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.

[D700]

I think the problem is Ambient mode, they should never have diluted their "Artwork Concept". Not only is it confusing for their own support and customers, its such a poor experience, its just going to turn people off of "The Frame" because the 2 are so conflated.

For instance, had I known what Ambient really was, I would have not thought twice, I would gladly have paid more to get the Frame, even though I didn't need the little 1 cable 1 box connector thing.

TV as artwork...great concept Samsung, now clean it up and do it right. Don't bait people with a watered down version called Ambient that's just going to turn people away from the brand.

[BubblesTV]

Thing is, I bought the very expensive £2199 QLED TV thinking that Ambient included art mode without the horrible beige border mattes. I could have bought a non-QLED 55" Samsung much cheaper had I known that Ambient was a dull/beige waste of money. All the advertising shows full size brilliant colour art on the QLED, but I don't get to experience that. Sales pictures were totally misleading.

[LKB]

Question for the Forum Moderator:  

As this lengthy thread has made glaringly obvious, Samsung customers are not at all pleased with what appears to be Samsung's deliberate and ongoing misrepresentation of Ambient Mode and its capabilities.  These complaints have been consistent and longstanding, and coming in for many months . . . with zero response from Samsung.

Does Samsung have ANYTHING to say in response?  Are these complaints even being seen by / shown to anyone at Samsung?

Or is it that Samsung could not care less, now that it has our money? 

[D700]

For crying out loud, at least give us the ability to display images full screen, without border or background. I could edit in my own matting a hundred times over in the time I have invested trying to get ambient mode looking right.

You're wasting our time Samsung and frankly, LG is looking better and better.

[Liquidmonkey]

Did anyone follow CES?

Was there an update or any mention of ambient mode there for 2020?

I did not notice personally but maybe someone else had eagle eyes? 

[AntS]

Hi all,

Just a post to say that the Community team don’t currently have any direct feedback avenue for feature requests/suggestions for products outside of Smartphones/Tablets/Wearables on Community, and so aren’t able to give you feedback on those requests/suggestions - other than to say "Thanks for posting that/those! ".

But there are Samsung staff besides us who read stuff from the Community, so I think it’s great that you’re sharing your thoughts and ideas here. 

[LKB]

While I thank the moderator for at least acknowledging the inquiry (on the US forum, the response would be to censor the post and ban the poster), the response encapsulates the problem with Samsung these days.

When I first started trying to solve the problems with Ambient Mode over a year ago, both Samsung and SmartThings CS could not help, and both said I should go to the Samsung Community forums for help.  I did so (both on the US and Euro boards).  As we have all observed, Samsung has been of no help at all.

Now it's confirmed: not only are our questiona and complaints about the fraudulent nature of Ambient Mode not being read by anyone at Samsung, the moderator indicates that there's not even any mechanism for him to forward them to anyone at Samsung who might be able to respond. 

In other words, despite this board being set up by Samsung and touted as a way for its customers to get answers from Samsung about problems, it's merely a Potemkin Village for appearance purposes . . . we can ask all the questions and complain all we want, but for all effective purposes Samsung treats it like the employee sugggestion box that feeds directly into the trash can. 

I find it hard to believe that the moderators truly do not have *any* communications mechanisms with the TV side of Samsung (if that is true, then how could they possibly get up to date answers to technical questions).   How hard can it be to send an e-mail saying, "community members are raising persistent questions about whether Ambient Mode will ever perform as advertised -- can I get somebody to comment or give them some information?" 

[D700]

"Thanks for posting that/those! ".

Wow, that sarcasm is not appreciated.

Its clear there's no genuine engagement here with Samsung, so the forums are basically a low cost therapeutical cushion between Samsung and the end user. Get other customers to respond to complaints and requests for info. 

Well, I have plenty of choice and you can be assured it won't be Samsung. Off to shop this weekend for new washer and dryer.

[Agglo]

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@D700 wrote:

"the forums are basically a low cost therapeutical cushion between Samsung and the end user. Get other customers to respond to complaints and requests for info."

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Well said. 

I guess if you want proper Ambient Mode capabilites get a Chromecast. 

And next time buy LG or whatever. 

Over and out - this forum is useless, customer lost. 

[Lapadopo]

Dear moderator, thanks for your post that clearly shows Samsung's "who cares what do customers say after we sell them a product" policy 👎😢🤥