Samsung reveals QLED 8K TVs that are actually headed to retail stores

Greg S

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The big picture: 8K TVs are finally making their way to mainstream availability with Samsung's latest QLED offering. Even though we are sure the early adopter fee will apply, mass production means pricing is likely to steadily fall over the next few years.

At IFA 2018 Samsung Electronics has announced a QLED 8K TV that is actually headed to consumer markets. Ranging in size from 65-inches up to 85-inches, real 8K Resolution with AI upscaling is designed to bring even more life-like experiences.

Samsung's Q900R will feature 4,000 nit peak brightness. Major film studios are able to make use of this standard, but AI will be a prevailing force to actually make use of such a wide range in standard content. There is compliance with the HDR 10+ standard to provide proper color reproduction across the stunningly wide dynamic range.

No matter what source of input the Q900R uses, its 8K AI Upscaling engine running on Samsung's Quantum Processor 8K will do its best to improve image quality. Screen mirroring from mobile devices, streaming through built-in apps, watching media via set-top boxes, or input via HDMI and USB will all be enhanced.

One of the unique features associated with the Q900R is its ability to automatically switch between connected devices using the included One Remote. Turning down the volume will no longer result in accidentally exiting your favorite show because the remote was not in the right mode for your surround sound setup. There are third-party universal remotes that offer this capability but Samsung has finally made it a standard feature.

A giant screen may look great when its on, but is otherwise wasted wall space when its not in use. Ambient Mode turns the Q900R into a display for weather, news, artwork, and more when the TV is sitting idle. Wall-mounting and hiding wiring is also made easy with a single 5-meter cable that is a combination of fiber optics and power.

The Samsung Q900R will be available in 65-inch, 75-inch, 82-inch, and 85-inch versions. Pricing has not yet been shared, but the Q900R is theoretically meant to be affordable enough to put in homes.

General availability in retail stores begins in late September.

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Even an 85" 8K TV is too small to be able to see the difference from 4K. You need a 100" + panel to notice change in quality.

I own a 4K 55" panel, and when watching 4K content on it, it seems that the most important thing is the original footage + post-processing quality of the video, not the resolution alone.

That kind of video quality in 8K probably will be available 2-3 years from now. However, YouTube already has proper support for 8K, with some limited footage presently, but that seems to be growing fast...

Here's just some 8K footage...


I kind of wish I had an 8K screen to see what it looks like... :)
 
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And here I am with a 50 inch 1080p television and I find it more than capable of delivering the picture quality that I want/need. I don't need any more than that. Wake me up when there's more 4K content that's not been compressed to the point of it being garbage. Oh wait... that won't happen until we all get FTTP/FTTH and yeah... good luck with that.
 
And here I am with a 50 inch 1080p television and I find it more than capable of delivering the picture quality that I want/need. I don't need any more than that. Wake me up when there's more 4K content that's not been compressed to the point of it being garbage. Oh wait... that won't happen until we all get FTTP/FTTH and yeah... good luck with that.

I'm in the same boat as you with a 60" 1080P HDTV but have you seen what a quality 4K TV with a good upscaling engine and HDR looks like? You are going to want! But you will have to decide when it's worth it for you. I am thinking this year or next for sure.
 
I've seen some 4K TVs with 1080p content on it and they look like garbage, you can tell that it's been up-scaled. I guess it does depend upon how much you're willing to spend as far as a TV is concerned since the more expensive it is the better the upscaling engine.

I've seen DirecTV on a 4K TV, it looks positively horrible to the point where it looks better on the older 1080p TVs. I still get most of my content from traditional content providers.
 
The important question now is, how cheap could you get LG oled 1080 for? Last time I saw best buy trying to sell their returned displays it was around 1500 for 55inch screen. I wouldn't mind buying one for 800 or so.
 
To me, there isn't that much on television, satellite, PPV, netflix, worth spending the money
for these things. But, hey, if you want to spend your money, feel free.
 
Hmmm, so the 65" is like having 4x 32" 4K monitors. That would make a nice ultra-overkill computer monitor at the appropriate distance. Nvidia 10x0 cards advertise up to 8K resolution supported so I wonder what video card would get you 60fps in Rocket League (or something else light) at 8K.
 
I've seen some 4K TVs with 1080p content on it and they look like garbage, you can tell that it's been up-scaled. I guess it does depend upon how much you're willing to spend as far as a TV is concerned since the more expensive it is the better the upscaling engine.

I've seen DirecTV on a 4K TV, it looks positively horrible to the point where it looks better on the older 1080p TVs. I still get most of my content from traditional content providers.

The only way to properly view 4K content right now is through UHD Blurays or gaming. Netflix does a reasonable job streaming 4K, but it's still compressed to hell. I've had a 4K TV for a year now and I don't regret the purchase. It's simply stunning when viewing the correct content. Prices are definitely dropping as well. I just don't see 8K becoming mainstream for at least 5-6 years. It's insanely expensive and there's just no content out in 8K other than maybe highly compressed YouTube videos.
 
Sigh...when will people realize... the unlimited K is in your eyes... open the door, watch the world in 8K or 16K or 32K.

No amount of K's can replace what you see with your own eyes, of the world.

Save the money and enjoy life reasonably.
 
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