[Interview] The Wall 2019: Transforming the Wall of Your Living Room into a Cinema

The Wall 2019 represents a new era in display innovation: a 219-inch modular Micro LED screen that can be tailored to consumers’ homes and lifestyles. At the center of this stunning display technology are more than 100 Product Planners, UX Designers and Marketers from Samsung’s Visual Display Enterprise Business Team, working together to bring The Wall into homes in 2019. The Newsroom sat down with six individuals from Samsung to learn more about how they created The Wall 2019.

From Left: Hyunkyung Lee, Yoojin Choi, Sangun Yoon, Tara Wang, Sungwan Koo, Heejin Ko

Bringing The Wall into the Home

Since its launch in June 2018, the commercial industry version, The Wall Professional, has been providing viewers with exceptional immersive experiences, situated in large buildings and hotels. Yet ensuring that consumers can enjoy this superior picture quality in the comfort of their own homes presented its own unique challenges.

The team behind The Wall 2019 began by conducting research into popular interior décor trends around the world. “We learnt about the lifestyles of our target consumers and their preferences around the home by looking at images online,” explained UX designer, Heejin Ko.

“We spoke with premium screen installation businesses and held several workshops with them throughout the year to better understand their customers,” said Product Planner, Sangun Yoon. “We aligned our direction with the insights gained from these workshops.”

UX Designer, Yoojin Choi, believes this engagement with the target audience brings something unique to The Wall 2019: “I’m pleased that we were able to listen to our consumers, learn about their lifestyles and incorporate their preferences into the design.”

As the development process gained momentum, the response from consumers was positive. “Our consumers are attracted to the bespoke viewing experience,” said Sungwan Koo, a Product Planner. “Their feedback also helped us to shape the product.”

Set to “Ambient Mode”, a 219-inch The Wall displays “Blue Abstract 2001” by Stephanie Pryor.

Harmonizing with the Home

The Wall 2019 can be transformed into a Feature Wall in the home or blend in seamlessly with its surroundings. A total of seven different categories are available to choose from, allowing users to personalize their screen to what best suits their home.

Alongside its sleek design, The Wall 2019 achieves richer picture quality, thanks to AI-Upscaling technology and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The screen is also equipped with enhanced lifestyle features that can transform a room in moments. The customizable UX allows users to create a Feature Wall when the screen is turned off by choosing a picture, painting or piece of framed art that best suits their tastes. Alternatively, a wide variety of premium wall materials, finishes and other décor options are available.

“We consulted with interior designers to ensure that a broad range of styles would be represented,” recalled Choi. “New development stages were devised for this product: from conducting historical research that helped us capture the essence of period design, such as Victorian or Georgian style, to testing the angles of shadows by constructing a temporary wall.”

A dedicated tablet controls what is displayed on the screen, allowing viewers to easily search for content and images. The screen delivers enhanced functionality when turned off, as it can display real-time information such as time, weather updates and ambient brightness.

“It really is a consumer-centric experience,” Yoon elaborated. “We developed The Wall 2019 so that a single side of the room really can be replaced by a screen.”

Tailored Viewing Experience

The Wall 2019 takes personalization to the next level, with modular panels that consumers can position in any size or shape to meet their needs. Choi likens arranging the panels to building with toy blocks, adding: “The modular design allows for an optimal viewing experience. It can render not only the standard 16:9 aspect ratio, but also 21:9, giving consumers greater flexibility.”

The screen can also produce life-like images to scale, for a fully immersive experience. “People can enjoy content without disruption,” said Tara Wang, a Marketer. “We’re planning to introduce a live concert feature so that viewers can feel like they are VIP guests at an event.”

Further heightening customizability, the Zoom-in and Zoom-out feature ensures that all content is displayed at an appropriate size for the viewing distance. “You can control the screen size with just a click of the remote control,” explained Hyunkyung Lee, also a Marketer.

Koo said, “It is important that consumers feel comfortable around their displays.”

As The Wall 2019 captivates consumers with its innovative design and unique features, the team hopes that the TV will evolve into a platform that embraces all content a consumer could desire, free from restrictions of size and space. “The comfort of consumers is our priority,” revealed Koo. “We believe that this can be achieved with the technology at the heart of The Wall 2019.”

Consumers will be able to welcome The Wall 2019 into their homes soon. Samsung Head of Group LED R&D Group, Corporate SVP, Younghun Choi said, “The Wall 2019 has received enhancements in design and usability for the home so that consumers can experience a relaxing environment that has been tailored to their individual lifestyles.”

Clockwise From Left: Younghun Choi, Sangun Yoon, Sungwan Koo, Hyunkyung Lee