Samsung unveils 2018 line of 4K QLED TVs with built-in smart home control

[Polycount]

Samsung has always been known to make some pretty excellent TVs - a trend the company seems bent on continuing with their 2018 devices if their latest announcement is anything to go by. At an event in New York City, the company revealed their latest line of 4K QLED TVs.

Like Samsung's giant "The Wall" TV unveiled at CES, the company's upcoming Q9, Q8, Q7 and Q6-series TVs are designed to fit seamlessly into whatever room a user happens to place them in. This is accomplished via the TVs' new "Ambient Mode" and their ultra-thin bezels.

Ambient Mode allows you to take a photo of the wall you plan to place the TV on and upload the image to the device to be used as a background. The TV will then use several lighting tricks to make the display appear transparent when not actively being used. Ambient Mode will also display information about the current temperature or the time and date.

For fans of curved displays, each new Q-series TV will reportedly launch in both curved and non-curved variants. However, since Samsung hasn't released any information regarding how much the devices will cost, it's tough to say whether or not the curved versions will be more expensive than their flat cousins.

Unique design features aside, Samsung's new QLED devices will also come packed with smart home control via the company's proprietary Bixby virtual assistant and their SmartThings smart home platform.

If you haven't bought into the SmartThings ecosystem yet, don't fret - the Q-series TVs can act as individual SmartThings hubs, meaning you won't need to shell out another $100 for a standalone version. As with most other smart home platforms, SmartThings-compatible devices include smart thermostats, locks, lights and more.

As far as screen size goes, the Q6-series TVs will include 49", 55", 65", 75" and 82" models, the Q7 and Q8-series devices will be home to 55", 65" and 75" models and the Q9-series TVs will ship with 65" and 75" variants.

On the higher end, the Q9 and Q8-series TVs will also house "full-array local dimming" (FALD) which should lead to more vibrant pictures and stronger color contrast. According to The Verge, the Q9 will contain "9 more [FALD] zones" than the Q8.

If you're interested in getting your hands on one of Samsung's upcoming 4K displays, you won't have to wait long. The devices are set to hit the market sometime in the coming weeks.

Images via The Verge

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/73610-samsung-unveils-their-2018-line-4k-qled-tvs.html

 

[VitalyT]

Meh! I want a real see-through TV. Concepts have been on display for years, but none made into production yet.

 

[ShagnWagn]

How about offering a tv WITHOUT that stupid "smart" crap? It will lower the price for all customers. Maybe that's why they are forcing us all so they can charge more? "smart" goes outdated and unsupported a year or two after released. Let us buy external devices instead of buying them once "smart" gets outdated anyway.

 

[Xtreme gamer]

How about offering a tv WITHOUT that stupid "smart" crap? It will lower the price for all customers. Maybe that's why they are forcing us all so they can charge more? "smart" goes outdated and unsupported a year or two after released. Let us buy external devices instead of buying them once "smart" gets outdated anyway.

Yea but a great picture needs a great processor. So they might as well use that processor for Smart. It's already in there.

 

[atari1980]

How about offering a tv WITHOUT that stupid "smart" crap? It will lower the price for all customers. Maybe that's why they are forcing us all so they can charge more? "smart" goes outdated and unsupported a year or two after released. Let us buy external devices instead of buying them once "smart" gets outdated anyway.

In fact TVs are cheaper now because of their 'smart' features. Logging on your Netflix account, watching Youtube directly on your smart TV allows manufacturers to collect data about your viewing usage which they then sell to 3rd parties.

 

[ShagnWagn]

Yea but a great picture needs a great processor. So they might as well use that processor for Smart. It's already in there.

Processors are finite on calculations, thus using for stupid "smart" means less resources for other actually beneficial uses. Let us use external devices and lower the cost for the many reasons plus above. Kind of like how they add "smart" to receivers. My receiver was sold as having pandora and less than a year later pandora broke and no support from either Onkyo nor pandora. Sad.