LONDON, UK, 2 October, 2018 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has announced that the first QLED 8K TV to go on sale in the UK, will be available to pre order from October 3^rd 2018. This TV is the most advanced TV on the market and is set to change the way we view content in our homes forever more.  Prices start from £4,999.99 and will be available from shop.samsung.com, as well as selected retailers.

With the Q900R’s 8K TV, consumers will experience realistic and life-like images and sounds, bringing top-quality resolution into the home – using 8K AI upscaling.

Register for pre order on the Samsung UK website from October 3^rd, with the television going on sale on Wednesday 17^th October 2018.

To learn more about how the company’s latest TV mesmerises viewers with virtually perfect picture quality and sound, Samsung Newsroom sat down with members of the team behind it, including product planners Beomkyun Rha and Jonghyuk Kim, and developers Hyunseung Lee and Sunghwan Jang.

Fostering a Viewing Experience Like Nothing Seen Before

QLED 8K boasts a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels—16 times more than a full HD (FHD) TV, and four times higher than 4K UHD display. As developer Hyunseung Lee explained, the TV’s added resolution allows detailed in images to be expressed more clearly, and creates a sense of reality and depth that keeps you immersed in your content.

“With conventional SD (standard definition) or HD (high definition) displays, when people look closely at depicted images, they can recognise them as a cluster of pixels,” said Lee. “However, with QLED 8K, the level of resolution is so high that pixels become invisible to the human eye, and viewers become incapable of distinguishing depicted objects from the real thing.”

As fellow developer Sunghwan Jang noted, however, it’s not just QLED 8K’s sky-high resolution that enables it to provide such textured, realistic images. The TV’s exceptional peak brightness—up to 4,000 nits—allows it to illuminate small details with impeccable precision.

“Bright content is expressed differently in 8K resolution,” said Jang. “Because 8K features four times more pixels than 4K, images and videos that are brighter and include more detail can be presented more accurately in 8K.”

Taking Immersion to Another Level with AI

Samsung has implement artficial intelligence (AI) technology into the QLED 8K TV.  Adding machine learning to the TV’s repertoire of immersion-enhancing features has made it easy for users to enjoy a wide range of content in crystal clear 8K.

Samsung’s exclusive machine-learning technology automatically upscales lower-resolution videos into 8K picture quality, regardless of the video’s native resolution or method of transmission. The technology is powered by the Quantum Processor 8K, which, according to product planner BeomKyun Rha, was enhanced to better process details and lighting.

As Lee explained, the difference that the upscaling technology makes is often as clear as black and white. “When you look at 4K content next to upscaled 8K video, black areas of the screen are where you can see a major difference, even under bright conditions.”

The difference is also especially noticeable when viewing scenes with lots of detail and contrast. When viewing a nature documentary, for example, QLED 8K ensures sharp, natural colours that depict both the beaming yellow sun and the emerald waves beneath it with vivid accuracy.

Dealing with Challenges

When developing QLED 8K, Samsung’s R&D team was encouraged by the 8K market’s rapid development, but found it difficult to agree upon how to improve on QLED TV’s specifications, given the TV’s status as the cornerstone of the company’s display offerings.

“The most difficult thing to do was to coordinate the opinions of all the related divisions,” explained Jang. “For example, the goal was to achieve 4,000-nit brightness. Conventional 4K TVs feature an optimum brightness of 1,500 to 2,000-nits, so raising that figure to 4,000 presented a challenge.”

Because the market had never seen TVs that satisfied the 4,000-nit specification, the team set out to raise the bar by achieving that value. “We wanted to produce the world’s best TV,” said product planner Jonghyuk Kim. “A TV that would allow content to be depicted as faithfully to creators’ intention as possible.

Delivering on that brightness goal presented a number of difficulties, and the team sought the opinions of a various divisions to help address them. “Once the discussions were done, [we] tirelessly researched every detail, such as how to adjust the amount of light to find an optimal balance of performance and durability,” Kim continued. “We worked very hard to figure out just the right amount. If it was too little, the light would be insufficient, but if it was too much, it would impact the product’s durability.”

Looking Ahead

Of course, Samsung’s R&D team overcame the challenges it faced during QLED 8K’s development, eventually delivering a TV with the power to redefine standards for visual immersion. The team isn’t resting on its laurels, however, as there’s still more work to be done.

Currently, Samsung’s 8K AI Upscaling technology is capable of enhancing content with better picture quality and sound, but the goal is to enable the AI to analyse users’ viewing conditions and environments in order to provide a more optimised, personalised experience. This will eventually allow the technology to offer any viewer an optimal and immersive viewing experience.

“We want our consumers to be able to immerse themselves in their favourite content, and view photos and videos from their everyday lives at a level of detail that allows them to feel like they’re present in the moment or scene,” said Rha. “We consider it our duty at Samsung to create new, innovative products like QLED 8K, that can help consumers realise such experiences.”

[1] Samsung QLED 8K will not support upscaling for PC, game and analogue content are not subject to 8K upscaling

Available in a choice of 65, 75, and 85-inch models, the new TV combines the market’s highest resolution with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that optimises content for 8K presentation—producing truly lifelike images and sound, and enabling users to enjoy much more immersive viewing experiences.

Samsung has been the world’s number one TV manufacturer for 12 years running thanks to a commitment to setting new standards for picture quality and immersion. With the unveiling of QLED 8K, the company has once again raised the bar for both.

Why 8K Matters

Large-screen TVs (measuring 65 inches or wider) are becoming more and more common, with over 11 million sold just last year and, according to leading market research firm IHS Markit^[2], approximately 16 million expected to be sold this year. The market for ultra-large screen TVs (measuring 75 inches or wider) is also predicted to almost double by the year 2020.

The larger TVs get, the more important their resolution becomes, as details portrayed on a bigger screen require more pixels—the thousands (or millions) of incredibly small dots that make up the images you see on your TV screen—to clearly define them. This means that ideally, in order to provide a level of detail that really blows viewers away, a large-screen TV’s resolution, or total number of pixels, should be above the previous high mark of 4K (3,840 x 2,160).

An 8K TV features a resolution of 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, which means roughly 8,000 pixels are packed into each horizontal line of the screen. At this level of pixel density, the individual pixels composing an image become imperceptible to the human eye—even when viewed up close. Samsung’s QLED 8K features over 30 million pixels in total, which adds depth and detail to content displayed on the TV’s expansive screen, and makes objects appear that much more realistic.

If history is any indication, consumers won’t have to wait long for immersive 8K content to become the new normal. It took just less than five years for UHD (Ultra-High Definition) TVs to overtake FHD (Full HD) models in global sales, and IHS Markit predicts that sales of 8K TVs will quadruple over the next few years.

How Resolution Affects Realism

Put simply, the higher a TV’s resolution, the sharper its picture quality, and the more realistic its images will seem. Samsung’s QLED 8K features a resolution that’s 16 times greater than FHD and four times greater than a 4K UHD TV. This allows the TV to produce lifelike visuals that accurately depict details in a scene or image which would likely go unnoticed on a lower-resolution TV.

As the resolution of an image increases, it also creates a sense of depth that tricks our eyes into believing that the objects within appear more immersive. When viewing high-resolution content on a wide screen, the wider our field of view, the more immersive the content we’re watching becomes, and the more “present” we feel within it.

In other words, QLED 8K’s high-res visuals and wide screen offer viewers a new level of immersion—one that allows them to feel like they’re in the heart of the action when viewing a favourite movie, or enjoying a front row seat when watching the big game.

How Samsung’s Innovating with 8K

Samsung’s QLED TVs have a history of fostering brilliant visuals that predates the line’s jump to ultra-high-resolution 8K.

For a start, each QLED TV is certified to deliver 100 percent colour volume^[3], which means accurate colours at any brightness level. This helps the TVs express subtle details in both bright and dark scenes, and produce vibrant HDR (high dynamic range) images that bring content to life.

Because contrast ratio, like resolution, can greatly affect a TV’s ability to produce images that pop off the screen, QLED 8K also features Samsung’s brightness-optimising Q HDR 8K technology. This innovative technology maximises contrast ratio to make images appear clearer and more three dimensional, analysing an image’s object(s) and background in order to accentuate fine details. The TV’s Direct Full Array Elite technology enhances contrast even further, in addition to offering precise backlighting controls.

QLED 8K’s combination of perfect colour volume, optimised contrast and support for the Samsung-spearheaded HDR10+ open standard allows it to foster truly cinematic viewing experiences. The TV’s 4,000-nit peak brightness matches the content mastering standard for major film and TV studios’ Blu-ray releases, while its HDR10+ technology leverages dynamic metadata to optimise contrast and colours from scene to scene to ensure that content is displayed in the manner that filmmakers intended.

And it’s not just films and shows that benefit from crystal clear 8K. The TV’s built-in Ambient Mode^[4] allows users to enhance their home’s décor with beautiful images when the TV is turned off. Photos and artworks look flawless when displayed at 8K resolution, and the TV’s boundless design creates the sense that the image on display is melting into the wall behind it.

What’s More: 8K AI Upscaling Technology Expands 8K TV Market

To enable users to enjoy as much 8K content as possible, the TV also features Samsung’s proprietary Quantum Processor 8K. This innovative addition recognises content—whether it’s transmitted via a streaming service, set-top box, HDMI, USB, or even mobile mirroring— and automatically upscales its sound and images into near-8K quality using machine-learning 8K AI Upscaling technology. This enables consumers to view just about any movie or show on any channel in crisp 8K, regardless of the video’s native resolution or method of transmission.

The upscaling technology is compatible with all types of content, including standard definition, HD, FHD and UHD, but its optimisation is most dramatic when the original source is a 4K UHD image. The built-in AI upscaling feature analyses the relationship between low- and high-resolution video, and uses this insight to apply millions of upscaling algorithms that accentuate details, add sharpness to edges, and eliminate compression noise for streamed videos.

The feature expertly restores content’s texture and detail to allow you to view your show or movie as it was meant to be seen. The resulting images are so vivid and detailed that you’ll feel like you could reach out and touch the objects and characters within them.

QLED 8K’s AI Upscaling technology also includes a sound optimisation function, which automatically analyses content’s sound from scene to scene to foster the most immersive experience possible. When watching a football game, for instance, when a player makes a big play, the sound may amplify the audience’s cheers to recreate the excitement of being there in person. After the play, the TV may emphasise the commentators’ voices as they break down what just happened. There’s no need to raise the volume to hear what’s being said; QLED 8K will do it for you.

Going forward, TVs will be evaluated based on their ability to enhance viewers’ immersion to the point that they feel like they’re experiencing a scene, game or moment firsthand. The launch of Samsung 8K AI Upscaling technology brings us closer than ever to achieving this goal of blurring the line between reality and reproduction.

[1] Samsung QLED 8K will not support upscaling for PC, game and analogue content are not subject to 8K upscaling

[2] IHS Markit TV Sets Market Tracker – Forecast Q1 2018, Information is not an endorsement of Samsung. Any reliance on these results is at the third party’s own risk. Visit technology.ihs.com for more details. 

[3] QLED TVs have received verification from world-class testing and certification association, Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker (VDE), for its ability to produce 100 percent colour volume

[4] Some features of Ambient Mode require a compatible Android or iOS phone and sufficient space around the TV to operate; it will have varying results on complex wall designs, patterns, and/or unusual colours

LONDON, UK – August 30, 2018 – During its press conference at IFA 2018, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is to announce its foray into 8K with the unveiling of the Q900R QLED 8K complete with 8K AI Upscaling. Available in four ultra-large screen sizes (65”, 75”, 82” and 85”), Samsung QLED 8K TV will feature several 8K-ready enhancements, including Real 8K Resolution, Q HDR 8K and Quantum Processor 8K, all created to bring 8K-quality images to life. The new Samsung QLED 8K will be available in the UK from Mid-October.

Samsung’s QLED 8K with 8K AI Upscaling is a part of the company’s long-term vision of leading 8K to the forefront as the most accurate and life-like screen resolution on the market.

“At Samsung, we’ve worked tirelessly over the years to move the industry forward when it comes to premium picture quality, and the introduction of our QLED 8K with 8K AI Upscaling is an integral component as we look to the future of displays,” said Jongsuk Chu, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re thrilled to introduce the Q900R to consumers and are confident that they will experience nothing short of brilliance in colour, clarity and sound on our new 8K-capable models.”

To achieve 8K-quality images, the Samsung Q900R features Real 8K Resolution capable of up to 4,000 nit peak brightness – a standard met by most film studios. This feature allows TV to produce four times more pixels than a 4K UHD TV and 16 times more pixels than a full HD TV. Q HDR 8K powered by HDR (High Dynamic Range) 10+ technology which optimises the TV’s brightness levels and produces pristine colours and images is also incorporated to deliver pictures as intended by creators.

Samsung’s proprietary 8K AI Upscaling technology based on artificial intelligence also comes equipped with picture and sound quality to a level compatible with 8K regardless of the original source quality or format^[1]. Whether a user is watching content through a streaming service, set-top box, HDMI, USB or even mobile mirroring, the Quantum Processor 8K recognises and upscales the content to appear in 8K quality. In addition, the Q900R features Direct Full Array Elite for enhanced contrast and precise backlighting control, and also 100% Colour Volume, enabling users to witness billions of shades of colour for the purest colour accuracy to-date.

Focusing on user efficiency, the Q900R features a slate of new functions that enable consumers to use their TVs differently while maintaining the highest quality in picture and sound. For example, the TV recognises and analyses a number of connected entertainment devices like audio devices connected via optical cable with One Remote, then auto switches the TV’s image source and audio output for an optimised viewing experience. Lifestyle features, such as Ambient Mode, have been enhanced to seamlessly blend the TV in the surrounding space^[2] by showcasing beautiful images, weather, news and more on the screen. The One Near Invisible Cable, which comes standard at 5 meters, incorporates the optical cable and power in one seamless cord, giving users more freedom to decide where and how they place the TV. Smart enhancements, such as SmartThings, further add to the Q900R’s ability to provide users with greater access to information and make their lives easier, and the Universal Guide provides personalised recommendations to easily find live and OTT content on TV.

Samsung will showcase its latest television and audio announcements in its booth at IFA, located at the City Cube Berlin on Level 2.

[1] Samsung QLED 8K will not support upscaling for PC, game and analogue content are not subject to 8K upscaling

[2] Some features of Ambient Mode require a compatible Android or iOS phone and sufficient space around the TV to operate; it will have varying results on complex wall designs, patterns, and/or unusual colours.