Feature Requests: Ambient Mode

[SteebMo]

Hello All,

After reading every possible thread about Ambient Mode and all of it's missing capability, I wanted to submit a feature-request list for future software updates to the QLED TVs.  These items are taken from discussions on this community that are very common:

1.) Display user-uploaded photos in FULL SCREEN and/or allow adjustment of the matte size.  - The (huge) photo frames/mattes in "Mono 4k" and "Mono Matte" take up way more screen area than the photo inside of them.  Users want to be able to SEE the photos that they upload to their big, fancy TV's just like the "Artwork" mode that's bundled to the TV.

2.) Use any photo as a "Background" image.  - For many, the automatic Background feature doesn't properly estimate what is really there.  Uploading an actual photo of the wall (without the TV blocking the center) would help more users get the effect that this features is advertised to do.

3.) Access to the Art Store, like The Frame TVs.  - This gets requested a LOT and I think it's a missed opportunity for Samsung.  People are willing to PAY Samsung for access to art pieces (and also to support the creators), but this feature is blocked?  Why not let users decide that they want a more feature-rich TV than The Frame model AND access to similar features for buying/displaying artwork?

4.) Gallery / Slideshow from a USB stick.  - Again, I think that The Frame TV offers this.  Ambient Mode will already do a slideshow of images from a Samsung Cloud account... why not just read the photos from a USB drive plugged into the TV?  For those of us that are photographers, this can be much easier to manage (especially because I think it's basically impossible to upload photos from a laptop directly to a Samsung Cloud account).

5.) Disable sounds in Ambient Mode.  - Users are complaining that certain ambient modes that play sounds will interrupt music being played on a connected BT/Sonos speaker/Sound Bar to play the TV sounds instead.

To be honest, Ambient Mode is one of the reasons that I chose this TV over Sony and LG OLEDs.  However, after experiencing how basic the functionality really is (to the point where we may never even use it), I'm considering returning the TV and switching brands.

Does anyone else have a request to add to the list?  I really hope that Samsung will hear us and consider some of these items.

[Quernemoen]

The border "wall" /frame looks dumb when the lights are off. It's a gimmick that is cool for 5 minutes. Then you just want to see your pictures.

[ISung4Sam]

TV cannot display ambient photos is full screen?  Only framed?  Appears to be false advertising to me.

[Agglo]

I have just installed a Q9FN and it is ridiculous how bad / limited the Ambient mode is. 

Why bother having a key on your remote for this useless *****? 

(and advertise it) 

[CodyOne]

Spotify would also be a great smart app for this tv by the way, especially in combination with ambient mode!

[D700]

Actually, why not all the music streaming apps. Would be fantastic to get ambient album art.

[SteebMo]

I think this is my biggest beef with the whole thing. There's just enough of a feature here that they can advertise it to sell TVs, but there's basically zero explanation on what the options are for displaying photos and how to do it. It all seems very deliberate because they know the actual function  is a bit half-baked. 

[D700]

To Samsung: 

I realize now, after more research, that you probably don't want to cannabalize sales of "The Frame" TVs by offering full features of Ambient mode in other lines.

I'd ask you to consider: Would you rather keep full features of ambient for "The Frame" or distribute Ambient mode as a full feature across all your TVs so that Samsung TVs becomes synanamous with the feature? Why keep it as a niche feature when we've all got these dark gray lifeless expanses in our rooms itching for content. What about a free streaming Art show supported by single, sponsored visual ad 1x day? Think of the opportunities.

Its 2020, we want low energy screensavers for our TVs.

[Simplyshayely]

Why does the Board template show an example of a screen full of photos. But when I add photos, the upper left corner is Today's Date. Am I doing something wrong

[Quernemoen]

Good question.  Given the ridiculous border issue with full screen photos, the Board is the best option.  I do not see a way to choose between date or picture either.

[LKB]

Dream on.  

I’ve been messing with Ambient Mode and communicating with Samsung about it for over a year, and it has become glaringly obvious that Ambient Mode is and always has been nothing but a marketing fraud.  It has never had the capabilities that Samsung has touted, and Samsung has shown no interest in fixing it.  There used to be some pretty involved kludges/hacks that could get you some of the promised features (see my earlier posts on this), but those may have been neutered by recent software updates.

Indeed, the fact that there is and has been complete radio silence from the Moderators here on this issue speaks volumes.  (I guess it could be worst . . . the Samsung US boards just delete messages that point out uncomfortable truths about QLED TV’s, and then ban posters who have the temerity to point out such censorship.)