Samsung CES 2017 Event Live Blog
by Joshua Ho & Billy Tallis on January 4, 2017 4:36 PM EST
05:01PM EST - We're here at Samsung's CES Press Conference. Josh is on photos and Billy is on text.
05:01PM EST - The stage props suggest a home automation theme
05:03PM EST - Intro video rolling. Refrigerator and curved monitors
05:03PM EST - Tim Baxter, President and COO of Samsung Electronics America
05:04PM EST - "This was a challenging year for Samsung"
05:04PM EST - "despite our setbacks, we have not stopped innovating"
05:05PM EST - more than 5M Gear VR devices
05:07PM EST - 3 key areas of focus
05:07PM EST - 1. build products that fit your life
05:07PM EST - appliances, lightweight mobile computers
05:07PM EST - 2. "elegant, thoughtful design"
05:08PM EST - "just as beautiful turned off as turned on"
05:08PM EST - 3. IoT: "not just a buzzword, it guides our strategy"
05:08PM EST - building a more expansive set of connected devices
05:09PM EST - "we have IoT products in every appliance category"
05:09PM EST - "because that's what consumers want"
05:09PM EST - every Samsung TV will be a smart TV
05:09PM EST - features/services like Samsung SmartThings and Samsung Pay
05:10PM EST - acquiring Harman for automotive technology
05:11PM EST - now playing a video about Samsung's TVs
05:12PM EST - customers listing what they want from their next TV: 4k, HDR, streaming
05:13PM EST - on stage: Joe Stinziano, Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics America
05:13PM EST - UHD market grew 70% last year
05:13PM EST - Samsung has 46.4% TV market share in US
05:14PM EST - Quantum Dot technology: improved image quality
05:14PM EST - no degradation over time like with OLED
05:15PM EST - branded as Samsung QLED TV
05:15PM EST - being revealed on stage
05:16PM EST - supports "nearly all" of DCI P3 color space
05:17PM EST - 1500-2000 nits brightness
05:18PM EST - TV connects through one optical cable to a breakout box
05:18PM EST - no-gap wall mount
05:19PM EST - multiple options for stands
05:20PM EST - showing a TV with a wood bezel, mimicing a picture frame
05:21PM EST - now on stage: Won Jin Lee, Executive Vice President, Samsung Electronics
05:21PM EST - talking about TV as a hub for entertainment
05:23PM EST - virtual remote: Smart View app for Android and iOS
05:24PM EST - personalized discovery: unifying watching recommendations from multiple sources
05:25PM EST - including sports streaming from multiple partners
05:25PM EST - 4k and HDR streaming from Netflix and Amazon built-in
05:26PM EST - TV Plus for US market: find and buy 4k content
05:27PM EST - Joe Stinziano back on stage, talking about audio innovations
05:28PM EST - expanding line of sound bars with Samsung Sound+ soundbar
05:28PM EST - bass down to 35Hz, can attach directly to TV
05:29PM EST - upscaling to 32-bit audio (as if that matters)
05:30PM EST - second generation UHD blu-ray players
05:30PM EST - 31.5" WQHD curved monitor (1800R curvature) in early 2017
05:31PM EST - QLED TVs shipping February
05:31PM EST - now on stage: John Herrington to talk about appliances
05:32PM EST - recapping last year's new products
05:32PM EST - theme of more flexibility from appliances
05:33PM EST - laundry: washers and dryers with small top-loading compartment and larger front-loading compartment
05:33PM EST - FlexWash and FlexDry
05:35PM EST - FlexWash: 1 cu. ft. top, 5 cu. ft. front compartment
05:36PM EST - FlexDry: 7.5 cu. ft. main dryer
05:36PM EST - moving to kitchen appliances
05:36PM EST - more built-in appliances, all with IoT
05:38PM EST - expanding Family Hub line of refrigerators: all French Door models will have Family Hub 2.0 option
05:39PM EST - voice control, display shows what's inside fridge
05:39PM EST - everybody seems to be having the same ideas for smart appliances
05:41PM EST - Family Hub 2.0 features: order groceries online, leave notes on screen, music streaming from Spotify, Pandora
05:42PM EST - first generation Family Hub products will get an upgrade with most of the new features
05:42PM EST - done with appliances
05:43PM EST - now on stage: Alanna Cotton talking about wearables
05:45PM EST - new apps for Gear S3 smart watch
05:46PM EST - new notebook PCs
05:47PM EST - new Chromebook with support for Android apps
05:47PM EST - Samsung Chromebook Plus and Chromebook Pro
05:47PM EST - Chromebook Pro with Intel Core m3
05:48PM EST - Chromebook Plus with ARM processor
05:48PM EST - digitizer pen included
05:49PM EST - talking about new Notebook 9 with Kaby Lake, GeForce 940MX
05:50PM EST - new gaming laptop: Samsung Notebook Odyssey
05:51PM EST - dual fans, large vent on bottom
05:51PM EST - 2.5mm key travel, curved key caps
05:51PM EST - anti-glare screen
05:52PM EST - Kaby Lake Core i7
05:52PM EST - 17-inch has twice the RAM and SSD
05:52PM EST - black and red color scheme
05:53PM EST - wrapping up now
05:54PM EST - We'll be visiting Samsung's booth for a closer look at the new products. That's all for now.
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FMinus - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
I miss the days on Pioneer Kuros, where the screen was just a screen, taking input of whatever you plug in.fanofanand - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
"05:09PM EST - every Samsung TV will be a smart TV"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Looks like you will need to shop elsewhere as Samsung doesn't believe people like you exist.
philehidiot - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
There is a market for people who want simple home appliances. For example I want a microwave with two knobs - power and time. The rest is meaningless crap that could do anything depending on their interpretation of my needs. Same with washer - just needs a temperature and a type of clothing (I. E. Standard, delicate, heavy soil, half load). The more complex an item of this kind, the less I find it meets my needs... That said, I shave with either a straight edge or a slant bar so I'm probably a little old fashioned.Meteor2 - Friday, January 6, 2017 - link
You can still buy simple appliances. You can also now buy more sophisticated stuff which some people find useful. I can't see the problem.jm04sure - Friday, January 6, 2017 - link
Just another easy way to spread Denial of Service via hacking your fridge.fanofanand - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
You have to wonder how much innovation is being stifled by Comcast and their data caps. I'd love to stream HDR 4K but unfortunately I'd only get a few dozen hours of that per month before my cap was exceeded. My adoption of 4K (or lack thereof) is in direct correlation to my ability to stream videos in 4K, which no person reasonably can with the limitations currently in place. The barriers from entry into the ISP space need to be reduced/eliminated so the US can catch up to the rest of the world.FMinus - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
True, if I had caps here in Europe, I'd be without internet by the 5th of each month, probably sooner.philehidiot - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
I have a 6gb cap purely for mobile data and I've exceeded that a few times. Bearing in mind morning and evening are served by WiFi, I dread to think of the impact of a broadband data cap. I'd probably implode.Kepe - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
Yeah, I have an LTE modem/router as my home internet connection (50/20 mbps, 20 €/mo). Last year I had multiple months with over 1 terabyte of data transferred per month. I have no idea how people in the US can manage with those miserable data caps on everything.m2inor - Thursday, January 5, 2017 - link
No data caps with my 30/30 Mbps Frontier FiOS connection.Frontier purchased the FiOS service from Verizon here in Oregon.