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Samsung Puts Micro LED, 8K And More OLEDs Front And Center At CES 2024

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9 months ago

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Nothing says ‘CES has officially started’ more than Samsung’s First Look event, where it books out a posh venue on the Sunday before the official CES press Monday and fills it with the latest TV screens and AV technologies it considers to be the highlights of its upcoming range. This event has just taken place for 2024, and as usual it delivered a busy mix of the big, the bright, the familiar and the new.

For what felt like the umpteenth time, the biggest wow factor came from the section of the Samsung First Look event given over to the brand’s Micro LED screens. On show were Micro LED screens in 140-inch, 114-inch, 101-inch, 89-inch and 76-inch screen sizes, all looking as resplendent as ever thanks to their spectacular combination of extreme brightness, peerless contrast and colossal color ranges.

The only catch is that we’ve seen this all before. Samsung has been dazzling visitors to the CES with Micro LED goodness for years now – yet despite repeated promises, these dazzling screens just never seem to come to market At least in any meaningful numbers, and certainly not at any sort of price that anyone who isn’t a multimillionaire would be able to take on.

Samsung really is adamant this time, though, that the entire range of Micro LED screens (which feature full TV features including built-in sound and smart systems) on show at its First Look event will be available to consumers at some point in 2024. Including the new ‘small’ (by Micro LED’s famously epic standards) 76-inch model, which I have to say would make a truly spectacular display for any reasonably sized living room.

Samsung does still admit, though, that while it won’t yet confirm pricing, if they really do appear, every Micro LED model will have a ‘beyond premium’ price tag attached to it.

With this in mind, while Samsung’s new Micro LED models might have captured my initial attention during the first look event, the brand’s main relatively mainstream focus this year is actually on its 8K TVs.

This might seem strange at first glance given the oft-reported failure of 8K content to achieve any significant market penetration despite years of trying. Samsung clearly sees 8K as an area of core competency for its TV division, though – particularly now that fewer and fewer rival brands seem to be throwing much effort into developing their own ‘next gen’ 8K TVs.

You don’t have to look too deeply at the story behind Samsung’s new 8K TVs for 2024 to see another reason why Samsung continues to put so much store in them. The big new feature for these new 8K TVs is a new Neo QLED 8 AI Gen3 processor. This inelegantly named system claims to be driven by a neural processing unit that’s twice as fast as the one used in Samsung’s 2023’s 8K TVs, while the number of neural networks the latest processor can draw on has increased an incredible eight-fold, from 64 in 2023 to 512 for 2024.

The single most important thing about this huge processing leap is that it should deliver yet another leap in the quality of Samsung’s upscaling of 4K, HD and even (shudder) standard definition content to the 8K TVs’ native resolution. I’ve had the chance to see this new upscaler running with both SD and HD content, and can confirm that it’s a big improvement over any previous 8K upscaler I’ve ever seen, delivering some genuinely remarkable results. Which really matters, as it makes it easier for Samsung to make the case that 8K TVs don’t need to be receiving native 8K images to make a difference to picture quality.

As well as the new improved 8K upscaler, the latest 8K TV processor will bring AI Motion Enhancer Pro, which will be able to detect different types of sport and adjust accordingly the way motion processing addresses fast-moving players, balls and so on to make them less affected by common motion processing distortions.

The new processor will also add details and a better sense of depth to fast-moving scenes thanks to a Real Depth Enhancer Pro feature that introduces more precise real time control of the 8K TVs’ Mini LED lighting systems. In particular, this feature will be able to detect the ‘focus points’ of every image and give them a little more emphasis, in the same way your eyes do in the real world.

The latest 8K screens have all benefitted from an ‘Infinity Air Design’ aesthetic revamp, too, that sees the 8K TVs’ bodies being reduced to a depth of just 12.9mm.

The 8K TVs offer a couple of new audio features too: a 2024 version of Samsung’s Q Symphony feature that lets you easily add multiple wireless speakers and a sound bar to the TV’s own speakers, and an Active Voice Amplifier Pro feature that uses AI to separate vocals from the rest of a mix so that vocal tracks can be made clearer and louder without affecting the rest of the mix.

Actually getting more floor space (if not quite as much prominence) than 8K at Samsung’s CES First Look event was an expanded range of OLED screens. Two things in particular caught my eye in this section: The addition of new 42-inch and 48-inch models, and the application to Samsung’s latest S95D flagship Quantum Dot OLED TV of a new Anti Glare screen coating (developed by Samsung’s TV division, rather than by the Samsung Display QD OLED panel supplier) that really did seem to do a pretty remarkable job of soaking up every reflection Samsung’s demonstration deliberately threw at it.

The S95D will be available in a 77-inch QD OLED version as well as the more mainstream 55 and 65-inch models for 2024, and Samsung is claiming that it’s managed to find as much as 20% more brightness over 2023’s S95Cs. Colors on the S95Ds remain ‘Pantone Validated’ for accuracy too, while the brand’s step down S90D QD OLED and new S85D WRGB OLED ranges (not all of these ranges will be available in every global territory) will gain new screen sizes, extending Samsung’s OLED range from 42 and 48-inch screen sizes all the way up to 83 inches.

While Samsung also had entertaining sections at its First Look event devoted to its lifestyle products including The Frame TVs (which will now offer 2,500 artworks as part of its Art Store experience and a new low frame rate Art Mode that reduces energy costs by up to 10%); The Premiere 8K Ultra short throw projector; and The 2nd-gen Freestyle projector, the last truly new things that really caught my eye were actually a trio of audio devices.

The Music Frame is a cool twist on the portable speaker market that builds drivers invisibly into photo and painting frames. You can use these as standalone wireless speakers, or pair them with Samsung TVs and soundbars via Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature.

Then, finally, there are two new soundbars. The flagship HW-Q990D delivers the same 11.1.4 channel configuration we’ve seen from Samsung’s flagship soundbars for a couple of generations now, but adds improved AI sound optimization and, finally, support for 4K/120Hz through its HDMI loop through system.

The HW-S800D delivers an ultra-thin (just 1.6-inch deep) design, enabling it to fit into almost any space, while still delivering a powerful Dolby Atmos sound performance thanks to squeezing 10 drivers – including dedicated centre and overhead speakers – into its stylish form.

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

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1 week ago

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October 8, 2024

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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

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Tight deadlines on software projects can put safety at risk: survey

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2 weeks ago

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October 8, 2024

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TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.

Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.

The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.

The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.

The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.

Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.

“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.

The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.

“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.

However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.

That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.

“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”

The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.

About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.

“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.

Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Beware of scams during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm

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2 weeks ago

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October 8, 2024

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As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.

In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.

The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”

“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.

“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”

Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.

Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.

In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.

Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.

“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.

“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.

Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.

Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.

“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.

“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.

As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.

But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.

Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.

The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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