While this week’s CES marks only my fourth appearance at the most coveted consumer electronics trade show, I was fully prepared for Samsung’s new line of 8K TVs to wow me for a few minutes and then be forgotten for the rest of the event. .
That’s because the company has been pushing the boundaries of 8K for a few years now, and at this point the technology has plateaued a bit: it has peaked at output resolution and remains unattainable for most people. .
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Things are pretty much the same this year, but what has changed is the reason I am writing this article in the middle of an online casino. Of all the new TVs Samsung is announcing, which is quite a few, the Neo QLED 8K TVs feel more purposeful and refined than ever. And the best thing is that it has nothing to do with the current sharpness and visible fidelity of the sets. Instead, these three new features impressed me in a way I didn’t expect.
1. Goodbye, look!
The first big change with the QN990F and QN900F models is the anti-glare technology, inherited from last year. Samsung S95D OLED Model. When my colleague Jason Hiner and I saw the OLED TV at CES 2024, we immediately felt the impact of the matte light-diffusing treatment, to the point that Hiner quickly named the S95D the world’s best TV at the time.
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As with the S95D, the anti-glare technology on the 8K TVs doesn’t detract from contrast levels and color reproduction as much as I’ve seen on competing TVs. I still believe Samsung offers glare-free technology best, although several other brands have adopted the feature.
I watched several demos of widescreen views and sports highlights on the QN990F and QN900F, and the lack of reflections was evident, ultimately making the already premium TVs feel even more premium. We hope Samsung brings the feature to the market now so more consumers can experience it.
2. The QN990F goes wireless
While there are many affordable solutions to keep dangling TV cables hidden and out of sight, there is a clear trend of TV manufacturers moving towards wireless connectivity, using transmitter boxes that communicate input/output to TVs. This goes for the more capable QN990F model, which now comes with a One Join Wi-fi box.
Samsung says the transmitter can communicate signals to the TV up to 10 meters away, even with obstacles in its path. I’d still recommend storing the box somewhere next to your TV for the least chance of interruption, but the ability to place it next to your couch or in a nearby closet may be more convenient for some.
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It’s worth noting that Wi-fi One Join Field can take advantage of Wi-Fi 7 and “omnidirectional technology” to stream 8K resolution at up to 120Hz. This should be more than enough for most entertainment needs, including the games. The question I have is what the signal performance is like for users who are on Wi-Fi 5 or 6 or have weaker web service overall. Are we just talking about 60Hz? Not even 8K? I will update this part as I receive clarification from Samsung.
3. A TV with an 8K frame, more or less
Like many others, I’m a big fan of Samsung’s Body TV and the movement it started within the arts and entertainment industry. So moving the Samsung Artwork Retailer, the digital marketplace that lets you access over 3,000 works of art, to the new 8K TVs was a big “aha” moment for me.
When you combine the higher resolution with improved glare-free technology and then hide all the cables with Wi-fi One Join Field, the QN990F and QN900F basically become glorified Body TVs, with a steel frame instead of the usual frame. image. borders.
Plus: I changed these 6 Samsung TV settings to give you an instant boost to picture quality
Considering the cost of the new 8K TVs, which I expect to be several thousand dollars (the 2024 models ranged from $3,500 to $8,000), you definitely shouldn’t buy one as a new alternative to Body TV. Instead, the ability to take advantage of those screens even when you’re not actively viewing content on them seems like a reasonable next step for a product category that needs new reasons to buy.
