By Jim Mayo

8K. The Wall. The Frame. Multiple awards. Over 42 exciting products on display. Record foot traffic. An amazing team effort. And you, our dealers, who shared your thoughts on what it all means in order to drive our mutual businesses to new heights. Let's take a closer look and unpack our CEDIA Expo 2018 convention news.

THE EXCITING WORLD OF SAMSUNG TV

Real 8K Resolution. There was a tremendous buzz on the show floor as the doors opened Thursday morning. Samsung launched the 85" Q900RA QLED 8K TV and everyone agreed that the image was spectacular. And, we announced that we will begin shipping in October 2018. UPP is set at $14,999.

Our best TV ever combines true-to-life 8K HDR picture quality, AI-powered intelligent upscaling, stunning design, and smart home ready features. You'll find a complete write-up in this issue of Connections, but what more can we say? QLED performance, Real 8K Resolution, 8K AI Upscaling, 8K Quantum Processor, 8K HDR, Full Array Elite Backlight, Ambient Mode™, Q Smart with Bixby Voice, and seamless integration with SmartThings.

The Frame. Our wall display received some of the best comments from our dealers. "I'll never look at TVs the same way again." "I have to share this with my design build colleagues." Our display featured 3rd party automation control where we were able to switch all of the TVs from Art to TV modes, providing a great example of ways the CI channel can utilize The Frame in fully integrated environments. Again, we have a must-read feature article in this edition of Connections about The Frame and hope you will share it with your entire team.

Consumer and Commercial Worlds Collide. At CEDIA Expo, Samsung brought our Consumer and Commercial businesses together like never before. We believe doing so broadens the portfolio of products available to meet specific CI channel needs. For example, a premium Samsung Outdoor TV could be the perfect addition when designing a full home system and we now have options for you from 46" to 85" versions. The Wall and IF Series panel design TVs will allow you to build a TV to any size you need in FHD/UHD or any configuration that works for you. Indoor or outdoor, Samsung has a display for any need, any size, any job.

As you probably noticed, our booth was adjacent to our corporate partners, Harman International. And with our combined resources, Samsung announced the release of two co-branded premium soundbars with Harman Kardon. Thanks to the addition of DTS' proprietary DTS:X technology as well as Dolby Atmos, consumers can enjoy immersive and rich three- dimensional sound.

"Our collaboration with Harman Kardon - an audio leader for 65 years - is a major leap forward as we continue to push the boundaries of premium sound and design for our consumers," said James Kiczek, Vice President of CBD DAV Marketing at Samsung Electronics.

The Wall. Wasn't that image incredible? People were stunned by the clarity and the brightness. With the ongoing refinement of microLED Display technology, Samsung is poised to create an ever-expanding range of opportunities for both commercial and residential sales opportunities.

Thank you, thank you. Our entire team is very appreciative of being recognized for our efforts and we'd like to thank everyone for honoring us at this year's Expo:

• AVS Forum Best of Show, Q900RA 8K 
• CEDIA Best of Show Award, The Wall
• CEDIA Best Booth Award, >3,000 sq. ft. 
• CE Pro Best Award for Most Promising Product, The Wall
• Residential Systems, CEDIA Expo Best-of Show, Q900RA 8K
• Technology EXC!TE Award, The Frame 2018
• TWICE, CEDIA Expo Best-of-Show, Q900RA 8K

A big thank you goes out to all for the recognition of Samsung products and our booth design at CEDIA Expo this year. We are all proud of these awards and it is a great honor to have been chosen. From all of us here at Samsung - our technology innovators and product managers in Korea, all of the team members here in the U.S. responsible for bringing these great products to market, our sales and marketing divisions - together, we are most appreciative for all of these awards and recognition.

FEEDBACK AND COMMITMENT

We really enjoyed walking with our dealers through the booth and we gained invaluable insight and feedback based on so many unique observations. Here are a few comments heard as we walked with our CI partners around the booth. Know that you have our commitment to continue to listen and bring improvements going forward.

• Nice to see Samsung partnering with so many other manufacturers, especially in home automation, to provide better integration of the entire Samsung product line.
• There was a lot of enthusiasm about the technology that will resonate within the design build community and open more doors to technology going forward.
• Happy to see Samsung is expanding their use of world class rep firms so I have more access to Samsung information and can find help fast, this is critical for me to be able to grow my business and serve my customers better.
• Would love to see Samsung bring a showroom/ design center location to my area. The products are so design forward and offer us unique opportunities to sell into new rooms, we need to be able to show them off.

On behalf of our entire team, I'd like to say an important thank you to all of our dealers and partners who visited our booth at CEDIA Expo 2018. The feedback we received from all of you is invaluable as we continue to support your efforts in the field. Our 5-Star Solutions program that we began last year has been a great success and we are redoubling our efforts to bring you improved programs to help your bottom line. There are new products and new solutions for you to offer your clients, with a continued focus on service and support. You make it happen; we've got your back.

In closing, we look forward to these new product releases, new program enhancements and new ways to better serve the needs of our dealer partners in the CI channel. We are committed to your success. Thanks again for your support and thanks for reading! 

By The Editors

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

For those clients who want the very best, we offer the 85" Q900RA. Inspiring the world of TV and shaping the future with transformative ideas and technologies, Samsung proudly introduces the next generation of television.

Real 8K resolution¹: With exceptional depth of detail, our real 8K resolution will draw you in to the picture.

The bigger the TV, the better the resolution needs to be, and that is what 8K resolution is all about. The Q900RA has four times the pixels than a 4K UHD TV and 16 times more pixels than a Full HD TV.

Proprietary AI-powered 8K Upscaling²: Intelligently remasters content so you can enjoy today's content in stunning 8K detail.

AI-powered upscaling enhances lower resolution content to 8K quality. Whether you are viewing via your streaming service or set-top box, HDMI or USB, the 8K Quantum Processor recognizes and up-scales the content to its native 8K resolution. 

Q HDR 8K

Q HDR 8K is powered by HDR10+ technology which precisely optimizes every scene for color, contrast and details. The result is a visual experience that makes the Q900RA such an exciting and dynamic product.

The Q900RA also features Full Array Elite Backlight for enhanced contrast and precise brightness control. And just like all of our QLED models, it delivers 100% Color Volume³ so your customers can experience billions of shades of color for the purest color accuracy Samsung offers.

Packed with exciting features. We didn't forget to include one of the best-selling features of the QLED line-up - Ambient Mode^{TM 4}. Ambient really enhances any lifestyle with its ability to seamlessly blend the TV in the surrounding space, showcasing beautiful images, weather, news and so much more on the screen.

The Q900RA also features a slate of new functions that enable consumers to get the most from their TV, while maintaining the highest quality in picture and sound. For example, the TV recognizes and analyzes a number of connected entertainment devices like audio devices connected via optical cable with the Samsung OneRemote, then automatically switches the TV's image source and audio output for an optimized viewing experience. 

By The Editors

Greg Margolis is the President of the Dallas-based integration firm, HomeTronics. We ran into Greg at CEDIA Expo in San Diego and had the opportunity to sit down with him and get his impression of the Samsung 5-Star Solutions program and some of the new products we debuted at the show.

Samsung Connections: First of all, thanks for taking a few minutes to chat with us. Give our readers a little background on your company, HomeTronics, and your involvement with the CEDIA channel.

Greg Margolis: It's my pleasure to catch up with you and talk about Samsung. As far as HomeTronics goes, we were founded in May of 1986 as a home integration and control system design firm bringing home automation to the market. In fact, before anyone knew what home automation was! Since our earliest years we have continued to seek out, introduce and plan for, new technologies. Sometimes years in advance of their release. And this is an invaluable service, especially in new construction that can take years to complete. Our clients understand that their technology will not be outdated before they ever move in.

SC: Tell us about the team you've assembled at HomeTronics.

GM: Our clients get an experienced team when they contract with HomeTronics. Our Project Engineers design and ensure that systems function to our clients' expectations. Project Managers oversee the entire installation process and know how to properly communicate with the building contractor, architect and the other trades involved on the project. Unlike most A/V firms, we never subcontract programming service, which allows us to maintain a level of consistency and for any system changes to be accomplished in a timely manner. Our level of commitment has resulted in multiple national industry awards and HomeTronics has been featured in over 75 national and international publications.

SC: Let's turn the discussion in the direction of Samsung's 5-Star Solution program. What are your impressions and thoughts?

GM: 5-Star Solutions is pretty amazing, from where I sit as a small business owner. Samsung clearly gets this and the programming they make available for their dealers addresses all of my needs.

And something we've always tried to impress on any company doing business in this channel is that we need just-in-time delivery. I know that any integrator reading this will agree that we don't need product gathering dust in our warehouse, we need it on the job at the right time so we can finish our work and move on to new business. Managing the supply chain in the CI vertical is critical for any company. And we're getting that level of support from Samsung. 

In fact, for a company as large as Samsung is to give this amount of attention to this channel is unheard of. With the largest of companies, and with few exceptions, we often get lost in the mix. Solving problems is like pulling teeth. But with Samsung, the personal level of response has been incredible.

SC: Thanks for the kind words. Let's turn to the booth. What did you like, what impressed you?

GM: Everything. I mean, what's not to like when you walk in and see The Wall? And the new 8K QLED TVs are going to set a new level of video performance. I'm interested in reading more about Samsung's vision of how we'll be introducing this product to the marketplace and how we'll be educating our clients and our design build partners.

Ambient Mode and The Frame continue to amaze. How do you look at a TV again - as just a TV - after you see what you can display in the off mode? And gaming is really becoming more important as the sport continues to explode. I was talking with someone about how you've teamed up with the engineers at Xbox, so I'm glad Samsung is working to stay ahead of the curve and offer their dealers more sales opportunities.

One final comment I'd like to make. The cross-over products, notably the new soundbar involving Samsung, Harmon and Atmos is pretty cool stuff. I'd like to see more of that. Overall, I thought the booth was very effective in demonstrating the scope of products you've brought to market.

SC: Talk to us about how you collaborate with the design build community in order to further your business.

GM: We've been partnering with architects and designers for decades. I would encourage those dealers not involved in education outreach to invest some time in collaboration. Technology touches everything in the modern home and one of our responsibilities is to keep our design partners up to speed on what's coming down the road. Your investment in time will pay significant dividends in the long run.

SC: Greg, once again, thanks for your time. We really appreciate it.

GM: My pleasure.

Greg Margolis | President

HomeTronics
17819 Davenport Road

Suite 210

Dallas, TX 75252

[email protected] 

By The Editors

"Creativity takes courage" - Henri Matisse

If someone were to ask you why art is important, what would you say? Would you say art is important because you don't need language to understand it? Or maybe it's because art says things that language cannot.

Let's face it. In the luxe world of technology integration, most homeowners collect art. For many, art collecting is more than just an investment or a hobby. It's a part of their lifestyle. And with The Frame, you now have a great opportunity to provide a unique solution-based service for your client - that of art curator. Imagine in your proposal that you offer to curate new art collections on a monthly basis, on all of the Samsung Frame TVs throughout the house. All the while providing an enhanced interior décor without compromising the quality of the homeowner's TV viewing experience. This unique service would be a perfect addition to any monthly recurring revenue service plan.

It all starts with The Frame Book⁵.

One of the biggest assets you can use to showcase The Frame is to show your client or their interior designer The Frame Book. The Frame Book is a handsome, custom published book that contains hundreds of beautiful images of the art available for owners of The Frame TV. We encourage all of our authorized Frame dealers to exhibit one in their showroom or design center. This elegant book showcases selections of museum-quality artwork that has been professionally curated in the exclusive Samsung Collection and online Art Store.

Even if you aren't into art yourself, we know you'll recognize some of the artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Pissarro, Picasso, Rembrandt - the list continues with new, emerging artists in multiple disciplines including photography and computer- generated imagery. Start the conversation with your client and paint the picture of how to maximize their technology investment.

"Big birthday party coming up for your granddaughter? Perfect! We'll ask family members to send us photographs of her as she's grown up and our team will upload them to the favorites section in The Frame. We'll even include captions, like Happy Birthday and We love you!" 

That's innovation. That's imagination. That's creativity. And that might be what decides who the client hires for the project. Talk to your Samsung representative about acquiring The Frame Book. (Quantities are limited.)

The Art Store

Samsung has partnered with a growing roster of the world's leading art galleries to offer a library of over 800 artworks by established and emerging artists. This gives the homeowner or their designated art curator the flexibility to design the living space with museum-quality artworks. When your client is ready for new inspiration, change The Frame art via an ongoing subscription or individual purchases. Visit the Samsung Art Store today.⁶

The Frame TV

Whether your client prefers to change the look in their room by themselves or commission someone to anticipate their needs - on a daily basis or as the seasons change - they will be able to bring a fresh look to any room and a fresh vibe for that special dinner party.

When the TV is not in use, and they're nearby, the Motion Sensor detects their presence and turns the Art Mode on, so they can enjoy their favorite art. When they leave, it turns off. And just like how a framed picture looks different during the course of a day, additional sensors adjust the screen brightness based on ambient light in the room.

The Frame's TV pedigree is pure Samsung. 4K UHD with HDR10+ technology boasting images and content just as the director intended. The Frame seamlessly blends in with home décor. When mounted, it hangs flush to the wall thanks to Samsung's proprietary No Gap Wall Mount. The Frame offers four customizable magnetic bezel options - black, white, walnut and beige wood - so that users can easily swap colors to complement the color of the room.

Innovation is the art of using technology in new ways. Imagination is the art of creating innovative products. And at its core, at its essence, The Frame is pure imagination.

Art when it's off, TV when it's on 

By Technical Support

As you probably are aware, Samsung TVs have two incredible features that turn a large black rectangle into something more than just a TV. The Frame and Ambient Mode™. And, if you've designed these products into your clients' homes, you probably know that you need to download the Samsung Smart app onto an Android or IOS phone in order to access the Smart app and upload content to the TVs.

For The Frame, you have over 100 selections of art to choose from, or you can upload photos supplied by your customer. Ambient Mode has various backgrounds you can also program into the TV.

Here is our Tech Tip of the Month:

Samsung has partnered with six of the most popular home automation companies - AMX, Control4, Crestron, RTI, Savant, and URC. Our TV API supports over 80 command functions, including Netflix, YouTube, etc. But here's the tip of the month: Don't forget to assign a command code to activate The Frame for Art Mode or the QLED TV's Ambient Mode, so the customer doesn't have to reach for their phone and access the Smart app!

You can program Art or Ambient command codes into our 3rd party partners' remotes, phone or tablet apps, or wall-mounted touch screen control displays. Assign the appropriate key and simply label it "Art Mode" or "Ambient". Then it's just a matter of pre- selecting art or background images with your customer, uploading their preferences, and then demonstrating how simple it is for them to activate these exciting features directly from their automation control system. 

And that's your Tech TIp of the Month.