What does 2018 have in store for the TV market?
With television manufacturers unveiling their latest tech at CES 2018, what can we expect to see this year?
Last year was definitely the year of the OLED TV, with Panasonic, Philips, Sony and Toshiba all launching models. With the big manufacturers revealing their latest models – or at least their TV technology roadmap – at CES 2018 in Las Vegas in January, we look at what to expect in television tech later this year.
LG
LG set the pace in 2017, with some of the most eye-catching and affordable OLEDS, including the Award-winning OLED55C7V. At CES 2018, we tried out its successor, the OLED55C8, to see what to expect when the TV hits stores in April.
The trend for ultra-slim bezels continues, with the C8’s screen looking similar to its predecessor. LG has tweaked the stand design – the narrow, sloping ‘stiletto’ shape of the C7 has been replaced by a curvier stand that runs almost the entire width of the TV and appears to position the screen a little higher. It also has a slim, curved recess to help channel the sound from the downward-firing speakers out towards the viewer.
Available in 55, 65 and 77in sizes, the C8 range is the most affordable LG OLED line-up to use LG’S new Alpha 9 picture processor. While the C8 range falls under LG’S Thinq brand, the umbrella for all its 2018 consumer products that use artificial intelligence, the B8 range below gets a slightly lower-specified Alpha 7 chip.
LG’S webos operating system hasn’t disappeared, but Thinq adds an extra layer of smartness to your smart TV. The voice control element is more advanced and the C8 will have Google Assistant built-in.
However, the TVS won’t have Google Assistant built-in when they launch in the UK. Instead, you’ll need a Google Assistant-enabled product to access the more advanced voice controls.
This year will be another big one for HDR TV as it makes its way into the mainstream. The OLED55C8 supports all the key formats, including HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision – but not HDR10+. LG has its own HDR processing modes for 2018, which it calls HDR10 Pro and HLG Pro. They use LG’S own dynamic tone mapping to make real-time enhancements to HDR images, which use static metadata.
In a first for LG’S OLED TVS, the OLED55C8 is also compatible with high frame rate (HFR) content at up to 120 frames per second.
On LG’S booth at CES 2018 we were able to view a direct comparison between the picture quality of the new C8 and its predecessor, the OLED55C7. The Alpha 9 processor certainly enhances the picture, with images on the OLED55C8 appearing punchier and more vibrant, with richer colours and more nuanced shades. We also had a quick blast of the TV’S built-in speakers in LG’S demo room. The audio seemed on par with its predecessor and, if anything, was a little punchier and clearer.
In our brief time with the OLED55C8 we saw enough to suggest that LG has another strong performer on its hands. We’re assuming the asking price will be around £2500-£3000, which should make it competitive when rival sets launch later in the year. Along with the 4K OLED W8, G8, E8, C8 and B8 series, LG also unveiled its 4K LCD TV range. The three ranges use Nano Cell displays with full array LED backlighting, and are claimed to deliver 99 per cent colour accuracy when viewed 60 degrees off-axis.
Panasonic
Panasonic’s TV presence this year is split between two new 2018 OLED series: the FZ950 and FZ800, each with 55in and 65in models.
The FZ950 is the flagship, and we focused most of our ogling on the 65in TX¥65FZ950. It has a new OLED panel, sourced from LG Display, but powered by Panasonic’s next-gen HCX processor, which is behind several new picture-enhancing features for the 2018 models.
The Japanese giant aims to deliver on its ‘bringing Hollywood to your home’ tagline via a fledgling HDR format and industry partnerships. The biggest is arguably the introduction of ‘Dynamic LUT’ (or ‘Dynamic Look-up Table’) – a table of numbers that takes an image and corrects it in terms of saturation, brightness or
contrast. Typically, this is fixed and applied just once to the content source. Making that process dynamic here, however, means the picture is being analysed every millisecond and then the most optimal LUT is selected on a frameby-frame basis.
Panasonic has increased calibration steps at the darker end of the colour gamut. The four new Panasonic OLED TVS support calibration
at 5 per cent, and – in an industry first – 2.5 per cent luminance within Panasonic’s Colour Management System settings, allowing users to tweak luminance levels in low-lit scenes.
We weren’t able to test this during our demo, nor the Auto HDR Brightness Enhancer function, which allows users to adjust how HDR content looks in a brighter room. It’s a nice idea and, if effective, one we imagine will take off.
We saw HDR10+ in action, with a series of trailers from 20th Century Fox. Compared with standard HDR10 on one of Panasonic’s yet-tobe-announced 2018 LCD TVS, there was a notable difference in HDR10+’S favour. It looks promising as a technology, but in terms of industry support, still lags behind Dolby Vision.
Panasonic rolled out the TXFZ950 next to 2017’s flagship TX65EZ1000. The TXFZ950 displayed notably greater brightness and definition compared with the TX65EZ1000, which follows the standard LUT process. We look forward to seeing it later this year, but are satisfied Panasonic has a good chance of remaining competitive with this OLED.
And that goes for the TV sound department too. Panasonic introduced the Dynamic Blade speaker in last year’s EZ1000, and the TX65FZ950 features the latest version, tuned by Technics. We heard a music demo on standard sound mode, and the newer TV sounded fuller and clearer, with vocals more heartily fleshed out. However, only test conditions will determine whether it’s worth the premium price over its sibling, the TZ65FZ800.
The Dynamic Blade speaker is built in to, and connected to, the TX65FZ950 via the stand. It makes for an eye-catching feature, with its reclined stature and Technics logo.
Of course, the success of its campaign will largely depend on how competitively it’s priced. While prices for the new 2018 OLEDS haven’t been confirmed, they should be more in line with rival 65in OLED models, so we can take a stab at around the £3000 to £4000 mark, with the TX65FZ800 coming in a few hundred pounds below the FZ950. As always, we look forward to seeing how this scrap pans out.
HDR10+ continues to feature across Panasonic’s 4K LCD TVS. The top-ranging FX750 features the powerful HCX processor, while the FX740 and FX600 ranges promise a 20 per cent increase in brightness from 2017’s sets.
Philips
Philips ended 2017 with a bang, its 55POS9002 OLED and 50PUS6272 LCD screens receiving five-star reviews. The company is building on these strong foundations with an extensive new range for 2018. The entry level 4K LCD series, dubbed ‘6503’, will be available in 43, 50, 55 and 65in versions. All feature Philips’ Ambilight, the ‘Saphi’ smart interface and ‘Pixel Precise Ultra’ processing engine, as well as HDR.
Above these are the ‘7303’ and ‘7803’ models. As well as three-sided Ambilight and HDR, the 7303 series (which comes in the same screen sizes as the 6503 series) adds DTS HD Premium audio processing and, even more significantly, the ‘P5 Perfect Picture’ processing engine that made the 55POS9002 OLED TV such an impressive proposition. These are Android Tv-equipped TVS, ready for full Google Assistant interactivity via a firmware upgrade that will hopefully come in time for the products’ launch.
The 7803 series (also in 49, 55, 65 and 75in versions) is an aesthetic upgrade on the 7303
“Panasonic aims to deliver on its ‘bringing Hollywood to your home’ tagline via its fledgling HDR format”
models – Philips highlights these TVS’ “premium European design” and aluminium finish.
The LCDS top out with the ‘8303’ and ‘8503’. The 8303 TVS (in 49, 55, 65 and 75in versions) feature HDR10+ capability on top of Ambilight, picture processing, smart interface and audio processing smarts of the lesser ranges, while the 8503 screens (49, 55 and 65in) add a visible audio system in a combined soundbar/stand.
Philips is concentrating its higher-end efforts on OLED technology, with five Philips OLEDS for 2018. The impressive 55in POS9002 will now also be available in a 65in version – but, inexplicably, Philips has chosen not to shine a little of the 55in model’s glory onto its bigger brother, labelling the larger TV ‘OLED 873’ rather than the more obvious 65POS9002.
Below it will sit OLED 803, in 55 and 65in versions. At the top of the range is OLED 973, a 65in TV that is identical to the 65in OLED 873 apart from the addition of a 6.1-channel 60W ‘visible sound system’ soundbar/stand.
All five OLED TVS feature the P5 engine, three-sided Ambilight, Android TV operating system and Google Assistant. There are no firm details about pricing as yet, though they should be available in “the first half of 2018”.
Samsung
Rather than unveiling specific 2018 TV models, the Korean giant chose to share its roadmap for upcoming TV technologies at CES 2018. While its 2017 QE55Q7F and QE65Q7F QLED TVS were generally impressive, they let themselves down by sacrificing black level performance for colour vibrancy, and narrow ideal viewing angles.
Samsung has gone back to the drawing board with QLED, making changes to the pixel structure and optics for its 2018 TV range, with the aim of improving black detail and peak brightness.
While its 2017 QLED TVS were edge-lit, the new range will have a direct, full-array local dimming backlight, with potentially thousands of dimming zones. Light will be coming from directly behind the panels, rather than from the sides, and will have a great deal more control over brightness than its previous TVS.
Samsung’s long-term future looks to be even brighter, thanks to Micro Full Array technology, which adds thousands of dimming zones, promising 4000 nits (double the peak brightness we’ve seen in LCD sets) and Oled-rivaling blacks.
At CES, a new QLED TV was positioned next to last year’s QLED and 2017 OLED and LCD screens. The new QLED came top in brightness and colour vibrancy playing a 4K clip of Planet Earth
II. Whether 2018 is the year QLED overtakes OLED in picture performance, is yet to be seen, but while the 2018 QLED TV count and model names are unknown at this stage, there will be a replacement for the 2017 flagship Q9F.
Samsung’s ‘smart’ audio processing mode aims to enhance sound depending on content type by identifying the content’s metadata and continually analysing and rendering the sound signal accordingly. It will identify silences in the signal and try to normalise dynamic range and enhance details when it comes. Our demo involved a clip of an American football game, and the mode boosted the stadium atmosphere while keeping the commentary clear above it.
Samsung could also be among the first brands to market an 8K TV at 7680 x 4320 pixels. But with no 8K content, Samsung says its 8K TVS will have an intelligent upscaling algorithm that upscales 4K, Full HD and even SD content to 8K. While the limited 8K animation display at CES set the benchmark in terms of detail, upscaled Full HD and 4K pictures were quite remarkable.
Perhaps the most interesting thing on Samsung’s roadmap is its venture into
Microled, a self-emitting display (like OLED), comprising quantum dots on self-emissive diodes, with micro pixels. Samsung says it can reach a potential 1,000,000 nits of brightness.
“Samsung’s 8K display at CES set the benchmark for detail. Upscaled Full HD and 4K pictures are remarkable”
Microled will be introduced in the only TV Samsung confirmed at CES: The Wall.
At 146 inches, the Wall is modular, with a flexible block structure that can display any size and aspect ratio. While we can’t see it as the centrepiece in many living rooms, it is coming to the market in (probably) 2019.
Samsung is one of three founding members of the HDR10+ Alliance (alongside Panasonic and 20th Century Fox), so it’s no surprise that the format is a feature of its 2018 line-up.
The next generation of Samsung TVS could be powered more efficiently, too. While last year’s models required power both to the screen and to the One Connect box, here only the latter needs powering. It sends power and the AV signal using an impressively thin umbilical cable.
Sony
Sony made a splash last year with its first 4K OLED range, the A1, and the company hopes to replicate that success with the AF8 series.
Launched at CES 2018, the AF8 sits below the current flagship A1 range, comes in 55in and 65in screen sizes and features much of the same technology that powers the A1.
The KD65AF8 has Ultra HD 4K resolution, an OLED panel (sourced from LG Display) and supports the HDR10 and broadcast Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) formats. Dolby Vision support is also confirmed, via a firmware update. The KD65AF8 is powered by Sony’s 4K HDR X1 Extreme processor – the same engine used in the A1 OLED and ZD9 LCD TVS. First released in 2016, the X1 Extreme is responsible for delivering the pitch blacks and rich colours we expect from OLED panels. The 65in TV also features the Acoustic Surface technology we first saw on the A1 models. All this means we’re likely to see (and hear) a similar level of performance from the KD65AF8 as the Award-winning KD65A1. Indeed, at the Sony stand at CES, the KD65AF8 was placed alongside the A1 models – and the picture performance seemed nearly identical. Black levels looked solid and deep, while colours were rich, with Sony retaining the natural balance we liked so much in the A1.
Android TV continues to power the Sony TV interface, while built-in Youview gives access to all the UK catch-up services, such as BBC iplayer. The KD65AF8 will also work with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa – meaning you’ll be able to control elements of the Sony OLED with both smart voice assistants. Other features include Chromecast built-in, HDCP2.2 certified HDMI connections and Bluetooth.
Instead of the ‘standless’ design of the A1 models, which saw them perching on the full-length of the screen, the KD65AF8 sports a more traditional rectangular stand.
The back panel is rather chunky, but as before, all the connections are hidden under covers. Also under the back panel are two actuators and a subwoofer that form Sony’s Acoustic Surface technology. Instead of traditional TV speakers (which use tiny drivers), the AF8 uses actuators that vibrate the display panel, effectively making it a speaker and delivering better sound.
Combined with the built-in subwoofer, it sounds much bigger, richer and more solid than the usual TV speakers. In a brief demo, the AF8 managed to deliver a loud, bold and expansive sound, even on a busy trade-show floor.
We’re hoping for a more competitive price than last year. It’s yet to be announced, but should be between £3000 and £4000. How the Sony KD65AF8 will fare against new rivals is something we can’t wait to find out, but we’re looking forward to the heated competition.
It’s not all about OLED for Sony. It launched three new 4K LCD ranges at CES as well – XF90, XF85, XF80 – with the XF90 inheriting the X1 Extreme chip as well as a new X-motion Clarity option for fast-action scenes.
“Sony’s Acoustic Surface Technology sounds bigger, richer and more solid than the usual TV speakers”