But what sets the QLED 8K apart from other 8K televisions and earns it its mesmerizing picture credentials is its ‘8K AI Upscaling’ feature, which harnesses machine learning to transform lower quality image contents into vivid 8K resolution. Not only can you watch content developed in 8K on the QLED’s 3-million-pixel screen, but with the 8K AI Upscaling feature, you can also watch your favorite videos from any resolution – from SD to 4K – transformed to as close to-8K quality as is possible, depending on the source.

Vivid Detail, Breathtaking Results

4K video (left) and 8K upscaled video (right): the 8K image appears more realistically rendered compared to the 4K one thanks to the enhanced detail of the objects depicted.

8K AI Upscaling is a technology that allows viewers to enjoy their favorite videos originally presented in SD, FHD and UHD in 8K (7,680X4,320) super high-quality resolution. On other higher definition screens, playing a low-definition video results in pixelation, image blurring and an overall unsatisfying viewing experience. In order to illuminate the difference 8K AI Upscaling can make, a 75-inch QLED 8K (Q900R) has been compared with a 75-inch QLED 4K TV (Q9F) to demonstrate how content played on the QLED 8K TV and transformed intelligently through 8K AI Upscaling appears in near-8K resolution quality – even if its source is 4K or below.

8K AI Upscaling results in more detailed and natural videos as it upscales not just one aspect, but a whole variety of features such as light, color and line differentiation. As Hyun-seung Lee, QLED 8K TV Picture Quality Developer notes, this means that the resulting images are ”closer to the original” – just as the creators intended. The realism offered by 8K AI Upscaling really does make all the difference in rendering images as if they were really in front of you. Looking at the image above, in the 8K version you can see that the colors of the weeds in the foreground appear more multi-dimensional; the upscaled texture renders each nook and cranny of the mountainside and differentiates it from the coarser textures of the billowing weeds below; and each and every onscreen detail is brought out so that upon viewing, you are really put into this pastoral scene.

Outstanding Realism

Just as the human eye takes in what is in front of it with no obfuscation and object depth differentiation, so the 8K QLED delivers scenes in detailed clarity thanks to the intelligent reactivity of 8K AI Upscaling (as compared with the FHD quality image on the 4K QLED TV [left])

Reflecting the way human object perception registers objects that are closer to us in more detail, 8K AI Upscaling carefully adjusts content to give ultimate image depth thanks to the advanced resolution process engine. Looking at the above images comparing an FHD-resolution image on the left 4K QLED TV with an 8K-upscaled one on the right QLED 8K, the 8K upscaling presents the flowers in the foreground in minute detail – appearing to viewers as if they were close enough to touch. Similarly, camera pans and sweeps across an environment on-screen are optimized to replicate the way human eyes react to changing stimulus – removing any blur from the video. The effortless pixel-less rendering of the images also contributes to an immersive viewing experience, and the peak 4,000 nit brightness of the QLED 8K accurately expresses images in all light conditions – as they are intended to be seen.

Sharper Text, Improved Legibility

HD video (left) and upscaled 8K video (right): Clearer letter outlines are noticeable in the upscaled image

When playing a low-definition video on a high-definition screen, line ‘noises’ (transmission disturbance that blurs details and caused unwanted digital static) are the most disruptive impediments to a satisfying viewing experience. As the input images have lower quality, letter outlines on captions and subtitles become more blurred. However, 8K AI Upscaling intelligently streamlines thick and rough outlines so that they are as sharp as possible, delivering clearer letters on the screen worthy of a high definition television experience. This aspect of the upscaling is crucial to viewers, as the improved legibility of text, demonstrated in the above images, decreases eye strain. As Lee notes, “Recently, almost all videos and TV programs such as entertainment, news, YouTube videos and movies feature subtitles. Consumers can really notice the difference on-screen with 8K AI Upscaling.”

Deeper Blacks for Total Immersion

4K video (left) and upscaled 8K video (right): More detailed contrasts highlight the details of objects in the black background

With 8K AI Upscaling, denser contrast expression means that object details inside of a black background become more pronounced compared to in their original source resolution, heightening a realistic viewing experience. In order to counteract any light spreading across dark-hued content, a common problem in lower-resolution videos, the Upscaling’s intelligent algorithms analyze black video patterns in order to transmit the perfect black; the quality of this deep black is on a par with content originally produced in 8K resolution. The difference between the two images pre and post upscaling is truly noticeable; such is the power of 8K AI Upscaling technology.

Behind the Scenes: Intelligent Upscaling that Keeps Learning

8K AI Upscaling intelligently analyzes not only 4K but also SD, HD, FHD and any other video resolutions in real-time and any necessary features are supplemented. Textures are restored with delicate detail offsetting, any visual static is automatically eliminated by video stream compression, low-definition edges are sharpened to avoid blurriness, and any discontinuous lines are restored. The key element to this is machine learning. Thanks to the QLED 8K’s inbuilt ‘Quantum Processor 8K’ technology, the intelligent algorithm learns from the differences found and makes note of the correlation between low-definition and high-definition content.

”The Quantum Processor at the heart of 8K AI Upscaling technology sets its own standards for optimized upscaling, instigating such intelligent features as ‘lines must be thin’ and ‘thick and rough areas must be more vivid’,” explains Lee.

Hyun-seung Lee notes that in developing the QLED 8K and its 8K AI Upscaling technology, “we focused on realizing display quality that is closer to original sources”

8K AI Upscaling is based on artificial intelligence smart learning, so through usage, it will develop and adapt with each video upscale as more video data becomes available to the system to be analyzed. But even from the first usage, the QLED 8K provides the most comfortable color, light and texture balances to provide the optimum viewing experience for each user. “8K AI Upscaling opened the development possibilities of not just improving resolution and achieving better image quality, but also in the area of human taste, which is difficult to emulate,” notes Lee on the dynamic changes the QLED 8K’s 8K AI Upscaling feature provides for viewers.

Renowned global consumer technology media outlets are heaping praise on the newly-released Samsung QLED 8K TV, the Q900R for its picture quality, design and its 8K AI upscaling technology.

Unveiled at IFA 2018, the Q900R QLED 8K has been well received by industry experts and insiders. With Real 8K Resolution features embedded with Samsung’s proprietary 8K AI Upscaling technology, the company is pushing the boundaries of TV technology for consumers around the world.

Trusted Reviews, a renowned technology news and reviews media website based in the United Kingdom, awarded the Q900R a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars noting that, “For a start, it’s the first ‘proper’ 8K TV. Secondly, it’s far and away the brightest TV ever released. Put these two innovations together, and you’ve got a set that can take you to picture quality places you’ve never been before.”

Pocket-Lint, a UK-based consumer technology news site, also praised the processor, noting that it is “capable of processing huge volumes of data that helps to further improve the TV’s performance,” and the QLED 8K TV delivered “the best HDR (High Dynamic Range) experience that [they]’ve seen in any TV to date.”

HD Guru, a US-based technology review website, gave the Q900R an overall score of 5 out of 5 stating, “Even with Standard Dynamic Range Full HD content, colors were exceptionally bright and vibrant, where they were intended to be. The Samsung QLED 8K TV delivered the brightest pictures [they]’ve ever tested along with deep and rich black levels that registered nearly perfect black and clearly visible deep shadow detail.”

Forbes Magazine also expressed enthusiasm stating, “Even with so little native 8K to go on, though, it was instantly and staggeringly clear that all those extra pixels have a stunning and mesmerizing impact on picture quality.”¹ Another renowned technology news outlet Digital Trends echoed the sentiment, “Right now, there’s no better 85-inch TV on the planet.”

AVS Forum, one of the biggest audio and video review forum, awarded the Q900R its coveted “Top Choice 2018” distinction saying, “If you can afford it, and you can fit it in your home, then there is no question that this-the Samsung Q900-is the AVS Forum Top Choice for 2018. It’s an amazing display by any measure, and of course it’s also first when it comes to 8K TVs you can actually buy.”

¹ From the Forbes Contributor Network and not necessarily the opinion of Forbes Media LLC. ©2018, Forbes Media LLC. Used with Permission