Samba TV and Vestel fight ‘Soap Opera Effect’ with launch of new AI tech

TV data and audience analytics company Samba TV has announced a partnership with TV producer Vestel to introduce a ‘groundbreaking’ AI tech.

Dubbed Picture Perfect, the tech promises to optimise picture quality in real time for gaming, live sports and movies, and can operate offline. The tech leverages machine learning on the edge device, and will be deployed on Vestel brands including Toshiba, Panasonic, Hicatchi, JVCC and Telefunken.

The feature is specifically designed to combat the ‘Soap Opera Effect’ which has become commonplace on modern TVs via features like motion smoothing and variable refresh rates. These features, while intended to create a sharper image, can often create a jarring visual experience that Picture Perfect is looking to resolve. The companies said that the feature will automatically enable higher refresh rates when needed and disable it when not in order to always ensure the best experiences.

Samba TV co-founder and CEO Ashwin Navin, said: “Smart TV hardware today integrates truly amazing display technology and algorithms for picture quality enhancement. “The promise of AI is to make our lives easier and, within the living room, we believe AI should remove the manual steps of setting up your television for the best viewing experience for sports and all of the latest movies and video games. We are excited about the collaboration with Vestel, a company that develops world-class TVs, to join us in this endeavor.”

Vestel deputy general manager of marketing and product management Barış Altınkaya, said: “Vestel is devoted to providing the most advanced picture quality in the market. The Samba TV Picture Perfect technology offers the potential for a groundbreaking viewing experience for our TVs and all of the picture quality technology Vestel has created over decades across our devices.”