Samsung today announced its 2021 TV set lineup, debuting a range of new models that have some health-related capabilities. Samsung's 2021 QLED 8K and 4K models come with a "Smart Trainer" feature that's designed to transform the living room into a personal gym, similar to what Apple Fitness+ does.
The Smart Trainer option uses an added user-supplied camera to track and analyze your posture in real time while you workout, and Samsung says it's "just like a personal trainer." The Smart Trainer is designed to provide feedback on form, plus it counts reps and estimates calories burned.
Apple Fitness+ also uses the TV through an Apple TV to allow for in-home workouts, but it does not have the same camera functionality for monitoring form. It can, however, show progress through a linked Apple Watch that's displayed on the screen.
Engadget had a chance to try out the Smart Trainer feature, which is part of the Samsung Health app on the TV sets. Engadget said that the performance was "impressive," able to track the movements of jumping jacks and squats during a testing sequence. It's not clear how accurate Samsung's software is at judging form, but Engadget found it motivating.
At the end of my very short workout, the system displayed two rings with percentages showing how well I met the target number of reps and overall form. I tried the workout twice and both times my results were 100 percent on quantity, while I scored 96 and 98 percent on quality. While I still have doubts on how accurate the software is at judging form, the rings are definitely motivating and I feel the desire to close them next time.
Samsung Q70A models and higher-end models up to 8K will have this health functionality, and it will work with 24 workout videos at launch from partners that include Jillian Michaels, Obe Fitness, and barre3.
New television sets also include updated accessibility functionality such as caption moving, sign language zoom, and multi-output audio, and by 2022, Samsung will introduce an expanded Voice Guide.
Samsung's latest high-end TVs are "Neo QLED," which take advantage of Quantum Mini LED technology. These mini LEDs are 1/40 of the height of a traditional LED and offer increased luminance to make dark areas darker and bright areas brighter. Samsung is also using a Neo Quantum Processor to optimize picture quality to 4K and 8K output regardless of input quality. There's also a new Micro LED line available in 99 and 110-inch sizes.
Samsung today also said that it plans on "going green" with its TV business by reducing carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency, creating sustainable packaging designs, and releasing TVs with solar-powered remote controls that are charged by indoor light, outdoor light, or USB to eliminate AAA battery usage.
