Samsung has kicked off the actual in-person business of the latest CES in Las Vegas in its usual spectacular style by unveiling its biggest – in every way – TV range ever.
There are many highlights to cover, but I suspect the news likely to excite AV fans the most is the revelation that Samsung will be not only launching a 77-inch Quantum Dot OLED TV to sit alongside new, improved 55 and 65-inch versions, but will also be selling two QD OLED ranges.
Both the premium S95C and more affordable S90C new QD OLED ranges will be available in 55, 65 and 77-inch screen sizes and use the new, improved generation of QD OLED panels.
Using the latest QD OLED panels means both ranges will benefit from the apparently substantial brightness and color performance improvements previously reported by QD OLED manufacturer Samsung Display. This will see brightness increasing by seemingly as much as 30% over 2022’s models, and color achieving more consistent, balanced and, above all, vibrant saturations.
The main differences between the QD OLED ranges will be that the premium S95C range will ship with external ‘One Connect’ connection boxes, and support a much more powerful multi-channel audio system.
Also promised by Samsung for its new QD OLED TVs is perceptual colour mapping designed to express colors so that they more closely resemble the way your eyes see the real world; an OLED brightness booster feature that works at pixel level to deliver optimised bright and dark areas; and 4K AI upscaling that now benefits from the combined knowledge of no less than 20 neural networks.
Gamers, meanwhile, will be excited to learn that Samsung’s S95C QD OLEDs will be the first OLED TVs ever to achieve AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro certification.
While I suspect Samsung’s new QD OLEDs will be for most consumers the star attraction of its 2023 CES showing, it’s actually Samsung’s Mini LED TVs that continue to be positioned as the brand’s premium models. So it’s great to discover that unlike its 2022 Mini LED models, Samsung’s 2023 sets will benefit from an increase in the number of dimming zones they use to illuminate their pictures. Samsung won’t discuss exact numbers, but it’s certainly implied that the number of extra zones introduced this year is pretty extensive, at least on the flagship QN95 4K and QN900 8K ranges. In fact, industry rumors suggest we could even be looking at as much as a four-fold zone increase in at least the top Mini LED models.
The Mini LED TVs will get the latest version of Samsung’s Quantum Matrix light and power control system, as well as a neural quantum processor to apply the results of Samsung’s advanced picture AI system.
Among the new features delivered by the latest processor are Real Depth Enhancer Pro, which enhances the sense of 3D depth in the image by using deep learning to better understand which parts of any image your eyes will most likely be focused on, and then enhancing the image around that focal point to add more natural emphasis.
If you go for one of Samsung’s new 8K TVs, you will also benefit from improved 8K AI Upscaling that draws on the combined knowledge of a huge 64 neural networks in judging how to add the colossal amount of pixels required to convert 4K, HD and even SD to 8K. Previously this process only involved 20 neural networks.
After abandoning it for years, Samsung is also bringing back SDR to HDR conversion for 2023. The reason for the return of this feature is, once again, Samsung’s increased confidence in the deep learning algorithms of its AI picture analysis system, working in tandem with SDR and HDR image databases installed on Samsung’s latest chipsets.
The Object Tracking Sound systems in Samsung’s Mini LED TVs will also benefit from improvements generated by the new TVs’ improved processors, especially with the 8K models, creating a more immersive sound stage, delivering greater voice clarity, and providing a (very welcome) loudness equaliser.
One thing worth noting if you’re thinking of buying a Samsung 8K TV in 2023 is that your out of the box picture preset will likely look pretty dim – certainly much dimmer than the TV is capable of being – thanks to the EU’s ridiculously restrictive new TV power limitation regulations. So don’t forget to switch to another preset or turn off the TV’s eco picture settings to unlock what your new Samsung 8K TV is capable of.
if you’re looking for exact model numbers for Samsung’s 2023 Mini LED range, the Neo QLED 8K range will feature QN900, QN800 and QN700 models, all built around a premium super-slim design, while the Neo QLED 4K TVs will be built around QN95, QN90 and QN85 ranges.
Other more general new features common to Samsung’s latest mainstream TVs include extensive improvements to the ease with which they connect with other devices in the home, be they IoT devices, smartphones or Galaxy Buds headphones, as well as new light, sound and camera sensors allowing you to use the TV to set up light scenarios and the like in your home.
Samsung’s desire to deliver the best TVs for gaming also sees it delivering multiple new gaming features, such as a Super Ultrawide Game view and an improved Game bar that introduces a 16:9 Mini Map zoom-in feature, mini-map sharing that now supports consoles, and dual screen support – where the game plays on alongside a window showing something else, such as a YouTube play guide – that will cover a wider range of sources without adding anything to the screens’ all-important response time. Talking of which, Samsung is pushing for consistent Game Mode input lag across its premium TV range of 5.8ms with 4K/120 content and under 5ms with 4K/144Hz content.
The Gaming Hub will be improved by better Gamepass compatibility too, and there will be a new Virtual Aim Point feature to enhance your FPS gaming skills.
In some territories Samsung will be upping its in-home healthcare support, including monitoring of heart rate, stress and even oxygen saturation and respiration rates, all, remarkably, without the need for external equipment.
Samsung’s new 8K TVs will introduce the facility to access 8K NFTs as part of Samsung’s Ambient ‘screensaver’ system in a bid to add more 8K content to the very limited amounts currently available elsewhere.
Samsung has also started to refine the new full-screen Tizen smart system that launched last year to rather unhelpful effect, taking steps to simplify the presentation and increase the personalisation options.
No Samsung CES announcement would be complete without another mention of Micro LED TVs that we (as in, people who can’t afford to own a mansion or a super-yacht) will likely never have a prayer of being able to buy. So for 2023 Samsung is saying it will be able to sell modular (stitched together from much smaller Micro LED ‘blocks’) Micro LED displays in 140, 114, 101 and, crucially for living room adoption, 89, 76, 63 and even 50-inch screen sizes.
The ability to offer new, much smaller screen sizes will see Samsung taking a new marketing approach to its Micro LED offering for 2023. With Micro LED manufacturing processes still not advancing as quickly as hoped, though, even if the smallest Micro LED screens really do come to market for a change, they’ll still unlikely be cheap enough to be accessible to the vast majority of consumers.
Wrapping up Samsung’s 2023 CES AV display announcements are some innovations to its increasingly successful ‘ifestyle’ product range. Particularly eye-catching here is the promised launch in 2023 of an 8K version of Samsung’s The Premiere ultra short-throw laser projector that’s capable of driving a screen size of as much as 150 inches.
Owners of Samsung’s extraordinary little Freestyle portable projector, meanwhile, will be able to enjoy a new Smart EDGE Blending feature in 2023 that enables users to use two Freestyles together to deliver a 21:9 aspect ratio image with no obvious seam between their pictures.
Samsung’s popular The Frame range of designer TVs will be able to be partnered with a new metal bezel design, and mounted on an optional rotating wall mount and stand, bringing the automatic rotation and vertical viewing experience familiar with Samsung’s The Sero TV to both The Frame and Samsung’s new Neo QLED TVs.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.
The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells.
There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.
Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate.
“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”
Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.
“Call of Duty,” which first began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set in World War II, has expanded into an empire worth billions of dollars now owned by Microsoft. But it also has been controversial as its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. China and Russia both banned chapters in the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.
But there have been other games recently that won praise for their handling of the Mideast. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” published last year won praise for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.
Copenhagen, 22.10.2024 – COBOD International, the global leader in 3D construction printing technology, proudly introduces the BOD3 3D Construction Printer for 3D printing of real concrete. Equipped with an extendable ground-based track system, the BOD3 advances the construction process by eliminating printer downtime between multiple buildings on the same site, setting anew benchmark for productivity and efficiency. The BOD3 is the most advanced solution for high-volume low-rise construction and a very effective alternative to conventional construction methods.
The heart and key feature of the new BOD3 3D printer is the advanced extendable ground-based track system. This system enables limitless extension along the Y-axes (length), expanding the printable area to cover 2 or 3 buildings, and reducing setup time to a single installation for multi-building projects. It’s a game-changer, allowing continuous, uninterrupted printing across large sites, increasing efficiency for high volume and mass production at an unmatchable scale.
Render of COBOD BOD3 3D Construction Printer.
The BOD3, COBOD’s third printer model, is the outstanding achievement of years of dedicated research, development, and close collaboration with customers. It is a vital advancement in automated construction technology, directly addressing the urgent global demand for faster, smarter, more efficient and sustainable building solutions. Like every COBOD 3D printer, the BOD3’s modular design offers customization, allowing it to easily adapt to any customer’s size wishes in addition to complying with the various sizes of construction sites anywhere in the world.
The BOD3 follows COBOD’s vision to build smarter through automation. Its operational stand combines the control and monitoring of both the 3D printer and supplementary equipment in one user-friendly system. The Advanced Hose Management System (AHMS) transports 3D printable material from the materials delivery system to the printhead via hoses secured within E-chains, minimizing physical labor and optimizing material flow. With the addition of the dual dosing system for additives, operators can better control the concrete and adapt it to onsite environmental conditions. By introducing additives directly at the printhead, the system reduces drying time between layers, speeding up the overall construction process. Designed for easy operation and precision, the BOD3 can be operated by a small, trained, and certified team, reducing the costs of projects.
Incorporating the innovative Universal X-Carriage, the BOD3 is ready for future COBOD advancements and technologies, like the introduction of additional tools for the printer aimed at insulating, painting, sanding, etc. This ensures long-term versatility and performance that will keep the BOD3 at the forefront of the industry for years to come.
Universal X-Carriage with Printhead.
Already deployed to the global market, the BOD3 is currently active in Indonesia, by Modula Tiga Dimensi, Angola, by Power2Build, andBahrain, by Ab’aad 3D. The customers report faster project execution with near-zero downtime between individual buildings on the same site. The projects showcase the BOD3’s ability to speed up construction and print with real concrete, with 99% locally sourced materials and 1% of innovative D.fab, a co-developed solution by COBOD and Cemex to make concrete 3D printable.
Henrik Lund-Nielsen, Founder and General Manager of COBOD, commented on the BOD3: “The global housing crisis demands a more efficient construction solution that is faster, more efficient, and scalable. The BOD3 is our answer to this challenge. Drawing on years of research and expertise, we’ve designed the BOD3 with innovative features, making it our most cost-effective and efficient model yet for multiple low-rise buildings. Its design supports high-volume, linear production of houses, enabling mass production without compromising quality. The fact that six units have already been sold before its official launch speaks volumes about the BOD3’s market demand and the trust our customers place in our technology.”
Michael Holm, Chief Innovation Officer at COBOD, states, “The advanced ground-based track system was developed as a response to our customers’ needs to increase efficiency and productivity. Now the 3D construction printer can be easily extended, and multiple consecutive structures can be printed with minimal repositioning and zero downtime between projects, making 3D construction printing more efficient than ever before.”
The BOD3 is now available for purchase worldwide; for more information, please visit our website, www.cobod.com, or contact us at info@cobod.com.
COBOD stands as the global leader in supplying 3D printers for the construction sector, with over 80 printers distributed across North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Driven by a mission to revolutionize construction through multifunctional robots based on 3D printing, COBOD envisions automating half of the construction processes to achieve faster, cost-effective, sustainable results with enhanced design versatility.
From residential, commercial, and public buildings, COBOD’s 3D printers have been instrumental in erecting 1- to 3-story structures across all six inhabited continents. The innovative technology also extends to fabricate large-scale data centers, wind turbine towers, tanks, and more.
Embracing an open-source material approach, COBOD collaborates with global partners, including customers, academia, and suppliers. The company, backed by prominent shareholders such as General Electric, CEMEX, Holcim, and PERI, operates from its main office in Copenhagen, Denmark, and regional competence centers in Miami, Florida, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. COBOD’s dynamic team comprises over 100 professionals from 25 diverse nationalities.
ABOUT MODULA TIGA DIMENSI
PT Modula Tiga Dimensi is a joint venture between Bakrie & Brothers (BNBR) and COBOD. BNBR focuses on offering and providing solutions for housing backlog problems currently encountered by the country.
Teaming up with COBOD International, the company is now set to adopt the latest 3D printing construction technology and is ready to offer the Indonesian market a new and better solution to housing obstructions.
ABOUT POWER2BUILD
Reshaping the construction sector and adapting it to urgent human needs.
Power2Build is a technology company for the construction industry, prepared to establish partnerships with private, public, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) so that they can make the transition to Build 4.0 through 3DCP.
We offer our clients value-added services and high-quality projects, always with a multidisciplinary approach that brings together the necessary experience to deal with complex issues.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence‘s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them.
Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Only 50% of the respondents fell under the Maximalist or Underground categories, posing a challenge for businesses that want their workers to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently discussed the excitement and tension surrounding AI at work with Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics.
Q: What do you make about the wide range of perceptions about AI at work?
A: It shows people are experiencing AI in very different ways, so they have very different emotions about it. Understanding those emotions will help understand what is going to drive usage of AI. If people are feeling guilty or nervous about it, they are not going to use it. So we have to understand where people are, then point them toward learning to value this new technology.
Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI at work, but what is different about their attitudes?
A: Maximalists are all in on AI. They are getting value out of it, they are excited about it, and they are actively sharing that they are using it, which is a really big driver for usage among others.
The Underground is the one that is really interesting to me because they are using it, but they are hiding it. There are different reasons for that. They are worried they are going to be seen as incompetent. They are worried that AI is going to be seen as cheating. And so with them, we have an opportunity to provide clear guidelines to help them know that AI usage is celebrated and encouraged. But right now they don’t have guidelines from their companies and they don’t feel particularly encouraged to use it.
Overall, there is more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great We just need to figure out how to harness that.
Q: What about the 19% of workers who fell under the Rebel description in Slack’s study?
A: Rebels tend to be women, which is really interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t like to see. Also, rebels tend to be older. At a high level, men are adopting the technology at higher rates than women.
Q: Why do you think more women than men are resisting AI?
A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat, more likely to worry that AI is going to take over their jobs. To me, that points to women not feeling as trusted in the workplace as men do. If you feel trusted by your manager, you are more likely to experiment with AI. Women are reluctant to adopt a technology that might be seen as a replacement for them whereas men may have more confidence that isn’t going to happen because they feel more trusted.
Q: What are some of the things employers should be doing if they want their workers to embrace AI on the job?
A: We are seeing three out of five desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines with AI, because their companies just aren’t telling them anything, so that’s a huge opportunity.
Another opportunity to encourage AI usage in the open. If we can create a culture where it’s celebrated, where people can see the way people are using it, then they can know that it’s accepted and celebrated. Then they can be inspired.
The third thing is we have to create a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying it out, testing it, getting comfortable with it because a lot of people just don’t know where to start. The reality is you can start small, you don’t have to completely change your job. Having AI write an email or summarize content is a great place to start so you can start to understand what this technology can do.
Q: Do you think the fears about people losing their jobs because of AI are warranted?
A: People with AI are going to replace people without AI.