In recent days, Samsung’s division in South Africa reported an interesting action that they began to implement after one of their distribution centers was looted last July in South Africa. During the looting, dozens of televisions were stolen, which is why they were probably quickly put on the market for sale.
Nevertheless, the company notified that all stolen screens will not work thanks to a technology that allows the device to be locked as is done with a smartphone when a user loses it or it is stolen.
“The goal of the technology is to mitigate the creation of secondary markets linked to the sale of illegal products, both in South Africa and beyond its borders. This technology is already preloaded in all Samsung TV products, ”the company said in a statement.
TV Block: an interesting and little promoted technology
The technology that will allow this blocking is called TV Block, which detects if a Smart TV has been activated improperly, thus ensuring that the units can only be used by the rightful owners.
“This technology can have a positive impact right now, and it will also be of use to both the industry and customers in the future,” said Mike Van Lier, Director of Consumer Electronics, Samsung South Africa.
When a television is stolen and TV Block is activated, the block becomes effective until the television is connected to the Internet, a necessary function to enjoy all its functions.
After the Smart TV is online the reported serial number is identified and all screen functions are blocked, making it a giant paperweight.
For now Samsung is only using this technology to block screens stolen from retail stores and logistics centers, but Mike Van Lier’s statements open the door so that in the future the same users can block their screens in case of theft in their homes.
The company also recognizes that during the blocking processes some television may be blocked incorrectly, so in this case the user can contact [email protected] to reset your television after submitting your purchase receipt.