Art TV: The Inevitable Rise
▼ Summary
– The Samsung Frame TV, launched in 2017, is designed to look like a framed painting when off, using a matte screen and bezels to display art.
– This TV category has become popular for smaller living spaces, and now many competitors like Hisense, TCL, LG, and Amazon are launching similar “Art TVs.”
– Amazon’s new Ember Artline TV, announced at CES 2026, displays free digital art and uses Alexa AI to help select pieces matching a room’s decor.
– A key driver for this trend is the living situation of younger, urban professionals who lack dedicated space for large, traditional TVs.
– Manufacturers are now able to enter this market due to advances in matte screen technology that can accurately display fine art.
For those who appreciate both technology and design, the modern television has evolved far beyond a simple black rectangle for watching shows. The latest trend sees these devices transforming into elegant digital canvases, blending seamlessly into home decor when not in use. This shift addresses a common dilemma in urban living, where space is at a premium and a large, dark screen can dominate a room. By adopting matte-finish, anti-glare screens and customizable bezels, these new models display high-resolution artwork, effectively disguising the television as a framed painting.
This movement was notably pioneered by the Samsung Frame TV, which launched in 2017. Its design philosophy was simple: a television shouldn’t look like a television when it’s off. The concept has proven remarkably popular, especially in apartments and smaller homes without dedicated media rooms. For years, it stood relatively alone, but the market is now experiencing a significant surge of similar offerings from nearly every major brand.
Hisense has introduced its CanvasTV, while TCL promotes its NXTvision model with imagery of classic art. LG has announced an upcoming Gallery TV, and even Amazon has entered the arena. Their recently unveiled Ember Artline TV offers access to thousands of digital artworks and includes an AI-powered tool to help select pieces that complement a room’s aesthetic. This wave of competition signals a fundamental shift in how companies view the television’s role in the home.
The driving forces behind this “Art TV” category are twofold. First, there is a clear demand rooted in lifestyle and spatial constraints. Younger, city-dwelling professionals often live in compact spaces where a large, blank black screen can feel intrusive. As screen sizes have generally increased, the need for a more discreet and attractive solution has grown. People want their living areas to reflect personal style, and a traditional TV can clash with that goal.
Secondly, the pivot is technologically possible now in a way it wasn’t before. Manufacturers have made crucial advances in display engineering. Creating a matte screen that can accurately reproduce fine art without sacrificing picture quality for regular viewing is a complex challenge. Early attempts often resulted in washed-out colors or poor contrast. Current iterations, however, use specialized coatings and processing to maintain vibrancy while eliminating glare, making the art mode genuinely convincing. This technical achievement allows brands to market these TVs as dual-purpose investments, both a premium entertainment center and a dynamic piece of wall art.
The result is a product category that appeals to a desire for multifunctional, aesthetically conscious technology. It’s a recognition that for many, the television is a constant, central fixture in the main living space, and there’s a strong preference for it to contribute to the ambiance rather than detract from it. As these models become more widespread and refined, the black void of a turned-off screen may become a relic of the past.
(Source: Wired)
