Digital TV News

Samsung unveils “futureproof” television

Tuesday 10 January, 2012

By Anthony Hill

Face recognition means the ES8000 smart TV watches you.

The world’s best-selling TV maker is leading a “smart” revolution.

Samsung has unveiled an internet-connected television with the ability to have its hardware upgraded annually.

With a slot for inserting components, to boost performance and add new features, the Samsung ES8000 is being dubbed a “futureproof” device. It should help reassure consumers who fear their TV could quickly become outdated.

In addition to “smart evolution capability” as it’s known, the screen also encompasses gesture, voice and face recognition technology. A built-in camera means the ES8000 will know who is watching and bring up their favourite channels or apps as they browse.

The user can scroll over pages with a wave of their hand and control volume or flick through channels by speaking commands that the TV “understands”.

Boo-keun Yoon, Samsung’s president of consumer electronics, unveiled the flagship LED product at the Consumer Electronics Show, which is currently being held in Las Vegas.

Earlier this week, the South Korean manufacturer showed a device that converts standard televisions into “smart” TVs offering high-definition web access, Skype video calling and a wireless keyboard remote.

The InTouch gadget looks like a webcam and is designed to rest on top of the TV set, using a wireless broadband connection to add online content to traditional programming.

InTouch will be launched at $199 (£130) in the United States in April, while the Samsung ES8000 is not yet confirmed for release.