Multi-purpose viewing screen
Samsung’s new QLED TV offers a great many functionalities, writes Nur Zarina Othman
SAMSUNG recently announced its QLED 8K TV range that expands the function of a TV — it can double as a decoration and a big digital photo display. When it’s off, for instance, the ambient mode can be activated and the TV then changes its function from a display screen to a photo display.
REMOTE CONTROL
The TV remote control is designed to give users better control. With it, they can access home computers to surf the web or even access their office computers if they need to work from home. Since it is equipped with the Bixby voice engine, the remote control provides nearly all the control capabilities and a far field mic in the TV allows remote-less interaction.
But, if you don’t like Bixby for whatever reason, the remote control also supports Alexa and Google Assistant.
PICTURE QUALITY
In terms of picture quality, the Samsung QLED TV comes with HDR10+ feature allowing PQ curve on a scene-by-scene basis — just like Dolby Vision. The HDR10+ is a royalty-free platform that is gaining good support in the playback and content creation community.
As we have been naturally moving to larger screen sizes, there are a few factors that we focus on when deciding which TV panel would suit us better and one of them is pixelation. While the 4K or UHD is relatively the standard today, the 8K resolution is slowly gaining market share.
RESOLUTION
The increase in screen sizes does not necessarily mean an increase in square footage in your home. I don’t change houses but I do change TV sets. So one of my concerns is that I can see the pixels. If you sit closer to the TV, such as in apartments with smaller living rooms, you will see that the larger the TV, the bigger the pixels. This is the difference between 8K and 4K.
If simple visual acuity does not fully describe our ability to “see” resolution, what are the mechanisms that can?
There appear to be two factors at play: Vernier or hyperacuity acuity and the brain. Hyperacuity refers to the ability to discern slight misalignments between lines — an ability to perceive fine details even from fairly far viewing distances.
A classic way to prove this is to show two line-pairs. One pair has two black lines on a light background with the two lines perfectly paralleled.
Meanwhile, the second pair can be misaligned by just a single pixel and you (among many people) will be able to detect it, even from a distance.
Modern displays are well-pixelated, so a line that is not parallel will have a stairstepping effect. While our simple visual acuity may not see this, our hyperacuity can. So when I have both the 4K and 8K displayed side by side, displaying the same image on the same screen size, at the same distance — all of a sudden, the 4K is no longer perfect — the 8K image displays a sharper image.
Thanks to the spacing of the pixels, the 8K TV has significantly reduced the stairstepping effect.
BRAIN OF THE TV
Having an 8K television is a huge milestone, considering it is on the higher price range. Investing in such technological grandeur means nothing if you can’t watch great content. Would it be worth it to spend so much?
The Quantum Processor for 2019 QLED TVs builds on the Q Processor and has undergone upgrades to support 8K resolution in the Q900 series. It is the brain of the TV and is responsible for managing four key functions: picture quality (8K upscaling, noise reduction, local dimming, colour control, and HDR mastering); sound (smart sound control based upon the content); ambient mode (adjustments picture quality based on room lighting conditions); and smart functions (Bixby and other voice engine and universal guide).
The 4K or 8K Quantum processor is fabricated using state-of-the-art 7nm EUV lithography tools for the highest level of performance allowing an AI-based upscaling called the Machine Learning Super Resolution or MLSR. High quality images are used to create lower quality versions, ideally simulating the type of lowquality images we can expect to receive at home.
Samsung has also embedded coefficients in the Quantum Processor for local and fast access in the upscaling process. These coefficients include tone mapping instructions to maintain ideal contrast levels as well as highlight and shadow-differentiation to optimise HDR image quality of a particular object.
Inside Samsung’s new 8K TVs the Quantum Processor is an AI upscaling engine.
The Quantum Processor is also used on streaming content as well. Often, the content we stream from the Internet are of low resolution and full of compression artefacts but the processor can’t create a pristine 4K or 8K image from such sources. But I can’t believe my own eyes at how great a job it did improving the resolution, sharpening the image and removing compression artefacts for a better-thandecent video for watching.
Simply put, the AI technology built in its Quantum Processor auto-magically changes the source material, upscaling it for better viewing experience.
SOUND SYSTEM
AI seems to be a major area of investment for Samsung and it’s not only applicable to its smartphones but in the 8K QLED TV too.
These new TV sets have AI capabilities to analyse audio tracks even for different types of content. The TV keeps sound levels within the same range from channel to channel and source to source, but it can optimise the audio for each type of content too.
For content with long dialogues, for example, the AI engine will seek to optimise the clarity for speech. For sports, it may process the audio to give a better sense of presence, and with better bass highlights for music content.
SMART FEATURES
What is the use of modern technology without smart features?
First, this new 8K QLED TV has a voice control functionality via the Bixby voice recognition engine. Simply press a button on the remote control and you can manage not only the TV but also other integrated devices connected to the TV, including searching for content too.
Its Universal Guide is designed to recommend content for you, as it will suggest similar content recommendations across platforms — the smart TV analyses your favourite genres from your viewing history and recommends similar OTT content.
The convenience does not just stop there. The TV also supports Apple AirPlay 2. Built-in for the first time, you can now play videos, music, photos and more on the Samsung Smart TV directly from Apple devices without having to purchase an additional Apple TV device.
WHAT STANDS OUT
Yes, all the above very much explain why the 8K QLED TV is one of the best TVs in the market today. Although I may not be able to afford it due to its price being the same as my studio apartment, I have to concur that the technology that it offers is worth every ringgit you spend on it.
From the image quality standpoint, sitting just three feet (a metre) away from a 65-inch TV is not exactly great for your eyes, but it is only a remote control away to adjust the brightness to make it more soothing for close-range viewing.
And, its Ultra Viewing Angle is to die for. The innovation allows a diffusion layer on the front surface to spread light out into wider angles, but with less cross talk — making viewing possible from anywhere, even from the side.
Another test I conducted on the TV set was reflection. You know how annoying it gets when your TV is placed near a light source as it reflects your light fixture especially when watching scenes that have little lighting — you can say bye-bye to that now.
It was a fascinating experience watching my favourite Marvel movies without the glare.
Price: From RM59,999
Ratings: 4/5 (If not because of the price, it would have a full five-star rating)