Discover a new frontier of spectacular color and incredible details, just as the director intended! in Las Vegas at a jam-packed press conference, we proudly introduced our Q900R series line up of 8K UHD TVs, including a revolutionary 98” TV that was one of the most talked-about product introductions at CES. And if the press is talking about it, then you know your customers are going to hear about it!

Since our custom integration dealers are typically specifying products in advance of installation, it’s important that you know and understand what’s hitting the market this spring. Let’s review the complete 2019 TV line up from the world leader in big screen TVs. There’s so much to talk about, including upgrades to The Frame and Ambient Mode™, that will thrill designers and homeowners alike.

QLED 8K Real 8K Resolution. Our best TV ever combines true-to-life 8K HDR picture quality, AI-powered intelligent upscaling¹, stunning design, and smart home ready features for a revolutionary TV experience.

Samsung is a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology with over 30 years’ experience of developing innovative new products that form the building blocks of the digital era. The Quantum Processor 8K delivers the holistic AI that takes the TV viewing experience to a whole new dimension. Our 8K AI upscaling analyzes and upgrades every scene to have an incredible 8K level of resolution, with perfect color, contrast and clarity. It also analyzes the sound in real time and optimizes its expression to immerse the viewer much more into every scene.

Samsung’s 8K AI upscale is an intelligent way to upscale. With machine learning, the processing system analyzes high volumes of complex data, resulting in more accurate output. The results restore the smallest of details, intelligently removes any noise, and sharpens edges of objects and text.

The new QLED 8K TVs bring a level of texture and depth to the screen that enhances the range of color reproduction. And Direct Full Array backlighting and local dimming represents a huge upgrade in lighting management.

The Q900R series includes 65”, 75”, 82”, and 98” models in Boundless 360° Design™ featuring a stunning, clean back and virtually bezel-free design that keeps the focus on the incredible picture. From a designer’s point of view this sleek, clean design looks attractive from any angle.

As TVs continue to get bigger, you’ll want to explain Samsung’s Ultra Viewing Angle technology that is engineered to reduce glare and enhance color, providing a vibrant picture no matter where family members are sitting. With our Quantum Processor 8K, the homeowner’s video library and streaming content are instantly upscaled for sharp detail and refined color. When it comes to color, our Quantum Dot technology produces over a billion shades of color. QLED TVs can produce 100 percent Color Volume², the format for most cinema screens and HDR movies for television.

QLED 4K. Once you see the difference in our 2019 line up there’s no going back. Full array backlighting presents gorgeous blacks and radiant whites. Plus, our intelligent 4K processor¹ upscales the picture and optimizes every scene.

For our custom integration dealers, you’ll want to focus your sales efforts on the Q90R, Q80R and Q70R series, which span from 49” to 82” screen sizes. These models feature our new Boundless 360° Design that will appeal to interior designers and provide your clients with the sleekest, virtually bezel-free design that fits seamlessly into today’s modern interiors. The Q70R series also features Full Array Local Dimming. An array of backlights dramatically enhances the contrast between blacks and whites, delivering scenes that are dazzling in their detail.

The Q90R TVs feature Quantum HDR 16X³ which delivers the lightest to darkest colors, scene by scene, for amazing picture realism. These Q90R models also share the Ultra Viewing Angle technology found in our 4K TVs. So focus your efforts here to separate yourself from the large retailers who will be advertising and promoting mass market TVs that fit a particular budget.

Ambient Mode. The fully updated Ambient Mode is better than ever! This is perhaps the top selling feature for integrators who work with design-build partners. Samsung big screen TVs with Ambient Mode compliments any space by turning a blank screen into enticing visuals or at-a-glance news.

New for 2019 – Ambient now features a staggering amount of living wallpaper: 20 Décor options, three different Information displays, six Photo display options, five Special Edition displays you have to see to believe, and 27 (yes, 27!) Artwork display options. These are major advances and ones you will want to share with your design-build partners.

The Frame. TV when it’s on. Art when it’s off. As you all know, The Frame is as much a work of art as it is a TV. With revolutionary Art Mode and the power of 4K UHD, The Frame transforms from TV to beautiful, lifelike art that fits seamlessly into your home and décor.

New for 2019 – QLED! That’s right, The Frame is a full QLED 4K UHD TV featuring a customizable frame, our No Gap Wall Mount and the Ultra Slim Array that dynamically fine-tunes the deepness of the blacks, to the brightest of the whites, for a picture with sensational contrast. The viewing performance represents our best 4K picture, for both TV viewing and Art Mode viewing.

For custom integrators, The Frame has become a staple and we’re responding to requests you’ve made and introducing new screen sizes to support your efforts in the field. New for 2019 – 43”, 49”, 55” and 65” models will begin shipping soon.

The range of TVs that Samsung produces is truly staggering. Screen sizes from 43” to 98”. HD to 4K to 8K. We’ve introduced elegant solutions (The Frame & Ambient Mode™) to enhance not only the viewing experience, but also how big screen TVs impact the décor and lifestyle of homeowners who invest in Samsung TVs.

As you are all aware, Samsung products are incredibly popular in the United States. The bottom line is that consumers trust the Samsung brand, which is one reason why we are the leader in big screen TVs.

But we all know that one size does not fit all! Our basic HD and 4K TVs are designed to meet price points that are competitive in large retail showrooms, while our QLED 4K and 8K TVs have step-up features that appeal to the higher end of the market.

For our custom integration dealers, we know that you specialize in selling these top-of-the-line QLED products, as your clientele can not only afford the best, but often demand the best! We also realize that you have to invest additional time in the design phase and post-sales customer support phase to ensure your customers are 100 percent satisfied with the installation and performance of these best-in-class products.

Therefore, Samsung Suggested Reseller Pricing (SSRP) has been established to make simulating TV profitability easier for our CI channel. Our intention is to make quoting Samsung product easy for the CI dealer and give confidence that there is a significant margin in our products when purchasing through our vast will-call distribution network. We want you to be profitable when selling Samsung – better for your bottom line and better for our long-term partnership.

As we focus more attention on the CI channel, we’re learning that for those specifiers who are looking at long-term residential projects, gauging profit margin is critical to understanding overall profitability and all that it impacts, from cash flow to labor planning. So we want to introduce a simple set of guidelines we trust will assist in your efforts to manage profitability – the 2019 SSRP guideline.

Coinciding with the launch of our 2019 model line-up, Samsung will be providing dealers with pricing information so you can estimate your profitability as you begin to specify the new products into your new projects.

We know that our CI channel dealers depend on stable pricing structures to ensure profitability and we look forward to getting your feedback on our new 2019 SSRP guideline. Please discuss it with your regional sales managers if you have any questions. The Samsung 2019 TV release is almost upon us and our top-of-the-line products will be our most profitable ever in the CI channel. Have a great selling season and stay profitable!

Here is our list of events Samsung is signed on to participate in for 2019 - so far! There’s a lot of them, right? The Samsung CI team is making every effort to get out in the field to visit with our dealers at key industry events.

We’ll be conducting training and demonstrating the new 2019 products and technology, including 8K. Additionally, we’ll be holding one-on-one meetings with our CI channel dealers to explain and discuss new programs and features for the CI community.

We look forward to presenting some new strategies and areas we can mutually focus on to drive business your way. Our discussions will not only cover the residential market, but also MDU and commercial projects.

Please come by to introduce yourself and learn how Samsung can help grow your business. Or contact your local rep to arrange a more in-depth, one-on-one meeting.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Maxicon is one of the industry’s most recognized integration firms, specializing in residential and commercial automation and entertainment systems. Their extensive team is dedicated to making dreams come true as they work with top design-build partners in South Florida and Panama.

We had a chance to sit down with co-founder and sales manager, Andres Klein to talk about their unique relationship with Samsung, how they are positioning Samsung big screen TVs in the market, and the state of their business in general.

Samsung Connections: Andres, thanks for giving us some time to talk about Maxicon and Samsung. For our readers who aren’t familiar with Maxicon, give us some background information about how you, Ilan and Samuel have built such a formidable design and integration firm.

Andres Klein: Thanks for letting me participate and speak about what a great relationship we’ve been able to build with our partners at Samsung. Maxicon has been around since 2005. We have three partners and at our core is a meeting of the minds and our common love of technology.

Our story actually begins when we were 13 years old. Two of us took care of the AV needs of the theater group in our school. We decided that we wanted to build a TV channel at our school and so we designed an infrastructure and oddly enough the school said okay! So we created a closed circuit station and produced content for the TV channel. That’s really where it all began.

Today, we are a $7M company with 32 employees, with two offices in Miami and one in Panama. Because of the nature of traffic in the Miami metro area, we decided to have one office in North Miami and one in the South. We are serving both commercial and residential markets. Our specialty is really the high-end luxury residential smart home market.

We have two Experience Centers, one in Coral Gables and one in Panama. These design showrooms allow our customers to come in and experience technology and learn about the benefits that come with integrating technology into their lifestyle. They get to listen to music in a great surrounding and watch movies in the best environment possible.

SC: In the Experience Centers, how are you displaying Samsung products and what types of people are utilizing the spaces?

AK: One of the most important things that we are demonstrating with the Samsung TV line is Ambient Mode and also The Frame. The architecture here in South Florida is very modern, with large open great rooms. And for these minimalist décors designers have to be educated about how to use the TV as a piece of art or electronic wallpaper to blend the TV into the space when the TV is in the off position. So we have a lot of designers walking through the showrooms and our staff helps them visualize what a Samsung can add to any given space.

Another feature that we are demonstrating is the new 8K TVs from Samsung. There is lots of natural light in Miami interior designs. 8K panels offer a much brighter experience. We also explain that while there is no 8K content, you can see the effects of upscaling, especially better detail. As you sit closer, you now don’t see pixels. You want to have the biggest screen possible so you feel like you are in a movie theater. Bigger, brighter and closer without pixelization.

SC: As you’ve grown your business, how have you grown your relationship with Samsung?

AK: Since forming the company, we’ve supported Samsung. In fact, the product really sells itself. When we were small we obviously didn’t know a great deal about the people inside of Samsung, but as we grew we started connecting directly with the people within the organization.

We did a commercial project at Miami International Airport and used Samsung for the digital signage we installed and that opened doors for us. And our residential side of the business moved steadily into the luxury space, so as we increased our purchases of larger TVs, that also opened doors for us.

About that time, TV profitability was non-existent for the CI channel. On top of that, the large TV suppliers didn’t understand the additional costs involved for companies like ours in providing white glove service. So Samsung began to change and focus on our needs.

And today, we are very profitable with Samsung, which is very important for the company. But Samsung is also bringing upscale products to our channel. The design and functionality of the new TVs, especially Ambient Mode is just fun to sell. We finally have a product that customers are asking for, exactly what we need to be placing in our luxury market.

I have to say that this isn’t just about a corporate strategy or just a product story. We also have great relationships with the people at Samsung. I’m not only talking about our local sales rep, but also with the distribution through Ingram Micro, our Samsung CI sales manager, and the people who do the training. There isn’t another company like Samsung. No matter who you are dealing with, from sales to training to distribution, you really get the human touch and it feels like family to us.

SC: How else is Samsung supporting your efforts at reaching out to the luxury market and the design-build community?

AK: This past December we co-sponsored an event with Samsung that specifically targeted interior designers. It is called CasaCor Miami. The exhibition consists of more than 20 spaces occupying over 25,000 square feet and thematically rooted in nature and the idea of bringing the energy of the natural environment to the bustling space of the city center. Visitors can move between different micro-environments, from wild roots to technology, to modernism, to naturalism.

The 15-day experiential urban living exhibition gives guests the opportunity to meet participating design professionals and brands while engaging with innovative design ideas that may apply to their own living spaces.

We were there to precisely demonstrate the Frame and Ambient Mode in real spaces, made by designers. The response was amazing. And our Samsung CI sales manager played an important role in ensuring Samsung’s partnership for this event.

SC: Final thoughts. We know you were at CES 2019, any thoughts about Samsung and what’s on the horizon?

AK: Well I was blown away again by The Wall. As you know, we’ve been using LED panels in our commercial division for years. But Samsung’s microLED technology is really something that I think will explode in the residential luxury market.

When we want to cross the threshold of 98” TVs, we begin to talk projection. I think microLED gives us the opportunity to put up a huge display without having to resort to a dedicated theater room. People want open space, great rooms. We have already begun to spec video walls, because imagine a shark tank that doubles as a movie theater. The experience becomes more than just a display.

SC: Andres, thanks again for your time. Always a pleasure.

Samsung’s strategic partnerships offer solutions that simplify system control configuration and cut HDR color calibration time from hours to minutes. We support 3^rd party control solutions from the industry’s leading control companies including Control4, Crestron, RTI, Savant and URC.

What really differentiates Samsung from our competitors? Glad you asked! Here are two tips of the month we’d like to share with you:

Control functionality. The breadth of control functionality we offer integrators is remarkable. We’ve packed our API with over 90 distinct control codes that range from color, brightness, volume, source, launch command support for directly launching audio and video streaming services – the codes you would expect – as well as specialty features you only find in Samsung TVs. The Frame and Ambient Mode™ are programmed into our API so your customers can access these special features directly from their control UI.

Both of these features are major selling points for the CI channel. Whether you are explaining The Frame or Ambient Mode with your customer or their interior designer, it’s important to let them know that they will be able to access these features from their control app, hand controller or LCD touch panel. Art Mode and Ambient mode offer a unique functionality that can be incorporated into a Scene for displaying images on the screen that blend into the room décor when not watching TV programming.

Command code support and compatibility. We’ve developed a comprehensive list of lightning-fast IP and RS232 control commands to directly launch streaming services like Amazon and Netflix and to navigate our Smart Hub platform using our 3^rd party whole home controllers.

Samsung’s list of command codes offers direct control of our TVs that cannot be replicated with a single button touch on our TV’s remote control.

More options, better control compatibility. That saves you time (money) and makes life easier for your customers (happy people, also known as repeat customers!).

One more quick tip of the month . . .

The One Connect Box and In-Wall Cable

We know that for whole-house remodels and new builds, you’re running HDMI cables as part of your digital video matrix system. But keep in mind that for some remodels, particularly older restorations where in-wall cabling is not an option, the One Connect Box (OCB) is a great selling feature.

HDMI cables or HDMI extension solutions (HD_BaseT) can be connected directly to the OCB as opposed to the back of the TV making specialty installations (like over a stone fireplace) easier.

Homeowners and interior designers want a clean look regardless of the room’s décor, and that’s exactly how you should position the One Connect Box feature for our best-in-class big screen TVs. The One Connect Box provides both power and data to our 2019 Q900R and Q90R series of big screen TVs. It makes for a sleek installation that mirrors the sleek look of our best QLED TVs.

And new for 2019 is the One Connect In-Wall Cable⁴. This cable allows for a clutter-free solution with sufficient length for setup between the TV and the One Connect Box and meets UL 1277 and UL 758 requirements for installation inside a wall cavity of one- and two-family dwellings. This system, including the cable, must be installed by a qualified installer who has been trained to install this particular system, such as an integrator/technologist, a custom AV professional, etc.