Neo QLEDs are optimized with the new Smart Hub that enables smart content curation, cloud gaming, video calls, on-screen multitasking, NFTs management and more

Expanded lineup and accessories offer increased customization for a tailored video and audio experience

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. recently unveiled its newest MICRO LED, Neo QLED and Lifestyle TVs ahead of Consumer Electronics Show 2022. With advancements in picture and sound quality, more screen size options, customizable accessories and an upgraded interface, the 2022 screens bring the vision of ‘Screens Everywhere, Screens for All’ closer to reality with life-like images, immersive sound and hyper-personalized experiences.

MICRO LED: The Pinnacle of Display Technology

As Samsung’s state-of-the-art display, MICRO LED offers amazing picture quality thanks to 25 million micrometer-sized LEDs that individually produce light and colour, creating an incredibly immersive experience through impressive depth, vibrant colours and a heightened level of clarity and contrast. At CES 2022, Samsung will unveil the MICRO LED in three different sizes – 110”, 101”, and 89”.

In addition to the hardware innovations, the 2022 MICRO LED supports 20-bit greyscale depth. This means MICRO LED models can express every detail in a scene, offering the finest control with over 1 million steps of brightness and colour levels, delivering a true HDR experience. Together with immersive design made possible by its 99.99% screen-to-body ratio, MICRO LED delivers revolutionary performance.

Finally, MICRO LED comes packed with enhanced usability and customization features.

• Art Mode allows consumers to turn any room into an art gallery as they can select and display their favourite artwork or digital photography. The 2022 MICRO LED also comes with two exclusive media pieces from noted artist and designer Refik Anadol.
• Multi View lets users view content from four different sources simultaneously – from any or all of the four HDMI ports – in pristine 4K resolution at up to 120fps.
• Dolby Atmos delivers a premier immersive audio experience with top, side and bottom channel speakers for breathtaking, multi-dimensional sound.

Evolution of Neo QLED with Neo Quantum Processor and Dynamic Sound Experience

Thanks to the Neo Quantum Processor and the advancements in picture technology and sound it delivers, 2022 Neo QLED will provide some of the most pristine images and immersive soundscapes possible. In fact, this year’s Neo Quantum Processor introduces advanced contrast mapping with BLU (back-light unit), increasing the brightness level from 12 to 14-bit gradation for greater control of the light source – the Quantum Mini LEDs. This allows the TV to control its lighting across 16,384 steps, quadrupled from the previous 4,096 steps.

The new Shape Adaptive Light technology leverages the Neo Quantum Processor to analyze lines, shapes and surfaces to control the shape of light from the Quantum Mini LEDs, enhancing the brightness and accuracy of all shapes on the screen. The result is outstanding image quality that puts full HDR content on display. Samsung’s 2022 Neo QLED also features Real Depth Enhancer, a multi-intelligence picture quality algorithm. This technological advancement creates a greater sense of realism by determining and processing an object on the screen against its background to create a sense of depth.

Additionally, Samsung’s 2022 Neo QLED features EyeComfort mode, which automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness and tone based on a built-in light sensor and sunset/sunrise information. As the ambient light changes, the screen will gradually reduce the amount of light and offer warmer tones, adjusting the blue light levels accordingly. This allows for a more comfortable viewing experience at night by reducing the blue light which may affect one’s sleep quality.

Neo QLED’s sound features are getting a major upgrade as well. Building on OTS (Object Tracking Sound), which directs the sound to move across the room along with the object on-screen, the 2022 products will feature OTS Pro, which incorporates powerful up-firing speakers to create overhead surround sound. 2022 Neo QLED also delivers a truly remarkable Dolby Atmos experience thanks to the addition of Samsung’s new top channel speakers. With multi-channel speakers placed throughout the TV, Neo QLED delivers a dynamic sound experience that tracks the actions from all corners.

Award-Winning Lifestyle TVs with Seamless Integration of Design and Technology

Samsung’s 2022 Lifestyle screens seamlessly blend design and technology for a unique and personalized experience. A new Matte Display with anti-glare, anti-reflection and anti-fingerprint properties has been applied to The Frame, The Sero and The Serif, providing one of the most pleasant and comfortable viewing experiences.

• The Frame now offers a more realistic art viewing experience outside of a museum thanks to the anti-glare, low-reflection panel technology featuring an embossed, Matte Display. It also avoids fingerprints and smudges, allowing users to enjoy their favourite artwork in ideal conditions. The Frame comes in sizes ranging from 32” to 85.”
• The Serif also comes with a matte finish body to blend seamlessly with the Matte Display, elevating the iconic design to give the most premium look and feel. With the addition of a 65” size option, The Serif is now offered in sizes ranging from 43” to 65.”
• The Sero offers an optimized watching experience with its new Matte Display in both vertical and horizontal modes. The new vertical Multi View function takes multitasking to the next level, allowing users to simultaneously view different content on the top and bottom of the screen, or search information online while watching

The New Smart Hub and Apps for the Ultimate User Experience

Samsung’s 2022 Smart TVs come with a new Smart Hub that puts content curation and discovery front and centre with their viewing preferences. The new Smart Hub will guide users to their favourite content or help them discover something new all while spending less time searching. The Smart Hub’s sidebar also allows for a seamless transition between categories – Media, Game (Gaming Hub) and Ambient – letting users focus on various in-home activities.

• Gaming Hub: The Samsung Gaming Hub will empower players to discover and jump into the games they love faster through game streaming services. Players will have access to an extensive library of games through Samsung’s partnerships with industry leaders – NVIDIA GeForce Now, Stadia and Utomik – and that’s just the beginning.
• Watch Together: The new app allows users to video chat with friends and family while watching their favourite shows and movies, guaranteed to bring everyone closer together.
• NFT Platform: This application features an intuitive, integrated platform for discovering, purchasing and trading digital artwork through MICRO LED, Neo QLED and The Frame.
• Smart Calibration: This feature allows users to fine tune the settings for optimal picture quality. Basic mode features a quick and easy way of calibrating the screens within 30 seconds, while Professional mode optimizes the screens for pristine picture quality in about 10 minutes.

Expanded Accessory Options Personalized to Users’ Needs and Tastes

The 2022 models also come with expanded accessories to personalize the user experience. The Auto Rotating Wall Mount and Stand inherits the vertical viewing experience from The Sero, allowing users to enjoy mobile viewing by automatically rotating their screens[1].

To complement the accessory, the 2022 products will support a vertical interface, including the Smart Hub, and offer a vertical Multi View feature. It will offer apps such as YouTube and TikTok as well as mirroring and casting in vertical mode. Lastly, lifestyle features such as Ambient Mode+ and Art Mode are also available in vertical mode. The new rotation key on the remote control lets users easily rotate the screen with a click of a button.

Additionally, with expanded bezel options for The Frame and full motion slim-fit wall mounts for all TVs[2], there are endless possibilities of personalization with Samsung’s 2022 displays.

Breaking Sonic Barriers with the Latest Soundbar and Features

The 2022 soundbar lineup gets technology upgrades to provide even more immersive, three-dimensional audio experience. Q Symphony, the signature surround-sound experience which allows Samsung’s Neo QLEDs and soundbars to work together, has been improved with added synchrony. This enables the soundbar and TV speakers to work together with all the speakers on the TVs, including the top channel speakers, providing for an expansive, powerful soundscape.

Samsung’s 2022 soundbars also come with Wireless Dolby Atmos connectivity[3], a wireless Smart TV-to-soundbar connection in which both the screen and soundbar speakers deliver an incredible audio experience with no distracting cables.

Additionally, the new HW-S800B Ultra Slim Soundbar resets the standard in the slim soundbar category, delivering a powerful bass in compact form by integrating passive radiator technology with its subwoofer. With true top-firing speaker channels, the new ultra slim soundbar packs powerful sound at just 1.6” in depth.

“As technology continues to advance, the role of the screen has evolved to reflect our changing lifestyles. Our new lineup of home entertainment products delivers immersive viewing experiences that are customizable to consumers’ needs,” said Pat Bugos, VP/Head of Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics Canada. “From watching movies to gaming to showcasing art, we have an innovative offering for any room in the home.”

For more information, including images or video on the products Samsung is announcing at CES 2022, please visit news.samsung.com/ca/ces-2022.

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Disclaimer: All functionality, features, specifications, and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation. Availability of the above-mentioned products, services, and features may vary by region.

[1] Compatible with 2022 The Frame and Neo QLED 4K/8K models up to 65”. All accessories including the Auto Rotating Wall Mount and Stand are sold separately.

[2] Applies to all 2022 TV models 43”-85”, except Q80A and AU7000. Additional bezel sold separately.

[3] Compatible with 2022 Samsung QLED TVs.

In order to understand more about how those innovative features of the Neo QLED transcend technological hurdles to meet user’s growing demands for next-level quality displays, Samsung sat down with the next-generation TV developers to find out more.

▲ (From left to right) Engineers Bonggeun Lee, Kyehoon Lee, and Minhoon Lee from the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics

The Beginning of QLED: the Quantum Mini LED

The culmination of a range of leading innovations, the journey to developing the Neo QLED began with the creation of the Quantum Mini LED, a light source just 1/40th the height of conventional LEDs. Samsung’s engineers managed to reduce the size of the LED down to almost that of a dust particle, and applied a micro layer that softly disperses light into the LED itself, allowing the chip to emit and disperse light on its own. The resulting self-emitting LED removes the noise possessed by previous technologies and enables the era of natural, smooth display presentation.

“In those TVs that utilize the typical LEDs, there is an additional lens that has to sit on top of the LED so that the light can be dispersed, so our focus for our new LED product was on allowing it to disperse light independently,” noted Engineer Minhoon Lee. “Not only is the Quantum Mini LED smaller and more space-effective than its predecessors, but it also does not require the extra lens layer, allowing us to align more LEDs together in a more compact manner.”

As the Quantum Mini LED is just 1/40th the height of previous LEDs, the engineers encountered many hurdles in the production process. There was not enough equipment available to work with these new LEDs that were of such a minute size, and the production process was inevitably intricate and tricky. “Not only is the Quantum Mini LED small, but we also needed to ascertain the accurate location of where electricity enters the LED in order to align the tens of thousands of elements around it,” said Engineer Kyehoon Lee. “This meant that expertise and advanced technologies became key. Samsung already has the know-how when it comes to developing next-generation displays, including micro LED products, so we could address this issue by applying existing Samsung processes that deal specifically with microfine elements.”

Presenting Fine Details Through Precise Control: the Quantum Matrix

Local dimming is a technology that enables better picture quality by optimizing the brightness appropriately and dimming or brightening parts of the screen that respectively need to be adjusted through distinguishing the screen backlights into multiple zones. Increasing the on-screen contrast not only provides life-like watching experiences but it also significantly reduces the amount of electricity used. Samsung has championed local dimming technology for a long time and has been able to improve and advance this technology through dedicated research and development efforts. As a result, the Neo QLEDs feature an evolved and optimized local dimming technology – Quantum Matrix.

However, if the lens that is used to disperse the light on top of an LED is removed and the backlights are exposed, wouldn’t this result in users being able to notice the changes in brightness and contrast happening? The engineers had already considered this, and tackled this obstacle by including even more precise adjustment into the Quantum Matrix’s processes.

Neo QLED increases the luminance scale to 12-bit with 4,096 steps. When the light level on-screen is not detailed enough, it can result in an impression of lag or freezing, and the light could be absorbed by nearby local blocks. However, Quantum Matrix technology is able to express a colour at dozens of different levels without any glitching and present it with no blooming. If you enjoy playing games on your TV, for example, you will be able to easily distinguish a foe in a dark cave with your own eyes.

“The range of brightness that the human eye can see is called the dynamic range,” noted Minhoon Lee. “When it comes to Quantum Matrix, the light can be adjusted within a 4,096 level range, meaning that this dynamic range has also been maximized.”

“The human eye is very sensitive, so we are helping each colour to play its own role and show itself as it is instead of getting mixed up with other ones,” continued Minhoon Lee. “In addition, Quantum Matrix technology brings the extra electricity that isn’t being used in darker parts of the screen to the brighter parts so that the concentration is maximized. With this technology, we’ve achieved brightness of up to 4,000 nits[1] with the Neo QLED.”

Quantum Matrix technology not only precisely controls all those Quantum Mini LEDs, but it also controls the light source for each individual content. “This technology works by analyzing the content source being played so that users can enjoy even more vivid, realistic experiences,” noted Engineer Bonggeun Lee. “For instance, if there is a scene on-screen that requires a maximized sense of dimension, the technology will provide a sense of depth by focusing the light on the object that is at the front while darkening the background. It is a completely different technology from something as simple as lights that just turn on and off.”

More Detailed AI Upscaling: the Neo Quantum Processor

When it comes to enjoying an immersive viewing experience, content picture quality is just as important as a next-level display. In order to ensure that users can enjoy high-quality content even if the original source is of a lower resolution, and regardless of local internet speed, Samsung’s engineers developed a picture quality engine to automatically convert any content to an optimized picture quality – the advanced AI-powered Neo Quantum Processor.

The innovation key to the Neo Quantum Processor’s high performance is that its neural network has been increased from 1 to 16. This allows the processor to map different contents by their type, significantly enhancing its upscaling capability[2]. “The Neo Quantum Processor works like this: the selected video’s attributes will be analyzed in real-time by the processor, and then the most optimized neural network out of the 16 available will be applied for the best possible upscaling result,” explained Bonggeun Lee. “This means that each one of the 16 neural networks is capable of playing a different role so that the processor can perform even more detailed upscaling.”

The processor’s method of filling the gaps between low-resolution and high-resolution contents has also become more precise. If the gap between the pixels is widened, then simply copying and pasting the same pixel repeatedly will make the video unclear and blurry. With the Neo Quantum Processor, the correlation is constantly analyzed through neural network learning and the change between pixels is estimated to fill in the gap between pixels in a way that is as close to reality as possible. This allows for a pattern to be analyzed in real-time and the best possible upscaling solution to be applied to the content, regardless of the resolution of the input video (be it SD, HD, FHD or 4K).

The Epitome of Samsung’s Display Innovation: 2021 Neo QLED

Samsung’s TVs have been number one in the global market for 15 consecutive years[3]. This achievement illustrates the synergy between the different innovations the company develops for each of its products, and how they work together to consistently provide the viewing experiences that users expect. The Neo QLED, a TV in a whole new league of its own, was made possible only due to the company’s existing work into developing advanced display technologies.

“Neo QLED isn’t simply a display made out of small LEDs,” highlighted Engineer Kyehoon Lee. “From including small yet effective elements to developing precise screen control, there are so many different technologies that have converged in the Neo QLED to bring beautiful display screen experiences to users. We’re very excited to see how our team’s efforts in research and development over the years have finally led to such an achievement in display technology.”

Each year, the trends within the display business change. When developing the Neo QLED, all the engineers agreed that the trend they paid the most attention to was “the bigger, the better”. Out of the many factors that users consider when purchasing a TV, size is always at the top of the list. The engineers expect that the market is set to move forward with this mindset, too.

“In the past, some people felt uncomfortable with large-screen TVs, as they wouldn’t be able to see all the pixels on-screen vividly and this led to visual discomfort,” noted Bonggeun Lee. “However, Neo QLED is a TV that has reached the technological level that allows for satisfying viewing experiences across the board. In line with the leading trends within the TV market that prioritize ultra-large screens, we will continue to work towards realizing the perfect picture quality on a large screen.”

Samsung’s Neo QLED, which presents its contents to users as if it were actually right there in front of their eyes, has been realized with the aim of opening up a new era for displays. Following this, it won’t be long until we can all enjoy next-level viewing experiences right in our own living rooms.

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[1] Maximum brightness may vary by model.

[2] 8K / 4K AI Upscaling enhances content to near-8K / near-4K picture quality. Based on laboratory testing. Viewing experience may vary according to types of content and format.

[3] Source – Omdia, TV Sets Intelligence Service, Jan-2021. Ranking in terms of unit shipments for 15 years consecutive years ending 2020. Results are not an endorsement of Samsung. Any reliance on these results is at the third-party’s own risk.