Samsung’s New 4K TV ‘The Frame’ Transforms Into Wild Wall Art When You’re Not Watching TV
Your living room is about to get way more awesome.
Some innovations seem so inevitable once they’re out there that you wonder just why no one has thought of them before.
That’s the case with a groundbreaking new TV on the way from Samsung. “The Frame” turns a high-definition flat screen into works of art visually indistinguishable from static wall decorations when you’re not binge-watching Breaking Bad again or catching up on Game of Thrones.
Architectural Digest reports Samsung cooked up the concept for the frame with “product designer extraordinaire Yves Béhar” and it’s meant to be a solution to the “gaping black hole” TVs leave on walls. Béhar says The Frame “redefines the notion of the TV at home” and “becomes part of our home and lifestyle—not just another consumer tech product.”
The Frame has been designed to be more subtle than a simple digital picture show when not in use as a television. Architectural Digest reports it can display more than 100 curated pieces in “art mode.” Additionally, a sensor on the unit detects ambient light levels and the image’s brightness can be adjusted to go along with the light in the room. This low-key innovation ensure the TV’s art display looks like a real original on your wall.
It’s not always on, either—motion sensors can tell if a room is unoccupied and power down the display until someone enters again.
AD also notes The Frame has been designed to fit its name: “No solid plastic and unseemly buttons here: This television is encased in black, white, or wood veneer.”
The Frame appears to be one of the most well-thought-out efforts we’ve seen to truly integrate a TV seamlessly into a home environment, as opposed to its former status as a standalone object dominating a room even when off.
Samsung hasn’t distributed details on pricing but if you really want to make an impression, the cost may not be that big a deal. It’s worth it to have readily available entertainment while still embracing culture and clever design.