Your next TV is likely to be 8K and possibly from Samsung

1. 8K and AI
2. HDR10 + or Dolby Vision
3. Smart features
4. Ambient mode
5. Game Mode
6. Conclusion

Samsung held a seminar dedicated to a new line of TVs with no matter what name (for not advertising), but on the so-called quantum dots. I decided that I definitely need to tell you so that when you go shopping for a new TV, you understand what are the general trends in the market, and have at least a rough idea of ​​what to take. I will use Samsung as an example, but there are two leaders on the market – Samsung and LG, so it is unlikely that LG is sitting with its legs dangling, probably they have full-fledged analogues. So, it is believed that now the manufacturers of 'smart' TVs are developing several directions

8K and AI

It turns out that now the standard is considered to be 4K, or UHD, but gradually the 8K shift is already starting. This is what the predictions from IHS (top) and Display Supply Chain Consultants (bottom) look like.

The growth cannot be called rapid, but given that a TV is a purchase for 10 years or more (until it breaks), it is easier to immediately aim at a resolution of 8K. But first of all, it's not worth taking because of 8K content. It will not be enough for a long time, since so far the technique for shooting is not widespread, and the Internet speeds for pumping out will not be enough, and 5G also has to wait.

However, now AI-based 'enhancement' or upscaling algorithms are playing an active role. If you're wondering how it works, Samsung gave a pretty simple example. They train the AI ​​by showing it various images and textures in poor and super good quality. AI remembers all this, and then tries to apply it in real time when watching a video. Relatively speaking, when he meets some image, he remembers how it looks in super-good quality, and tries to complete it. Thus, the sharpness, clarity and saturation of the picture are increased. As one example, a young penguin was shown. In 4K it is covered with a continuous layer of brown fluff, with upscaling up to 8K, individual hairs become noticeable. Looking at the picture in 8K, you understand that this is how it should be, in an amicable way. It's important to note that the quality of the upscaling depends on the original content, but it can even be applied to YouTube videos and pulled Full HD. Again, they showed several examples with randomly taken content from YouTube. One example was about the presentation of a space rocket, which was led by Elon Musk. Artificial intelligence has significantly improved the quality of the image – noises and artifacts have disappeared, the inscriptions on the presentation behind Musk's back have become clear, the general soapiness of the picture inherent in all Tesla presentations has gone.

To clearly show the difference between 4K and 8K, we set up two TVs with open newspaper clippings.

I think there is no need to explain where 4K and where 8K. Everything is clear. Especially at high magnification (all photos were taken with Note 9):

HDR10 + or Dolby Vision

Besides 8K and AI, modern TVs must have HDR10 +. HDR-capable TVs are capable of reproducing a wider range of colors and support more brightness levels than TVs with Standard Dynamic Range (SDR). HDR10 + is one of several competing HDR development solutions. For example, there is also Dolby Vision. HDR10 + is developed and marketed by Samsung. In addition to image quality, its trick is that, unlike Dolby Vision, you do not have to pay license fees.

HDR generally requires prepared content. The preparation consists of supplying the content with metadata. They can be of two types, I quote:

Static metadata – contains information about the display on which the content was processed (mastering display), as well as the peak and average values ​​of the brightness level for all content.

Dynamic metadata – contains information about the display on which the content was processed, as well as additional data, for example, the brightness level values ​​for each scene or even for each frame.

Accordingly, HDR10 +, as a more advanced version of HDR, works with dynamic metadata that contains more information than static. Please note that HDR10 is simply able to work only with static metadata, while HDR10 + can do both. It is important. Lately, for example, many streaming services have become addicted to HDR10 +. Such content is provided by Netflix, ivi.ru, MEGOGO and others. You can also follow the link to look at the current TV models that support this standard. But so far only Panasonic and Samsung are there.

Smart features

Modern 'smart' TVs are, in fact, set-top boxes, from which it is convenient to surf the Internet, so we will not even stutter about a banal Internet browser. He will definitely be.

Let's go through the new products, the presence of which is desirable. Apple recently approved third-party support for AirPlay2. With built-in AirPlay 2 support, users will be able to play videos, music, photos and other content on TVs directly from devices Apple, so if you have iPhone or iPad, then an AirPlay2 capable TV is required. So far, only Samsung has AirPlay 2, but very soon LG will catch up.

By the way, soon Apple promises to launch its own streaming video service, so when buying a TV, make sure that Apple Tv + will work on it. Samsung and LG support announced.

Samsung showed a cool feature with remote access. I think such a thing should be on every TV. With remote control, you can connect to your computer. At the event, the presenter connected to her PC – entered its address, login, password, and a desktop appeared on the TV. And the computer can be fully controlled.

And also support for Office 365 is implemented, that is, you can open any office documents.

Well, the ScreenSharing option looks quite interesting, that is, for example, you can show what is there on your laptop screen. At the same time, with the option enabled, the content can be controlled both from the laptop and from the TV screen, using the connected keyboard and mouse.

Ambient mode

This option may seem useless at its core, but it is very correct. For example, my current TV has a black blotch in the corner of the room. Ambient mode turns the TV into an interior element.

In Ambient mode, the TV can reproduce a photo gallery, prepared beautiful images, can show paintings, objects of art. Samsung has a Wall Generation feature that lets you recreate the texture of the wall, creating a kind of transparency effect. Well, it is also important that all images can be customized, adjusting them to the environment. For example, if the room is dominated by soft colors, then a TV with a bright picture on the screen saver may create an unwanted accent of color. Samsung came up with a trick. You make a photo of the room on your phone, and the colors are adjusted, that is, in this case they become softer and faded. And then there are various spectacular wallpapers. For example, with this screensaver, at first it seemed to me that there was just a picture hanging on the wall, not a TV.

Game Mode

The game mode is already a residual if you are going to use the TV for games.

Accordingly, Samsung has a game mode. What is it for? Answer:

• dynamic black adjustment. Samsung has included Dynamic Black Equalizer, which improves black levels and makes objects more detailed in dark scenes without distorting colors in bright scenes
• FreeSync from AMD or G-Sync from NVIDIA
• high frame rate support. Not only that, the set-top box must support a high number of frames per second. The TV should also be able to do this. New TVs should be able to run games in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second
• no burnout effect. This is especially important for games, since some menus can hang on the screen for hours. Samsung has proudly stated that OLED panels burn out and their new TVs are based on LCD panels that have no burn-in or image retention issues. In short, before buying, ask whether the screen will burn out or not.

Conclusion

At the seminar, they also talked about 'smart' sound, when the AI, depending on the scene, changes the settings. But I didn't hear much of a difference during my tests, so just plug in a good external soundbar and don't worry.

Accordingly, the conclusions are simple.

First, opt for an 8K artificial intelligence TV. High resolution will come in handy over time. You take it for growth. Already in 2020, by the way, it will be possible to watch the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 8K. And AI should help find applications for 8K resolution now. In the store, do not believe any advertising screensavers, distribute the Internet to the TV from your smartphone, go to YouTube and watch how AI works. Which manufacturer is the best, buy that TV.

Second, make sure the screen does not fade.

Third, check for HDR10 + or Dolby Vision. It is important.

Fourth, look at what smart features the TV has beyond the basic browser. Desirable support for AirPlay 2, the new Apple Tv + and other streaming services. It will be good if it will be possible to remotely connect to a computer and 'mirror' the image from your phone and computer to the big screen.

Fifth, if you are going to play, make sure your TV is capable of running games in high definition at high frame rates.

Sixth, it's just great if the TV does not pile up as a black spot in the interior of the room, but can display beautiful pictures and adapt to the surrounding environment.