Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
SK Broadband's AI set-top box sweeps major global design awards
SK Broadband's "AI 5" set-top box / Courtesy of SK Broadband
By Jhoo Dong-chan
SK Broadband said Tuesday that its "AI 5" set-top box has won all four of the world's major product design awards, a feat the Korean telecom and media company called a "grand slam."
The device, used with SK Broadband's B tv pay-television service, won Japan's Good Design Award last year, followed this year by Germany's iF Design Award in March, Germany's Red Dot Design Award in April and a main prize at the International Design Excellence Awards, a U.S. competition known as IDEA, in August.
SK Broadband, led by CEO Kim Sung-soo, said the set-top box features a circular, matte-black design meant to minimize visible technology and blend into everyday living spaces as a "home object" rather than looking like typical telecom equipment.
The company said it deliberately hid buttons and a logo that are usually visible on top of set-top boxes, shifting most functions to artificial intelligence voice controls and the on-screen interface, and applied a matte surface finish after testing different textures to give the device an object-like feel distinct from typical electronics.
The rear panel, where cables and ports are concentrated, was also redesigned for a cleaner look, and the device's LED indicator was made adjustable across five brightness levels and kept to a small diameter to avoid glare during nighttime viewing.
SK Broadband said it plans to build on the award sweep by further pursuing a design strategy centered on blending customer-focused design with technology.
"This sweep of the world's four major design awards is the result of the product competitiveness and design capability we have pursued being recognized on the global stage," the head of SK Broadband's Media Tech division said, adding that the company will continue to roll out customer-friendly devices that reflect original design and technology.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.