LAS VEGAS — Design and definition will be the two most important traits for new TVs unveiled by Samsung at the Consumer Electronics Show. While the TVs will incorporate social networking and personalization, the manufacturer is aiming to capture interest first with the high-res look of the sets, in a back-to-basics focus on the display. That's the early conclusion of Ashley Swartz in this report from CES, following a Samsung presentation she attended.
"Last year we saw that folks are not going to buy TVs because of 3D or because of smart TV. They're going to buy because of design and definition, so Samsung is leading with that," she says in this video report. But, new features will still be vital and that includes social tools, voice navigation and content recommendations.
Set makers are trying to tap into the power of discovery and help surface programming for consumers in a connected environment, Swartz explains. The current electronic program guides don't do that well, but new sets introduced at the event are aiming to solve that. "Samsung is tackling that with its recommendation engine and new remotes," she explains, adding that a user's social network will also help inform recommendations in a sort of "socialized VOD location."
Ashley Swartz is a principal of the New York-based consultancy Furious Minds. She is former head of the interactive television practice at Digitas. She is a regular contributor to Beet.TV
-Daisy Whitney
