Since its release in 2022, the Freestyle has attracted interest in the portable projector industry. The Freestyle 2nd Gen from Samsung is an enhanced portable projector that turns fantasy into reality.
Wonki Kim from Samsung Electronics’ Lifestyle Team, Seongwon Seo from Picture Quality Solution Lab, and TJ Kim from Samsung Electronics’ Future Planning Group of Visual Display Business spoke with Samsung Newsroom about the features and development of The Freestyle 2nd Gen.
No Compromise for ‘Smart Edge Blending’
One of the most significant improvements in The Freestyle 2nd Gen is Smart Edge Blending. The function combines projections from two The Freestyle devices to form a huge screen for photos and movies. Users may enjoy a full-screen experience from anywhere by connecting the two devices to the SmartThings app and syncing the video output with a snapshot of the projected displays.
“Edge-blending is a sophisticated technology that usually requires dedicated hardware and software to manually control each pixel,” said Seongwon Seo. “In line with the easy-to-use concept of The Freestyle, we engineered Smart Edge Blending to help first-time users easily blend screens wirelessly, without a dedicated device or help from an expert.”
When Smart Edge Blending is activated, the connected smartphone will engage with The Freestyle portable projectors in real time. Content sync and adjustment processes take place automatically via communication between the devices. “Screen alignment can easily be done using the SmartThings guide when a user captures a picture of the projected screen. The analytic algorithm will analyze the span and overlap of the patterns at eight main points on the setup screen and then adjust the projection on each device,” he explained.
Smart Edge Blending was born out of user pattern analysis. “We found that consumers tend to use The Freestyle as a highly portable personal screen in whatever space they are in — whereas the living room TV would be for fixed, communal use. In fact, there were many cases where single households would purchase several projectors,” said TJ Kim. “When you have more than one device, why not combine them?”
By connecting The Freestyle devices, users may increase their screen by up to 160 inches and enjoy a 21:9 screen ratio with no additional manual tweaking. With the option of allocating the left and right stereo sound output to each device, speaker capacity is doubled and enhanced, creating a more immersive audio experience.
“What’s charming about Smart Edge Blending is that it can be expanded not just horizontally but vertically as well,” said Seo. “This feature is even more useful with the rise of vertical content such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Most consumers are used to viewing ultra-large horizontal content at movie theaters but are not quite familiar with ultra-large vertical content. But it’s actually quite nice once you try it.”
Nonetheless, there were difficulties during the development process. Because video demands substantial CPU power and real-time alignment, the initial goal was to simply handle static pictures. Initially, the setup required a high-resolution image of the projection as well.
“It is an extremely difficult task to get two wireless devices to continuously be in sync. While The Freestyle development first started with still images, we couldn’t give up on videos because that’s what more consumers prefer watching with our device. Using a wire to hook up the devices was unthinkable given the highly mobile concept of The Freestyle. We supported the engineers until, one day, they managed to achieve the unthinkable,” said TJ Kim.
“Writing an algorithm that can analyze low-resolution images is a very demanding task — but we felt a sense of relief when we finally succeeded,” he added. “At first, it seemed impossible to minimize the margin of error between the two projections. The strict internal standard doesn’t even allow a single-pixel margin of error. Our breakthrough ultimately resulted from an assumption model that could accurately determine the state of projected setup patterns from low-resolution pictures.”
Keeping the Concept While Adding Fun
The Freestyle 2nd Gen offers gaming via Samsung Gaming Hub, which was previously unthinkable on a portable projector. With the advent of Samsung’s cloud gaming platform, users are freed from the constraints of consoles, cables, and fixed panels like smart TVs and monitors. “Gaming is one of the entertainment types that really highlights the portability of The Freestyle,” TJ Kim told NBC News. “Users can now enjoy games through Samsung Gaming Hub anytime and anywhere, without a console.”
Updates were made for added sustainability. “The light source life has been extended from 20,000 to 30,000 hours,” said Wonki Kim. “With 30,000 hours, The Freestyle can support a demanding eight hours of use per day for 10 years.” The Freestyle’s remote control was also upgraded to a SolarCell Remote that can be charged with sunlight or indoor lighting, eliminating the need for disposable batteries.
The processing speed was also improved. The RAM on the Freestyle 2nd Gen has been increased over the previous model to speed up signal processing and remote control responsiveness. The device’s UI and UX were greatly enhanced by testing usage scenarios throughout development, making the projector accessible to everyone.
Screens Throughout as a Strategy
With the vision of “Screens Everywhere, Screens for All,” The Freestyle 2nd Gen prioritizes portability and mobility to enable users to experience the benefits of a movable screen.
“Although it’s clearly a hassle to set up, the tripod has become such a natural part projectors — so much that no one thought twice about it,” said TJ Kim. “We envision a projector without a tripod or other accessories. That’s how The Freestyle 2nd Gen came to life.”
The creators behind The Freestyle continue to dream. “As we work to achieve ‘Screens Everywhere, Screens for All,’ we’re constantly planning innovations around Samsung’s projector lineup — The Freestyle and The Premiere. Our goal is to move beyond simply targeting the existing market and present a new screen experience for everyone,” shared Wonki Kim.
“We plan to continue addressing the limitations of space and strengthen connections among various Samsung devices to generate meaningful synergy,” added TJ Kim.
Get The Freestyle 2nd Gen worth RM4,999 as the exclusive gift when you purchase selected Samsung TV. For more information, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/my/offer/tv-season-of-gifting-2023/freestyle/