The Frame by Samsung takes the concept of "TV as art" further than any we've seen before. Shown here with a wooden frame, this 55-inch 4K TV is currently displaying still art, complete with a white matte.
The Frame ships June 18 and costs $2000 for the 55-inch size and $2800 for a 65-inch version.
It looks a lot like a painting, even from up close. The wood part seen here is the TV's actual frame, and the rest is screen. That includes the white matte, or border between the wood frame and the image itself.
Instead of turning off like a standard TV, leaving a blank black rectangle on the wall, The Frame is designed to always show its picture when someone is in the room.
How does it "know" when someone is in the room? Using this motion sensor. As long as it senses someone in the room it keeps up the image, but after a period of motionlessness the screen goes blank, saving power.
You can choose different layouts for custom images as well. You can also get additional professional art images from Samsung's library at $20 each, or subscribe for $5 per month to get access to the whole collection.
Every TV has a bunch of stuff (cable box, Blu-ray player, Roku, game console, etc.) connected to it. The Frame connects to it in the same way as other Samsung TVs of recent vintage...
Your stuff connects to a separate breakout box with HDMI inputs (here's one from a 2016 Samsung TV; the one that come with The Frame will be similar). Then a single wire runs between that box and The Frame.
That single wire is actually fiber-optic and extremely thin, so it's relatively easy to hide. Of course, a professional installer could also run it through the wall.
