When visiting a retail shop, customers are wowed by large screens that deliver immersive visual experiences that deeply contrast against the transactional nature of online shopping.
A meeting that used to require everyone to sit around a table in the office is now carried out across various physical spaces, with participants video-calling in from home or on the go.
Such hybrid interactions are becoming part of the new normal as economies emerge from more than two years of pandemic restrictions. Expectations are shifting as well. Face-to-face meetings and experiences have to deliver more than what a virtual interaction can offer.
“We are in the midst of a hyper-scale shift towards hybrid interactions, where everyone is expected to be seamlessly connected – be it at office desks, meeting rooms, classrooms, cafes or in the home office,” said Alex Hong, Head of Asia Sales & Marketing Group, Display Solutions, Samsung Electronics.
“Organisations today have an opportunity to reimagine the future of productivity and collaboration that combines physical, digital and virtual worlds,” he added.
So, how has the role of display technology changed in this hybrid world?
Samsung feels that the role of display technology is now even more important as it plays a crucial role in helping organisations bridge new modes of productivity and collaboration.
“The emphasis must be on making interactions inclusive for all, as well as equally rewarding and effective for all participants in a hybrid world where they can be face-to-face or virtual. Also, when organisations have the opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with internal and external customers, display solutions can help to create new immersive experiences in shop front, lobbies, boardrooms and more to ultimate refresh brand connection with its audiences,” Leslie Goh, Regional Head of Display, Southeast Asia Oceania, Samsung Electronics said.
“The urgency then is for organisations to take bold steps in realizing new strategies on how display technology can catalyse a change in how we use physical and virtual meeting spaces in engaging customers.”
The Samsung Display Tech Summit 2022
At the Samsung Display Tech Summit in Bangkok on September 13 and 14, the global digital signage leader hosted close to 230 customers and partners to discuss the future of display technology in today’s hybrid world. It also showcased a number of new display solutions that will be crucial to enhancing brand engagements, productivity and collaboration.
These new display solutions help address three areas where a redesign of spaces is required and where Samsung believes display technology is going to play a big role in transforming experiences.
Lobbies and multifunctional spaces
With digital channels now enabling people to interact and transact online easily, face-to-face experiences will have to be substantially different to be engaging and meaningful. At The Forestias by MQDC — Thailand’s biggest property development project — Samsung’s The Wall (pictured below) display has been set up into a 360-degree animated theatre to offer a one-of-a-kind visual experience to visitors.
“Samsung’s The Wall, a state-of-the-art Micro LED modular technology, enables The Forestias by MQDC to immerse visitors in an experience that feels as close to reality as possible,” said Keerin Chutumstid, President of The Forestias by MQDC.
At the summit, Samsung launched The Wall All-in-One, or the IAB Series, in this region. A break-through in Micro LED deployment, the new IAB Series requires only two hours for two people to install as it comes with a pre-adjusted seam and preassembled frame kit, which includes an embedded media play S-box. With a display thinness of just 59mm, the IAB Series is available in three models: 4K 146-inch, 2K 146-inch and 2K 110-inch.
Also unveiled at the summit is The Wall IWB Series, which is available in 0.63 and 0.94 pixel pitches. The 0.63 pixel pitch version is the slimmest ever pixel pitch in The Wall lineup. The series delivers Samsung’s most detailed picture and dynamic range expansion with the screen’s 120Hz frame rate, HDR10/10+ and LED HDR. It comes with a variety of screen sizes, accommodating 4K movies for 110-inch and up to incredible 8K quality for 220-inch. Meeting rooms and classrooms The way people work together has also changed forever with the pandemic.
At Arcc Spaces in Singapore, the co-working office provides corporate customers with the Samsung Flip, which acts like a digital flipboard for brainstorming and discussion sessions that can be easily shared across physical, mobile and digital channels. One Arcc Spaces customer, Steven Yates, Director and Chief Technology Officer of Alumni Services, said the Samsung Flip was useful as a virtual whiteboard, whether for strategic planning, discussions on big tender responses or software development.
“The Samsung Flip has changed the way we collaborate and we will definitely continue using it in the future,” he said.
Showcased at the summit was the new Samsung Flip Pro, (pictured below) which is available in 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch. The new interactive board series is perfect for students and professionals to enable high-quality collaboration with real world writing and drawing experiences with pen and brush modes, integrated video call apps, multiple connectivity and wireless screen sharing.
Home offices
At home, where people are spending more of their working hours, the tools they have at home need to be as good as what they have in the office. Samsung’s new ViewFinity S8 monitor, is specialised for creative professionals by delivering accurate colours as intended with a wide colour gamut and UHD resolution.
Matte Display is applied on the top of the panel, reducing light reflection. Creators can produce content with vibrant colour reproduction and brightness and prevent any distortions. Furthermore, S8 features ergonomic design to offer more comfortable user experience during extended use.
Blurring the line between work and play is the new Odyssey Ark. Grabbing plenty of attention at the summit show floor, the Odyssey Ark is Samsung’s first 55-inch 1000R curved gaming monitor that can create a whole new personal gaming theatre experience for competitive and casual gamers alike. Its Multi View mode enables the Odyssey Ark to be split into different screens suitable for gaming, entertainment and even work.
The sleek Smart Monitor M8 perfectly encapsulates the new hybrid world ethos of integrating work and play with its 32-inch form-factor, UHD resolution and detachable SlimFit Cam. While not working, the M8 allows users to enjoy entertainment with a variety of OTT services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ without the need to connect to a PC or TV.
Advancing in the hybrid world
When drawing up a plan to deploy display solutions, it is important for organisations to also think about sustainability, security and ease of management.
Manufacturers such as Samsung are taking important steps to commit to sustainability by design. Samsung’s 2022 display solutions have received Energy Star and Epeat energy efficiency certifications. Certified by Carbon Trust, Samsung has incorporated eco-packaging in its products, with recycled materials used in all display solutions since 2021.
Samsung offers total software solutions, like the LYNK Cloud and MagicINFO Cloud, for organisations’ display strategies, assisting with content, device, and security management. The cloud-hosted and managed service provides users with a simple, reliable, and cost-effective web-based solution for the creation, scheduling, and distribution of captivating content across digital signage networks.
“As we transit to the new norm, organisations are busily seeking new ways to engage customers, retain talents and improve their businesses to go further than before,” said Leslie.
“Critical to this effort is the use of display technologies to transform the experiences of a face-to-face interaction. People now want it to be more compelling, memorable and meaningful.”