Samsung announced their 2021 TV lineup this week and I have to say, there are some cool things coming down the pipe.
It’s often said you shouldn’t buy a TV for the “Smart” portion but rather the image quality. The Smart components will become sluggish and useless long before the panel quality becomes an issue.
To that end, Samsung is bringing out some really cool panels which have huge potential to up the image quality.
First up, MicroLED. Starting with 99″ and 110″ MicroLED models, these microscopic sized LED’s make the traditional LED backlit TV’s look archaic and fat. MicroLED technology will enable much more precise backlighting as well as much thinner panel assemblies. All this in addition to a 99% screen-to-body ratio. Yowza!
Second, Neo QLED. We’ve all heard of QLED, but Neo QLED? I guess that’s QLED TV’s in the Matrix right?
Not quite. Oddly disappointing to say that actually. Neo QLED uses mini LED’s that are 1/40th the size of traditional LED’s found in TV’s today. In fact, I might just butcher the description, so here it is from Samsung’s press release:
Samsung designed the Quantum Mini LED to be 1/40 the height of a conventional LED. Instead of using a lens to disperse light, and a package to fix the LED in place, the Quantum Mini LED has incredibly thin micro layers filled with many more LEDs. Quantum Matrix Technology enables ultra-fine and precise control of the densely packed LEDs, preventing blooming—and allowing viewers to enjoy content as it’s meant to be seen. Neo QLED increases the luminance scale to 12-bit with 4096 steps; this helps make dark areas darker and bright areas brighter, resulting in a more precise and immersive HDR experience. And Neo QLED benefits from Samsung’s proprietary, powerful Neo Quantum Processor with enhanced upscaling capabilities. By using up to 16 different neural network models, each trained in AI upscaling and deep learning technology, the Neo Quantum Processor can optimize picture quality to near-4K and near-8K picture output regardless of the input quality
Next up, we’ve got a refresh to Samsung’s lifestyle TV’s such as The Frame, The Serif, The Sero, The Terrace and The Premiere. All look good while The Frame gets the majority of upgrade attention in early 2021.
Lastly, one of the most ingenious ideas out of TV manufacturers of late – Samsung has made a solar powered remote control – no more batteries, no more worries about low power. The remote charges from indoor and outdoor light as well as optionally charged through USB power. Not bad eh?
