Slashdot Mirror


Samsung Patents Wireless TV With No Power Cable (techradar.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechRadar: Could Samsung be on the cusp of a fully wireless TV? A recent patent hints that a Samsung TV without any pesky cables could be around the corner. Spotted by LetsGoDigital, the patent was filed in March 2018 but only released publicly in late February of this year. The patent revolves around a wireless power transceiver, which would make the prospective television the first of its kind to transmit power across the room rather than relying on a power cable -- increasingly seen as an eyesore next to Samsung's premium design sets. The transceiver takes the form of a magnetic bar attached to the rear of the television, given that panels themselves are too thin to house anything of this kind. It would then require a separate power transmitter (plugged into the mains) to keep the TV running.

55 comments

  1. Another advantage... by I+kan+Spl · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wireless power of that wattage would also prevent any cell phones from working in a 2-block radius!

    Added bonus!

    --
    My UID is prime and so is this number: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0.
    1. Re: Another advantage... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And it will sterilize you! Although, in your case, that would affect nothing.

    2. Re: Another advantage... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And double your power bills

    3. Re: Another advantage... by dougdonovan · · Score: 0

      i wouldnt be able to complain about tripping over wires or cords or cables anymore...

  2. Oooh, a patent! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Patents are about as useful for predicting the future of consumer technology as reruns of The Jetsons. Just ask a Theranos investor.

  3. Induction powered by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The transceiver takes the form of a magnetic bar attached to the rear of the television, given that panels themselves are too thin to house anything of this kind. It would then require a separate power transmitter (plugged into the mains) to keep the TV running.

    So you'll get rid of the cord, and it'll need a clunky "base station" - which has a cord.
    Sweet.

    1. Re:Induction powered by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3

      The transceiver takes the form of a magnetic bar attached to the rear of the television, given that panels themselves are too thin to house anything of this kind. It would then require a separate power transmitter (plugged into the mains) to keep the TV running.

      So you'll get rid of the cord, and it'll need a clunky "base station" - which has a cord. Sweet.

      Which will *also* have the media cable (Coax/CAT) attached and *also* have to transmit the video and audio signals to the display. Won't it be fun to sit in the middle of that RF soup all night. Or... you could simply run the cables to a regular display inside the wall. This seems like a solution in search of a problem.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    2. Re:Induction powered by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah same with wifi, just plug it in.

    3. Re:Induction powered by sqorbit · · Score: 1

      This seems like a solution in search of a problem.

      That sums up most of what Samsung develops

      --
      Sent from my TARDIS
    4. Re:Induction powered by David_Hart · · Score: 2

      This seems like a solution in search of a problem.

      Agreed.

      But... the problem that they are not trying to solve is not what you think.

      The problem that they are trying to solve is basically a marketing problem, it's to make things look futuristic. For example, this would work well for marketing displays where it would be a pain to deal with all of the cables for set up and take down, for high end houses and boardrooms, just to make the rich and execs feel special, etc.

      In other words, we are not their target market for this technology....

    5. Re:Induction powered by bernywork · · Score: 1

      Most home owners don't want to cut a channel through their wall or run cables or anything else. Putting in the mounting bracket for the TV is usually handled by someone else too.

      If they've got a DVD player or a set top box or anything else that all plugs into the same base as what provides the power and they put the panel up on the wall and job done.

      Personally, not having the cables or doing anything else is a much preferred option for me, especially as I move a lot and putting holes in landlords walls is never good and you've either got to get an understanding landlord or clean it all up before you leave. A couple of small plugs or leaving the mounting bracket behind for the next person is a lot easier to explain than a couple of holes and a bunch of cables there too.

      --
      Curiosity was framed; ignorance killed the cat. -- Author unknown
    6. Re:Induction powered by just+another+AC · · Score: 1

      This seems like a solution in search of a problem.

      That sums up most of what Samsung develops

      Agreed, but that Galaxy Fold is still pretty cool (when they cut the thickness by a third)

    7. Re:Induction powered by Darinbob · · Score: 2

      And if people think this is a great thing because it hides a power cable, then sheesh, get a life. We should be using advanced technology for things that are generally useful, not just to make some hipsters happy about buying something new.

    8. Re:Induction powered by Lanthanide · · Score: 1

      If you're going to have the TV in a fixed position against a wall, then yes this feature is not of any interest.

      But if you're going to have it in the middle of a room / on an island, or if you want to move your TV around a lot, then this could be quite a good selling point for you.

      For example I imagine that exhibitors at trade shows that like to set up displays in their booths showing videos would love to have wireless displays so they don't have to fiddle with running cables or making sure they aren't stepped on / disconnected sometime during the conference, etc.

    9. Re:Induction powered by Tough+Love · · Score: 1

      Bitter, are we?

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    10. Re:Induction powered by chrism238 · · Score: 2

      Aesthetics are not just for hipsters.
      Using this technology for TVs does not prevent it being used for anything else.

    11. Re:Induction powered by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Assuming you can cut into the wall, i.e. it's not a rented property and you have hollow walls. In Europe a lot of people have solid walls, not drywall mounted on studs.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    12. Re:Induction powered by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      This is how we make advanced technology affordable. Sell some rich people a wireless TV, gain manufacturing and engineering experience, let them do the real-world testing to save on R&D.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    13. Re:Induction powered by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      That's what cable conduits are for. Bonus: they're easily accessible the next time you need to change the cabling setup.

    14. Re:Induction powered by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      The transceiver takes the form of a magnetic bar attached to the rear of the television, given that panels themselves are too thin to house anything of this kind. It would then require a separate power transmitter (plugged into the mains) to keep the TV running.

      So you'll get rid of the cord, and it'll need a clunky "base station" - which has a cord. Sweet.

      Which will *also* have the media cable (Coax/CAT) attached and *also* have to transmit the video and audio signals to the display. Won't it be fun to sit in the middle of that RF soup all night. Or... you could simply run the cables to a regular display inside the wall. This seems like a solution in search of a problem.

      This is yet another digital "Bandwidth is infinite!" non-solution. I'm surprised that no one seems to notice that we are running out of RF space. And what remains is very short distance stuff.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    15. Re: Induction powered by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is a good example of âoewireless will fix itâ and we start backsliding on safety in the process.

      Itâ(TM)s fine, I think there are some specific solutions where this is ideal (eg mobile displays that are actively moving) and need the cables to move (elevators, subway cars) rather than clothesline people as they move, or people tripping over the cable and bringing it down on their head.

    16. Re:Induction powered by sergann · · Score: 1

      thanks

  4. article Interferes with my Ad Blocker... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Makes the article about as useful as a wireless TV.

  5. Efficiency of such systems? by toejam13 · · Score: 1

    I wonder what kind of power losses a system like this will incur. IIRC, some of the best inductive charging systems lose at least 15% of their power to the ether.

    1. Re:Efficiency of such systems? by burtosis · · Score: 4, Informative

      You lose 15% when two large surface area near field "antennas" are in close proximity (compared to the size of the antenna). This is mostly magnetic resonance coupling. To actually transmit over large distances, the losses become much higher and more dangerous in that foreign objects could receive, conduct, and start bleeding power as heat like a metal handle on a take out box in your microwave. For these reasons there are very limited applications where sending appreciable power over long distances (yards/meters) is viable.

    2. Re:Efficiency of such systems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you recommend this as a gift for my In-laws?

    3. Re:Efficiency of such systems? by Tough+Love · · Score: 3, Funny

      Do your in-laws have pacemakers?

      --
      When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
    4. Re:Efficiency of such systems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a solar-powered yard-lamp in my backyard. I also have a high-power LED floodlight mounted to the back of the house. Amazingly, when I turn on the floodlight, there is enough photonic juice to power up the yard lamp (and store enough charge so it stays lit for some time after turning off the floodlight).

      I've never done numbers on the efficiency, but "just sayin" that wireless power need not be "magnetic resonance coupling".

    5. Re:Efficiency of such systems? by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      Sure, it's great if you have a concentrated beam with no obstructions. This is sometimes done with microwaves, but you wouldn't want to sit in the middle of the beam.

      In your lighting setup, try to estimate what fraction of the floodlight output falls on the yard lamp cells. There's a good start for your efficiency number, of course the actual number will be a lot lower depending on the solar cell etc.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  6. Wireless POWER by bobstreo · · Score: 1

    Which is the least of my worries.

    The power my current TV uses is pretty much non-existent compared to the 120 lb 32 in CRT it replaced.

    I do wonder how HDMI, Ethernet (yeah I know) RCA, VGA, S-Video and Antenna are supposed to work 'wirelessly"

    Unless there is another proprietary Samsung "Brick" that transmits to the TV,

    1. Re: Wireless POWER by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you are plugging in svideo still you are not the target market. This will be a smart tv so just wifi for netflix. If you want a blue ray player just duct tape it to the back of the tv and reach around when you want to put in a disc.

    2. Re:Wireless POWER by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do wonder how HDMI, Ethernet (yeah I know) RCA, VGA, S-Video and Antenna are supposed to work 'wirelessly"

      Uh, might I remind you that you're talking to the "poor" cord-cutting generation who doesn't have a fucking clue what RCA, VGA, and S-Video are, and wired internet connections were deemed oppressive and therefore racist.

      They're minimizing their carbon footprint by binge-watching hours of Netflix from a $1200 smartphone, bitching about how wasteful you are with your "big screens" while pulling their 12th shot of the morning from an $1300 espresso machine that draws 1.21 gigawatts of power...

  7. This is why humans deserve to become extinct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In an era where we should be focusing on increasing efficiency so we can decrease our energy usage, why do humans keep inventing things that take more energy to do the same thing? I can understand the convenience of something like wireless smart phones, less so with streaming audio/video, and certainly el zilcho grande with wireless power. Not to mention (as others have) the unknowns of broadcasting hundreds of watts of power over the air.

    Can we take the nidiots who patented this notion and replace them with more researchers looking into room-temperature superconductors so our electrical grid could be essentially lossless. Perhaps we (as humans) can collectively decide that convenience is not the do-all and end-all or our technological progress.

    Just plug the damn TV into the wall and deal with it! Sheesh!

  8. Reminds me. . . by quonset · · Score: 1

    of a recent meme I saw. Supposedly from someone working in tech support and one of the things they've endured from those they support:

    Yes, I need wireless comm and no, I won't be leaving my seat.

    Is there some reason Samsung believes there is a need for wireless power other than aesthetics?

    1. Re:Reminds me. . . by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 3, Informative

      No, we're supposed to waste all that energy with wireless power just so that people don't have to see a power cord hanging down from a television mounted on a wall.

    2. Re:Reminds me. . . by sergann · · Score: 1

      really ?

  9. Simple spherical math. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Imagine a sphere centered around the sender, whose surface lies on the recieving surface. The percentage of the sphere touching the receiving surface is what you'll be left with. The whole huge rest will be wasted.

    In other words: The efficiency falls with the square of the distance.

    This is of course simplified, since in theory, energy could also get reflected and still be used.

    Plus, the medium (air, walls, fist tanks) also absorbs a bit.

    And of course you can focus a tight beam and use frequencies where expected materials will be most transparent.

    There will be a limit on the transmitted energy per bandwith too.

    So yeah, to wasteful to not be totally iTarded.

  10. Why? by PPH · · Score: 2

    Wireless power is good for things that you need to carry around. My TV sits in one place. And with very little effort I can route the cord where it can't be seen.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wireless power is good for things that you need to carry around. My TV sits in one place. And with very little effort I can route the cord where it can't be seen.

      You're still asking why when it comes to consumer product features you never asked for that will undoubtedly add 20% to the retail price?

      Here, let me sum it up in one word for you.

      Greed.

    2. Re:Why? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      It's for easy wall mounting. No need to cut two holes in the wall to hide the cables.

      In fact maybe no need to modify the wall at all, which would be great for people in rented apartments. LG already have a magnetically mounted TV, and I wonder if you could use the metal in a stud wall or some kind of removable adhesive metal sheet. Or maybe just fit the drywall with the metal sheet attached inside.

      I use a magnetic mount for my phone in my car. It's better than any suction mount, never falls off even with a heavy phone and cables attached.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We need to get rid of all wires so there's no way to tell if anything is connected to anything just by looking at it. That way, we'll just accept that we have no control over how things connect and where our information goes. And we'll forget how to troubleshoot and rid ourselves of the notion that we have any right to fix our things ourselves. We'll forget about the concept of ownership entirely and just accept outside control of everything in our lives. All to get rid of a couple of wires.

  11. Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hopefully the patent means no other company will be stupid enough to want to do this now.

  12. Patents for a wireless power transceiver and... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Quick, file a patent for a wireless power transceiver and an air blower, a wireless power transceiver and portable battery charging device, wireless power transceiver and microwave oven appliance, wireless powered alarm clock device, wireless electric heater system, wireless oven, etc...

  13. Neato by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can also make wireless light bulbs by using the magnatron from a microwave. Very cool to watch however, there is a reason they use led and meshes in microwave ovens. I'll pass on the super cool wireless TV and stick to 4 inch power cables plugged in behind the TV where no one can see them anyway.

  14. Wires arent a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I dont see why people obsess over the wires... if you ask me the unsightly thing they should get rid of is the little blue flashlight on the front.

  15. Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower in your room by thesjaakspoiler · · Score: 1

    Oh boy, forget about flying to Mars with that fake Tesla wannabee who just hijacked his name. A Wardenclyffe tower in your room is the most exciting innovation we're all waiting for for power all our appliances.

  16. The real cusp... by LordHighExecutioner · · Score: 1

    ...is a TV set with no power cord, no antenna port, no internet connection. In other words a brick...but marketing people will find people who will buy it!

  17. Nikola Tesla actually came up with the idea... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nikola Tesla would be glad that someone is using his idea yet upset that people would think this is a new idea.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla#Wireless_power

  18. Way to go by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    Making a gadget wireless that is never moved from its location for years until it gets thrown away.

  19. Just send the tech to China by jennatalia · · Score: 0

    They'll steal it, possibly make it better, and sell for cheaper.

  20. Crystal Radio Television? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is this like crystal radio television?

    Or is this a wireless power transducer that'll give the next door neighbors cancer?

    My TV draws 100 watts, I don't want 100 watts passing through my head to power the TV.

  21. Solution in search of a problem by zarmanto · · Score: 1

    So, my father-in-law bought a very expensive "wireless" TV several years ago -- against my advice -- and it has been a particularly negative experience, overall. (Of course, the power wasn't actually wireless; rather, in his case, power was the one wire which still connected directly to the display panel... but that distinction is immaterial to my point.)

    As soon as you decide to do everything wirelessly, you're introducing a series of new problems to the overall experience, such as latency and transmission interference. Latency means that the video signal takes long enough to reach the display, that the screen is almost entirely unusable for any kind of real-time video games, such as racing sims or FPS. (I observed this issue first hand while playing Mario Kart Wii; the Wii did not remain connected to that screen for very long.) And when -- not "if" -- transmission interference hits, that's even worse; the components have degraded over time, such that even with only a few feet between the "head unit" transmitter and the display, we ended up with random glitch-outs of the signal, growing more frequent over time.

    So really, my Subject above is understating the severity of the issue... relying so heavily on wireless is more like solving one entirely noncritical aesthetics "problem" by introducing a series of potential deal-breaker technical problems. I would fully expect the same analysis to apply to this new "now, with even more wireless!" set from Samsung -- and I will be advising anyone who asks that they should stay far, far away from this hell-hound.

  22. It will also make you sterile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The new system will also make you sterile. That why you should never have your genitals between the power sender and the TV