, as it is not just a TV but a platform that can connect various devices customers own,” Yong Seok-woo, president and head of visual display business at Samsung Electronics, said during a press conference in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday.

“By linking mobile devices, home appliances and our TVs, we can create scenarios that can be provided to different consumers, allowing us to stand out in the market,” he said. “Chinese TV suppliers like TCL, which have recently entered the Korean market, are using cost-effectiveness as their main strategy, and we are making efforts to distinguish ourselves from them.”

In the April-June period, Samsung claimed the largest share of total TV shipments with 15 percent, followed by TCL with 11 percent, according to market tracker Counterpoint Research on Monday. Another Chinese firm, Hisense, came in at No. 3 with 10 percent, the data showed.

To further carve out its portion of the market, Samsung plans to adopt its AI strategy across its entire premium TV lineup.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, Samsung unveiled the TV industry’s first vision for AI screens, stressing that they will become the central hub of AI-powered home devices. Since then Samsung has enhanced technology for an AI home device that, by connecting and controlling various home devices, transcends the traditional TV viewing experience.

“We are establishing the formula 'AI TV is Samsung' through the unique consumer experience provided by Samsung AI screens. … Samsung AI TV, which plays a central role in AI-driven life, goes beyond just connecting various devices in the home. By linking devices and people, and connecting people, we will enrich and add value to consumers' daily lives,” Yong said.

Some of the AI features of Samsung TVs include AI upscaling, AI sound, a 3D map view, AI auto game mode and AI customization. One of the most eye-catching features was generative wallpaper, which was unveiled for the first time at Thursday’s event.

The feature allows users to choose a few options, such as their mood of the day, and let AI draw a corresponding image, turning the AI TV into a piece of creative artwork.

Just as interpretation services are provided through the AI feature on its recent flagship Galaxy smartphones, Samsung shared that similar services will be available on AI TVs early next year.

“(AI) TVs will have a language translation function as a communication tool, but we are also preparing additional AI functions for various accessibility features, such as displaying text directly in Korean when a movie actor speaks in a foreign language,” said Kim Yong-jae, head of research and development team of visual display business.

“In case of interpretation, on-device functionality is very important and real-time capability is crucial. A voice-translation function is also under development,” Yong added.

By Jie Ye-eun(yeeun@heraldcorp.com)