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.

[CodyOne]

I've created my own ambient mode solution whereby I have al sorts of ambient mode possibilities. To achieve this I modified one (of the four) Picture mode settings. I used the "Standard" Picture Mode for this. I've change all the settings until they matched up with the Ambient Mode look, or at least very close to it.

My settings are; Backlight 0, Brightness 0, Contrast 15, Sharpness 10, Colour 30, Tint 0, Local dimming Low, Contrast Emhancer Off and Colour Tone Warm1. The settings Contrast, Sharpness, Colour, Tint and Colour Tone are more a personlal preference. 

So now I can change the Picture Mode to Standard and do everything I want to do in "Ambient mode", like gallery pictures, YouTube mood videos (fireplaces, art, skylines, etc), stream pictures from my phone, Chromecast (of whatever there's connected to the HDMI ports), and so on.

Have fun and share your improvements or own cool ambient mode stuff to display.

[Lapadopo]

Thanks for you post D700! I would just add that it looks like all of us “Samsung TV users” misinterpreted the purpose of this “Samsung forum” that “Samsung” is absolutely not interested at 😞

[Lapadopo]

@CodyOne This is hilarious 🤣 You made "Ambient mode" available by changing “picture settings” and by using additional hardware like Chromecast to cast your photos?! Sounds like paid fake Samsung Frame TV commercial 👎

[SteebMo]

I have now re-posted this to the US forum.  I didn't realize they were so segmented and did not cross-over with each other.

Here is the link to the US forum if anyone wants to chime in over there:  https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Qled-and-Frame/Feature-Request-Ambient-Mode/td-p/1096986

[LKB]

The idea that Samsung might somehow listen to stuff if it is posted in the US forum rather than here is simply inane.

Here, the moderator at least *says* he’s reporting our concerns up the chain, but is candid enough to admit that nobody who matters may be actually reading them.  In the US forums, they’ll delete your posts if you shine too bright a spotlight on Samsung’s failings.  Call them out for such censorship, and they ban you.  (In most cases, they simply do the same thing we see here . . . they just ignore them and make no serious effort to provide user support or feedback.)

Bottom line:  Samsung’s forums are nothing but a Potemkin village for PR purposes.  Samsung does not seriously try to provide answers to users problems or questions (for example, note how long we have been asking how to get Ambient Mode to work as advertised, with ZERO substantive response from Samsung); indeed, from the moderator’s comments it appears that Samsung hasn’t even bothered to set up any mechanism for getting us any information.  

Next time, I’ll be buying LG or Sony.

[CodyOne]

It's sad that the Samsung Ambient Mode is almost useless with the minimal functionalities it has. As you can reed everybody is very mad about it but Samsung isn't fixing it so we have to find our own solution for it. And I think my solution is very workable and handy, it even gives you a sort of advanced Ambient Mode because all of the extras you can do. The additional Chromecast is an extra feature, just to indicate that the possibilities are endless. If you want pictures as wall art you can just put it in your own ambient picture mode and go to the Samsung gallery tv app. And yes you have to sacrifice 1 of the 4 pictures modes but I (and I think the most of us) only use 2 picture modes.

[JAMES4578]

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@SteebMo wrote:

I have now re-posted this to the US forum.  I didn't realize they were so segmented and did not cross-over with each other.

Here is the link to the US forum if anyone wants to chime in over there:  https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Qled-and-Frame/Feature-Request-Ambient-Mode/td-p/1096986

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Hi @SteebMo  Yes the Us forum is quite seperate, hopefully you will get some input which  might be beneficial though some have said the US community can be more heavy handed on ocassions.

I'll put link to various threads on Ambient Mode on the Us Community here: Ambient Mode- Us Community 

As far as the Uk/Ireland Community are concerned I think Moderators have tried to be as helpful as possible but some situations are beyond their control and they cannot provide official support to those on other side of Atlantic.   As has been  said before though everyone is free to contribute in discussions here.

[Karido]

Just add the old method to turn off the tv while keeping the sound. It is just so sad that a basic feature that is a total no brainer was removed... I cannot believe it. I bought this TV just to realize that I have to send ot back because Samsung has no common sense in their decisions. Why do you even think that ambient mode replace the possibility to switch off the screen while keeping the sound? These are two completly different things. And you cant even use apotify in ambient mode with a dark screen theme selected. So sad I have to send this TV back because of such a thing that is actually a no brainer for me.

[Ash6555]

I would like to be able to play music from the I Tuner or  Tune In apps when Ambient mode is on. If not that then be able to turn Ambient mode off and have a black screen or screen saver.

[Trev5]

Yes would love it if Samsung Added the Bird Clock Ambience Theme sometime soon:https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/20/top-15-designs-dezeen-samsung-tv-ambient-mode-competition/