Summary
- Art and ambient modes turn idle TVs into decor featuring paintings, vistas, and patterns.
- One “off” mode option can transform your TV into an information center with customized widgets.
- Your TV still draws power so use modes mindfully, opting for aesthetics over information.
As the smart TV industry endeavors to make your TV the central entertainment hub in your home, curious features are continuously added to new models. In recent years, smart home integration has become present in smart TVs, and operating systems connect with myriad devices so you can work, stream, and game on the same screen.
There’s another strange trend emerging, an offshoot of the lifestyle TV world that sought to make TVs that suit specific needs. Now it seems that it’s not enough for you to enjoy TV as a place for entertainment, gaming, productivity, and even fitness. Your smart TV needs to be ‘on’ at all times, with the display providing something, anything, for your home life. Here’s what’s happening.
Transforming smart TVs into art
Samsung’s The Frame created a new mode
Years ago, Samsung had a terrific idea. It offered works of art on select smart TVs. Paired with a slim design, matte display, and pronounced frame around the unit, these TVs provide a unique and aesthetically-pleasing visual in the home. They were normal TVs when turned off, but when they were turned “off,” they transformed into displays that showcased famous works of art. They were decor.
The Frame yielded many copycats, and it’s still popular now; Samsung recently released an updated version. The popularity makes sense, and these lifestyle TVs, though lacking in some entertainment features, were welcome for those who wanted TVs to look stylish and who enjoyed expressions of art.
Ambient mode provides eye-catching images
Background video and audio offers versatility
In recent years, Ambient mode has really taken off as well. It’s similar to Art Mode, but instead of works of art, there may be serene pictures, calming videos, soothing sounds, or geometric patterns that fill the screen. The offerings on the TV itself tend to be better than anything offered on free channels for a variety of reasons. There are no commercials when used as a TV feature, and the offerings are typically of much higher quality. Specific settings can be adjusted too. Notably, the brightness is dimmed significantly so as not to overwhelm the space, and displays tend to change with frequency to avoid any burn-in.
Ambient mode has become more popular and diverse of late. For example, Samsung offers a projector that allows users to customize their own visuals, adding in pictures, drawings, or videos to create a personalized experience. You can also include screensavers in this category, including Roku’s popular Roku City, a once-pleasant and colorful escape that now features integrated advertisements.
Daily Board hubs and info centers
Large home screens with customized widgets
The latest effort to keep TVs on even when you’re not watching it may be the weirdest, perhaps most superfluous one yet. Samsung’s 2025 smart TVs offer something called Display Board. Instead of something aesthetic, or simply turning your TV completely off, you can enjoy a series of widgets to provide you with customized information. Information, mind you, that you can get from your phone or computer. News, weather, notes, music, and other entertainment and productivity notices are available to throw up on the screen.
It’s certainly a stretch to claim the TV is turned “off” in this mode, and it’s also more superfluous and silly than the others. Whereas art and ambient modes try to drastically alter the characteristics and enjoyment of the TV in a different way, the Display Board becomes more like a smartphone. Integrating with other devices may be helpful, and voice activation with smart assistants may be useful to certain users, but it’s a strange feature mainly because it seems counter-intuitive and unnecessary.
It also works in a curious way. You must activate the setting while the TV is on; once you turn it off, the Display Board will become activated after some time. If you forgot you toggled the setting, you may be startled when your TV screen illuminates.
Best practices for standby modes
Optimize aesthetics and decor
There is an argument for the enjoyment of captivating artworks or calming images on the screen when you’re technically not watching TV. But this effort to provide even more options for a latent mode is truly bizarre. Instead of displaying something soothing or emotionally engaging, your screen can now overwhelm you with data and information, like an overcrowded smartphone home screen. Instead of something in the background, you now have a hub that demands attention.
If you’re going to use any of these modes, it’s important to be mindful of what they offer as well as limitations. Keep in mind your TV is not fully “off.” While it may be using less energy than when you’re streaming or gaming, it’s still drawing power. Also, make sure the image or video is recycled or changing with some frequency if you’re using an OLED TV. Most ambient and art modes do this automatically, but you’ll want to keep the screen changing to avoid burn-in.
What you’re displaying on screen should also match the mood. Changing artworks can be useful at a dinner party, while home photos and videos may be fun in the background of a family event. Serene vistas might be helpful for moments of mindfulness, while geometric patterns or your own drawings could be fun for an intimate evening. Just don’t throw on anything and let it run. Also, if you’re going to put up artworks, avoid any systems that generate so called A.I. art; these aren’t the real thing.
