Samsung launches $1,999 rotating TV in US for smartphone-loving millennials

[midian182]

What just happened? Back in April 2019, Samsung unveiled a TV that was very different from anything we’d seen before. Called the Sero, it’s a 43-inch quantum dot television that rotates 90 degrees so users can watch smartphone content in its native portrait mode. Now, the television is available in the US for $1,999.

Samsung says that smartphone-loving millennials are the Sero’s target audience. The TV’s portrait mode should make it ideal for mirroring a smartphone to watch anything filmed in this orientation, such as Instagram stories, TikTok videos, and Snapchat content. The company added that the portrait mode could also be suitable for viewing photos and visiting “shopping sites with comments on the bottom.” It also believes this orientation will be better for web browsing in general.

Instead of having to mess around with an app, owners of Galaxy handsets and other compatible smartphones need just tap the device against the Sero’s frame to start mirroring, and the TV will automatically rotate to its portrait orientation. It’s also compatible with iPhones, though users will have to manually rotate the set using its remote or voice commands and then stream content using AirPlay 2.

The Sero has been available in South Korea for a while now, and Samsung announced at CES that it would be launching globally. It's a 43-inch screen with a 4K QLED panel, so $1,999 might seem a little steep. Still, in addition to the portrait mode, you also get 4.1 channel audio, a built-in 60-watt speaker system in the stand, and a microphone for operating Samsung’s AI assistant Bixby and issuing voice commands.

Samsung says the Sero is available from select retailers and its new online store.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/85458-samsung-launches-1999-rotating-tv-us-smartphone-loving.html

 

[Mister_K]

Most retarded invention of all time to consumer content. Now to use it as a advertisement platform in shopping malls, airports not so much, but in that case, might as well just get a standard OLED and flip it...

Sucker born every day tho.

 

[kimo1]

First vertical filming, now vertical TVs, next we'll have it as standard and everything will be vertical. I hope the world will end before mentally unstable introduce even worse norm.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Turn your phone sideways when you record.

 

[redgarl]

Stupid phones... it is not for millennials, it is for degenerates...

 

[Uncle Al]

I can see certain applications for this but certainly not for a home television ..... just silly and WAY over priced .....

 

[SirDigby]

Stop blaming millennials, 20-40 year olds wont want this at all. It's meant for Gen Z, all the baby's that grew up with an iphone in their mouth

 

[doulos1382]

Well I think this rotating feature, would be excellent for retrogaming.

There are a lot of shoot em ups and run 'n gun games that scroll vertically. And with this, it would be awesome to play in the intended aspect ratio. That price tag though...

 

[Ean Mogg]

WHAT? Don't they know how to use their phones now and we have to placate the stupid by buying a TV with a screen that turns into stupid vision, don't they know turning the phone in to landscape mode increases the quality as the firms who made the phones meant it to be, sigh

 

[Privery]

Stop blaming millennials, 20-40 year olds wont want this at all. It's meant for Gen Z, all the baby's that grew up with an iphone in their mouth

Us younger people are smarter than you think

 

[GreenNova343]

Well I think this rotating feature, would be excellent for retrogaming.

There are a lot of shoot em ups and run 'n gun games that scroll vertically. And with this, it would be awesome to play in the intended aspect ratio. That price tag though...

What intended aspect ratio? 4:3? Hardly. That's a widescreen TV, so it's going to display at a 16:9 ratio when turned horizontally, & a 9:16 ratio when turned vertically. Neither of those are the same as a 4:3 ratio. So unless it's some sort of bastardized port, any vintage vertical-scrolling game is still going to have black bars framing the screen..except that in vertical mode they won't be on either side of the screen, they'll be at the top & bottom.

 

[wiyosaya]

I have to wonder whether this is some sort of sign of desperation from Samsung.

 

[Mister_K]

Turn your phone sideways when you record.

Someone told me I should export 4:5 content for Instagram (1080x1350) so that I take more real estate on the feed. While I get that, I am not sacrificing precious framing for more "likes".

**** vertical video. Rare cases such as talking head when its alright.

 

[Mister_K]

I have to wonder whether this is some sort of sign of desperation from Samsung.

Probably trying to see what sticks. Either that or marketing department having too much influence. I bet the tech department were facedesking. Sometimes it might be a matter of too much annual budget that has to go.

But who knows guys, you never know, this "invention" might be a path to something useful.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Someone told me I should export 4:5 content for Instagram (1080x1350) so that I take more real estate on the feed. While I get that, I am not sacrificing precious framing for more "likes".

**** vertical video. Rare cases such as talking head when its alright.

Most smartphones will automatically size things based on resolution: 1080p, 4k, 8k etc.

The problem is that too many of these dummies are recording FOR an app that forces them to use a specific orientation. Instagram I think is notorious for portrait mode. Landscape mode is ultimately the best because our TV, monitors and just about everything else is 16:9.

 

[BadThad]

What's next? The Samsung retro CRT TV in 480?

They are running out of ideas for TV's. To the big manufacturer's dismay many of us are still on regular 1080 - which is good enough for most.

 

[madboyv1]

What's next? The Samsung retro CRT TV in 480?

They are running out of ideas for TV's. To the big manufacturer's dismay many of us are still on regular 1080 - which is good enough for most.

Gotta have them PVM monitors with that delicious 600-800 scanline count. So crisp, my pixel art never looked better~

 

[tacobravo]

Turn your phone sideways when you record.

Too many people are too stupid to do this simple task.

 

[mrvco]

Does it come with a free subscription to Quibi?

 

[PEnnn]

And the Most Pathetic and Expensive Product of the Year Award goes to..........

 

[toooooot]

But.... why?....