I daresay that Cape Town is a highlight of any trip to South Africa, Africa’s largest economy. Undoubtedly, the natural beauty of Cape Town makes it one of the most attractive cities in the world. It boasts of beautiful beaches as well as the impressive Table Mountain right in the heart of the city. Though I did not visit the Table Mountain, I heard lots of wondrous tales of its beauty and refreshing ambiance. In Cape Town, restaurants are world class, and so are the wines. I had my fair share of drinking bouts with my mates. But more interestingly, the city also happens to be one of the most culturally diverse cities in Africa and has reputation for social tolerance.
I am not here to talk about my escapades in Cape Town but some of the unique innovations that were on display at the 2013 Samsung Africa Forum. On a personal note, one of the highlights of the forum was the launch of the Samsung S9 UHD television. This sleek but massive TV is indeed a game changer for the industry. Most importantly, though, market demand has finally been met – consumers can watch television, movies and other content on 85-inch of screen, in picture-perfect clarity.
Due to the staggering size of the screen, and a promise to never compromise on quality, Samsung had to revolutionise the digital component usually used when building an Ultra High Definition television. UDH, a digital format that has four times resolution and number of pixels than a HD TV, requires a stronger framework, but the design and technical team insisted that the styling and functionality of the S9 UHD must not be compromised in any way.
Rather than a home appliance, the design team wanted the S9 UHD to become part of the interior decor as a piece of high-quality furniture, enhancing and adding to the value of the user’s home. After experiments with different structures, the Samsung team created an elegant “frame” concept. The screen lives within this design and does not distract from the overall beauty of the piece.
The S9’s sound system is another revolutionary aspect. To stop the TV vibrating, the unit would need a lot of screws, but these looked unsightly. Instead of reducing the quality of the audio, the team successfully developed a technology to absorb the sound. The TV carries a speaker capacity of 120 watts – six times the speaker capacity of general TVs.
As the most premium TV product on the market, the S9 UHD is a complete home entertainment extravaganza. The effect of the screen is totally immersive. With deep blacks and hyper-real colours, seamless integration between the frame and picture and pitch perfect sound that surrounds you, it’s the full experience for the most discerning of all TV ‘aficionadas’ around the world. Pricing is not available yet.
