Wednesday, Aug 16, 2017

Dubai

Samsung is trying to differentiate itself in the highly competitive and diversified market by adding new features to the existing ultra-high definition (4K) smart TV technology.

On Wednesday, the South Korean firm launched The Frame by merging art and technology.

Sangin Ha, head of TV business at Samsung Electronics Gulf, told Gulf News after the launch that the TV looks like a picture frame hanging on a wall when in ‘art mode’.

More than 100 art pieces in 10 different categories — including landscape, architecture, wildlife, action, drawing and more — are available with the TV.

Ha said that the TV also has an arts store where customers can buy arts but it is not available now.

The 55-inch model is priced at Dh6,999 and the 65-inch model at Dh10,999 and available from Thursday.

“Samsung is looking beyond the traditional black box and taking an artful approach to TV,” he said.

According to research firm Technavio, the global TV market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 9.62 per cent during the period 2017-2021. The LCS segment accounted for the majority of the market share last year and it is expected to continue to dominate the market during the forecasted period.

Futuresource Consulting said in its latest report that 4K TV sales are poised to grow by a further 38 per cent in 2017 to account for more than a third of the TV market from 25 per cent last year.

David Tett, ‎market analyst at Futuresource Consulting, said that TV market was flat year-on-year at 226 million units in 2016 following a small decline in 2015.

He said that manufacturers are emphasising new features in a bid to entice consumers to upgrade their sets.

According to research firm GfK, Samsung’s TV market share in the UAE for 2016 amounted to 36 per cent of the total market share, recording a year-on-year growth of 8 per cent in the first half of this year.

“We have also seen a positive increment on our premium products (i.e. $1,500 and above) for the first half of this year, amounting to a total of 56 per cent of the overall market share in the TV industry. TVs above the 55-inch range amounted to 43 per cent of the overall market share,” Ha said.

As people are increasingly consuming content on smaller screens, he said that the TV truly has to deliver on the superior performance quotient and deliver in terms of the viewing experience. In addition to picture quality, the size has also become an important consideration for consumers who are looking at larger displays to fill their living spaces.

“In terms of adding to the lifestyle quotient, the design of the TV plays a major role in customer considerations — particularly how it will fit into their space. We believe that the TV market in this region is in high demand,” he said.

By Naushad K. Cherrayil Staff Reporter

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