advanced features, and latest SmartThings updates

Samsung Electronics has unveiled its 2023 lineup of Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED, Samsung OLED and sound devices and monitors at its Unbox & Discover 2023 event, showcasing the latest innovations in premium viewing, gaming experiences, smart connectivity and sustainability initiatives. Under the tagline “More Wow than Ever,” Samsung’s 2023 lineup is set to impress consumers.

So far, Samsung has launched the flagship TV line-up in a couple of countries across the globe. Now, Samsung is ready to launch these TVs in the South African market as the company has just opened up early orders in the country. Consumers can early order the Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED and OLED TVs and get up to R15 000 in store vouchers, plus The Freestyle smart projector package which includes a carry case and a battery base, as well as Signature Service. This offer is redeemable in-store, may vary by participating models and is valid from 21 April to 04 June 2023 (T’s & C’s apply) [1].

This year’s lineup focuses on enhancing the user experience by making complex technologies more intuitive and seamlessly integrated into people’s lives, while delivering impeccable picture and sound quality consumers expect from Samsung screens.

“At Samsung, we understand that technology should empower and enhance people’s lives, not complicate them,” said Mike van Lier, Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Samsung Electronics. “By choosing Samsung, consumers can expect to experience an unparalleled level of wow factors, all while participating in eco-conscious practices for a sustainable future.”

1 – More Choice with Premium Screens: Neo QLED 8K and Samsung OLED

At Unbox & Discover 2023, Samsung unveiled products and features designed to deliver innovative 8K experiences. The QN900C sits at the top of Samsung’s premium Neo QLED 8K lineup and is a standout model in the premium TV category. With groundbreaking technologies like Auto HDR Remastering and 8K AI upscaling, the QN900C is impressing industry experts and reviewers alike.

From true-to-life picture quality to immersive audio, Samsung has once again set the bar high with its Neo QLED 8K. Samsung offers 85” & 75” QN900C Model on its Neo QLED 8K lineup, providing immaculate colour reproduction and life-like level of details in a scale that offers true cinematic experience. It offers upgraded sound with Dolby Atmos and Q-Symphony 3.0 to further envelope viewers in every single scene.

Additionally, Samsung spoke to its efforts in expanding the 8K ecosystem by working closely with various partners, including the 8K Association. Together, Samsung is introducing more ways to enjoy native 8K content than ever before.

Samsung also highlighted its 2023 Samsung OLED lineup, which offers immaculate color accuracy through Neural Quantum Processor 4K’s perceptional color mapping – making Samsung OLED the “World’s First Pantone-Validated HDR OLED.”  [2]

In fact, Samsung OLED boasts true blacks and stunningly natural pictures with perfect contrast and color expression. The S95C features Samsung’s signature Infinity One design, and the LaserSlim design of the S90C model adds a touch of sophisticated metal finish.

2 – Putting Gaming at the Forefront with Gaming TVs

Premium screens, from Neo QLED 8K to OLED and beyond, not only bring video and photo content to life in ultra-high resolution but can also bring screen experiences like gaming to a whole new level. Gaming on a Neo QLED 8K provides a unique level of immersive gameplay, from the large screen to high-performance graphic cards that support 8K resolution at fast pace.

3 – Solutions for Your Tailor-made Life: Five Foundations of SmartThings

Samsung underscores its commitment to calm tech and innovation, providing consumers with the latest technologies that make life better. In particular, the company has introduced five core foundations of SmartThings, which aims to provide increased convenience when setting up their smart homes.

• Instant Connection: SmartThings enables users to easily connect their devices in just one step, allowing them to enjoy the synergy created by Samsung devices more easily.
• Automated Connection: SmartThings automatically connects devices, like TVs or smartphones, with other Samsung devices such as the air conditioner, dryer, refrigerator, and washer, eliminating the need for manual setup.
• Hub Everywhere: The IoT hub is built into various Samsung products, including Samsung Smart TVs, making IoT setup a breeze.
• Expansive Compatibility: SmartThings goes beyond just the Samsung ecosystem, enabling devices from any brand to work seamlessly together thanks to the Home Connectivity Alliance and the international IoT communication standard, MATTER.
• Security: With CC EAL 6+ certification, the new Samsung Knox Vault hardware chip encrypts all information from connected devices, ensuring the highest level of security and offering peace of mind for users.

Understanding consumers have diverse technology ecosystems in their homes, Samsung helped form the Home Connectivity Alliance so all users’ favorite devices can work together regardless of brand. And in the name of true connectivity, Samsung is also paving the way for smarter homes with support for MATTER, an international IoT communication standard with more than 220 global companies involved.

Thanks to this collaborative mindset and these five foundations, users can build a network of connected devices that makes their home smarter and their lives easier.

4 – Putting People and Planet at the Center: Everyday Sustainability and Relumino

Samsung is committed to delivering innovative calm tech and eco-conscious practices that make life easier and better for its users. At every stage of the product lifecycle, from product sourcing to production, distribution, use and recycling, Samsung puts sustainability first, utilizing various technologies to create sustainable products that contribute to building a healthier planet for future generations. 

• Samsung is leading the way with three innovative approaches to sustainability: Turning CO2 into recycled materials, using fewer materials, and upcycling products and packaging. Samsung’s 2023 TVs, monitors, and remote controls use recycled resin made of at least 50% recycled materials.[2] In addition, Samsung has made significant efforts to ensure it is offering sustainable packaging from the box to all the wrapping inside.
• Samsung has also developed AI Energy Mode that helps users monitor energy consumption and usage patterns, putting them in control of themselves. AI Energy Mode feature even analyzes the content playing on the screen to reduce power consumption without distracting from the content.
• Samsung’s third generations SolarCell Remote uses fewer materials and is more compact. It is also free of licensing, allowing any manufacturer to join Samsung on the journey in making the world a more eco-conscious place.

Samsung also underscores its commitment to creating a better, more inclusive viewing experience for all with its latest Relumino mode. Relumino mode is designed to help people with visual impairments watch content more easily and has been awarded with the 2023 CES Innovation Award.[3]

By choosing Samsung, users can enjoy cutting-edge technology while taking part in sustainable and inclusive practices that align with core values of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance).

To learn more about this year’s TV and monitor lineup, please visit https://www.samsung.com/za 

Samsung proudly supports Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030.

1 Terms & Conditions:  Offer may vary by participating models.

2 Pantone is a global authority in color, providing a standardized system relied on by over 10 million designers and producers worldwide.

3 Resin contains a minimum of 50% recycled content. (Environmental Claim Validation Procedure, UL 2809 5th Edition)

⁴ Relumino Mode is applied for TV models QN80C, QN90C, QN800C, QN900C and works on sources provided through DTV and HDMI only.

]]> https://news.samsung.com/za/samsungs-s-lsi-developers-on-the-semiconductors-that-support-ultra-high-definition-8k-tv-technology?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=direct Wed, 01 Sep 2021 06:59:27 +0000 https://bit.ly/3t1epiF (From left) The Samsung developers who built the integrated circuits in the company’s 8K TVs – Sangdeok Kim, Hansoo Seong, Junghyun Lim, and Yongjoo Song

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 01 September 2021 – With the continued evolution of high-definition televisions, the worlds displayed on our TV screens are becoming more realistic than ever. 8K TVs, which represent the new standard of premium television, maximize immersion by providing such vivid high definition that it is like users are beholding the scenes before their very eyes.

This incredibly sharp resolution was made possible by the enhancement of the semiconductors within the TVs. Capable of enabling the functions that allow sharper resolution, these solutions are the DTV SoC (Digital TV System on Chip), T-CON (Timing Controller), and DDI (Display Driver IC). Samsung Newsroom sat down with the developers of S6HD820 (which opened the door for 8nm¹ DTV SoC), S6TST21 (the industry’s first 8K 120Hz T-CON) and S6CT9BC (a DDI with a maximum speed of 8Gbps) to hear the story of the unseen innovation behind these solutions.

From DTV SoC to DDI – Sending Video Signals to Displays

Unlike in the past when televisions were only used for watching shows, the role of the TV has gradually expanded over time. These days, our TVs are becoming a platform that also allows us to play games, work out as well as do a broad range of other activities. As people come to expect a more diverse range of features from their TVs, a higher standard of premium features is also being brought to televisions.

TVs are output devices for content, making a high standard of picture quality crucial for user satisfaction. Digital signals generally undergo three stages before being displayed. First, the DTV SoC receives compressed data from broadcasts or the internet, extracts the data to convert it into video and sends the video and audio to the screen and speakers. The T-CON then receives the processed video data and sends it back to the DDI with careful timing to ensure smooth operation. Last, the digital signal sent to the DDI is converted to an analogue format and the video is displayed on the TV screen.

Simplifying DTV SoC with ‘One Chip’ and Enhancing NPU Function

The DTV SoC, which receives video data from a cable or set-top box, is also referred to as ‘the brain of the TV.’ Hansoo Seong, who is part of the DTV SoC development team, explains that, “The DTV SoC extracts the audio and video signals separately from the compressed input stream. It then provides the function that adjusts the audio and video data according to each scene being displayed.”

As picture quality has evolved from the 4K to the 8K standard, the role of the DTV SOC has become more important. Samsung’s developers were committed to finding a solution that would support 8K resolution while also reducing power usage at the same time. An NPU (Neural Processing Unit) was applied to the DTV SoC so that AI technology could be applied to the overall improvement of both picture quality and audio processing. This technology led to a much more precise display output. On top of this, the DTV SoC has been integrated with an upscaling IC² to improve power efficiency.

The biggest hurdle in creating the 8nm¹ DTV SoC, known as S6HD820, was the complex engineering required to integrate two ICs into one chip and the subsequent issue of overheating. “The better the NPU performance, the more the AI learning is reinforced, which leads to better TV performance. But this also makes semiconductors that much more complex to engineer and results in more severe overheating,” said Hansoo Seong. “We worked hard to find the right balance to prevent excessive overheating, and eventually succeeded in optimizing the solution.”

The Evolution of T-CON: From Two 60Hz Chips to a Single 120Hz Chip

The T-CON takes the video data from the DTV SoC and converts it according to the demands of the DDI. “The bigger the panel size and the higher the resolution, the more important the role of the T-CON becomes,” said Junghyun Lim, who participated in developing Samsung’s latest 8K T-CON. “The data transmission speed of the T-CON is also important when it comes to quickly transmitting high-resolution video data to the DDI.”

With the improvement from 4K to 8K, screen resolution increases by four times. Thus, the amount of data that needs to be sent also quadruples, which means the T-CON’s speed needs to be enhanced as well. The development team solved the overheating problem that accompanies rapidly rising speeds by applying a new node process and simplifying the chips. In addition, the two 8K 60Hz chips have been integrated to become one S6TST21.

Previous systems required four semiconductors in 8K TVs, including the DTV SoC, the upscaling IC² for 8K, and two T-CONs. The new system has reduced the total amount of semiconductors required to two by combining the DTV SOC and the upscaling IC² into one solution, and merging the two T-CONs into one. These changes have made it much easier to design the required boards.

DDI Integration Increases Speeds and Reduces Chip Count

The DDI is responsible for the final step before the video is displayed. This is where the digital data received from the T-CON is converted into the analogue signal that will be used as input for the display. Yongjoo Song, who participated in development of the DDI, said, “The DDI needs to deliver high analogue voltage to the panel quickly and precisely to allow the video data from the T-CON to be displayed accurately.”

To facilitate the increase in voltage, a new driver IC became necessary that could simultaneously handle higher voltages and prevent overheating. “Increasing the speed of the driver buffer was the most difficult challenge,” said Yongjoo Song. “After changing the circuit structure and layout in a range of ways to reduce the driver IC’s input/output latency, we were able to develop a new driver IC that could operate at faster speeds.”

The development of a DDI that operates at high speeds resulted in the number of DDIs being reduced by almost half and the number of relevant chips being reduced by dozens. This makes TV panels easier to construct.

The Secret to Tech Leadership: Development of Samsung’s Own Interface and Organic Semiconductor

From 4K to 8K TVs, the secret to Samsung’s technological leadership is its know-how and the high level of consumer trust it has accumulated over time. In addition, Samsung is constantly analysing market and technology trends to apply them to products, and Samsung’s own interface has played a huge role in these efforts. “The Samsung interface not only delivers speed but also utilizes the company’s semiconductor driver technologies,” said Sangdeok Kim. “By utilizing its own interface, Samsung was able to make the 8K TV DDI based on the industry’s fastest interface.”

Another one of Samsung’s unique advantages is that it is developing the DTV SoC, T-CON and DDI in tandem with one another. This offers a big advantage, as it allows better integration and compatibility among the three components that must work together.

The developers from Samsung’s S.LSI Business make no secret of their excitement regarding 8K TV technology and the future of semiconductors. “When I first started working in this area, I was making semiconductors for FHD-resolution TVs. I remember feeling very proud when the products entered mass production,” related Yongjoo Song. “Already, TV resolutions have surpassed 4K to reach the 8K standard, and TV screens continue to get bigger and bigger. With larger high-resolution TVs being introduced to the market, semiconductors must be equipped to perform more complex functions, which adds to the challenges in developing them. But overcoming those challenges will remain the ever-present goal for developers like us.”

¹ nm: nanometer

² Upscaling IC: A semiconductor that converts low-resolution videos into high resolution (converts 2K and 4K videos into 8K)