Making and selling television sets is a tough business, especially in a global economic downturn.
Unlike with smartphones, consumers tend to hang on to their set until it dies of old age or a power surge – or, worse, an intruder – takes it off their hands.
And during that brief window period in which a consumer is in the market for a new set, competition among the leading brands is fierce.
So much so, that once-dominant brands like Sony have retreated to the extent that there are persistent rumours it will exit the TV market altogether.
Against this backdrop, the news that South Korean multinational Samsung has notched up its 10th year in a row as the global TV market leader is impressive. It is also Samsung’s 10th year of dominating the South African TV market, according to leading global market research organisation, GfK.
So how has Samsung managed this feat? Hard-nosed negotiating and razor-thin margins for retailers are part of the picture. But these tactics will only get you so far. In the end, you have to make products the public wants. Really, really wants. And in this, Samsung has succeeded admirably.
For a prime example of this, you need look no further than its new line of SUHD TVs. I got a chance to eyeball the new range at the South African launch in Johannesburg recently and they are truly exquisite.
I’ll get to a description of them shortly, but first I’ll attempt to answer a common question: “What the heck is SUHD?”
For the moment, let’s set aside the ‘S’ part of the term and focus on the UHD part. It stands for ultra-high definition. It’s usually used interchangeably with another term, 4K, to refer to resolutions of 3 840 x 2 160 pixels and upwards.
Strictly speaking, UHD and 4K aren’t the same thing, but in practice when most manufacturers talk about UHD, they’re referring to 4K. In essence, it’s high definition on steroids.
“So what’s SUHD, then?” I hear you ask. Good question. Samsung’s been coy in telling us what the “S” stands for although the latest press release used the word “super”.
In my view, having seen the new second-generation SUHD line-up, Samsung may use any “S” superlative they like. “Super”, “sexy”, “scintillating” – you get the picture. These are stunning devices and not just in terms of picture quality, although I’ll start with that.
They come equipped with second-generation “quantum dot” technology which, says Samsung, is renowned for its durability and extraordinary lasting picture quality.
An explanation of quantum dot technology would take up way more space than I have here, so I’ll leave it to Samsung’s Matthew Thackrah to give you the elevator pitch. “The material used for this cutting-edge display can reproduce the purest and most accurate colours as individual nanoparticles. These are smaller than one 10 000th the diameter of a human hair and deliver the cleanest and most vivid colours yet.”
In addition, the new TVs also incorporate “Hollywood standard” HDR 1 000 technology. “This allows viewers to enjoy visuals in great detail, whether the image is dark or bright. In addition, it can recreate brighter hues at a lower energy consumption than the first generation SUHD TVs.”
If much of that went over your head, don’t worry. Just pop into your nearest Samsung stockist and see the difference for yourself.
What was also clear from the launch is that Samsung has grasped the fact that picture quality isn’t enough to stay ahead of the game in today’s ultra-competitive market. The TV set itself needs to be a work of art.
“What consumers want is art in the living room – a beautiful TV that fits seamlessly with their living space and furniture.”
Thackrah wasn’t exaggerating. The new TVs with their curved lines, near-non-existent bezels and attractive stands do look wonderful from every angle. And the good news is that in future you won’t have to cough up a fortune for one of these high-end masterpieces to benefit from Samsung’s approach to aesthetics.
“This design approach is not limited to just our premium models, but includes our entry-level TVs as well,” Thackrah said.
Another thing Samsung gets is that a TV isn’t a stand-alone device, but needs to fit into an ecosystem of devices including games consoles, speaker systems and satellite decoders.
Apart from being internet-connected, the “Smart Hub” built into the new line of Samsung TVs will auto detect all connected devices, such as decoders, gaming consoles or home theatre and audio accessories.
These are managed through a centralised visual dashboard on the “home” screen, which means you can control all of these devices with just one TV remote, so no more rooting around under the cushions for that elusive DStv remote.
That’s the promise, at least. I look forward to testing it out when a review unit becomes available. In my experience, this “one remote to rule them all” approach is never as simple in practice as it is in theory, although if anyone can pull it off it’ll be Samsung.
Alas, quality like this does not come cheap. Prices start at R33 000 for the 55-inch model and rise to R65 000 for the top-end 65-inch.
To sweeten the deal, Samsung is offering a free Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge smartphone if you pre-order one of its new SUHD curved TVs by June 26.
Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper.