The recognition, a first for any global TV manufacturer, was awarded to Samsung QLED TVs for their true color expression of over 2,000 Pantone colors, as well as and newly added 110 skin tone shades.

Samsung Newsroom spoke to Ed Hattenberger, Senior Technical Product Manager at Pantone, who has accumulated over 20 years of experience in the color industry and manages the Pantone Validated program.

Ed Hattenberger, Senior Technical Product Manager at Pantone

Q. What is your current role and what does it entail?

A. As a senior technical product manager, I use my knowledge of color to help companies realize their creative vision from design and specification through to final production. I also lead the innovation of various digital color products at Pantone, including Pantone Validated, our patent-pending color testing process for displays and printers that ensures products can simulate the full range of Pantone Colors and skin tones and in doing so meet Pantone’s exacting criteria.

Q. Why is accurate color reproduction so important for consumer TVs and how did the Pantone Validated program set out to improve this?

A. Today’s consumers want brands that represent equality, inclusivity and authenticity, and true color fidelity from their viewing experience plays an essential role. Regardless of the medium — physical or digital — consumers seek out and invest in products that reflect this. Pantone Validated provides an added layer of confidence to the consumer that the colors and skin tones seen on a screen are authentically reproduced according to the definitions found in Pantone Color and SkinTone guides and related Pantone Validated processes.

“During our measurement testing, we found that Samsung’s Quantum Dot technology provides the full range of colors even at peak brightness.”

Q. To readers not familiar with Pantone Validated, what does the achievement of this approval signify? Can you tell us in simple terms the standards a display has to meet? Why should consumers look out for the Pantone Validated check mark when purchasing their Samsung product?

A. The Pantone Validated logo signifies that a product, such as a Samsung HDR TV or Display, meets Pantone’s rigorous testing and calibration requirements for reproducing real world Pantone Colors and skin tones with a high level of color fidelity. Our Pantone Validated process was created by color scientists and technicians at Pantone with decades of color experience. It uses a stringent, patent-pending testing process that leverages advanced X‑Rite and Pantone color management technology. Over the past decade, we have tested and qualified hundreds of consumer and professional color devices from leading manufacturers worldwide.

Q. Samsung has received two awards — Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated. Can you briefly describe what Pantone SkinTone Validated means to consumers and how it is different from Pantone Validated?

A. Pantone Validated uses the universally recognized Pantone Matching System (PMS) digital library and objectively tests more than 2000+ Pantone colors. For Samsung, we tested the PMS colors in High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode for maximum color rendering capabilities.

Pantone SkinTone Validated is an extension of the Pantone Validated program and tests color reproduction based on 110 unique skin tones, all of which can be found in the Pantone SkinTone Guide. This guide is the first scientifically based guide integrating the physical measurements of thousands of actual skin tones from the full spectrum of ethnicities, geographical zones and ages.

Pantone SkinTone Validated ensures that tested models from leading TV and display companies can accurately represent the world’s palette of skin tones. This helps brands demonstrate to consumers that their products and technology are more inclusive than ever.

Q. In your experience with Samsung TVs, what stands out to you about the Pantone Validated qualifications these models have received? Can you tell us any interesting facts or data points that demonstrate how Samsung TVs received Pantone Validated approval?

A. Samsung is the world’s first HDR TV and Display manufacturer to participate in and receive Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated. This is a testament to Samsung’s commitment to being a market leader. Their confidence in adopting Pantone Validated is steadfast proof of their desire to deliver world-class TV and display products.

Q. Samsung’s Quantum Dot technology is all about color. Instead of producing standard blues and reds, it displays highly specific blues and reds, providing an intense level of accuracy in color reproduction. What role do you think this has played in achieving Pantone Validated?

A. During our measurement testing, we found that Samsung’s Quantum Dot technology provides the full range of colors even at peak brightness. Because the Pantone SkinTone Validated testing process is extremely meticulous, it will quickly call out any deviation from its target Pantone SkinTone Colors at a variety of brightness levels. Samsung’s HDR and Quantum Dot technology and related capabilities enable these televisions to achieve and maintain the color fidelity requirements to become Pantone SkinTone Validated.

“Samsung is the world’s first HDR TV and Display manufacturer to participate in and receive Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated. This is a testament to Samsung’s commitment to being a market leader.”

 Q. What do you believe is in store for the future of Pantone?

A. Pantone remains committed to color communication and inspiration. We are working on solutions that help brands and creators bridge the digital and physical worlds and ensure a consistent customer experience — in person, on a screen or in the meta. We will continue to develop innovative digital products that support today’s digital content workflows. Together with products and technology from X-Rite, Pantone solutions can help realize the creative intent in the final form of any brand’s product.

4K HDR takes you from home to home theater

On movie nights, your home is your theater, so you’ll need a screen that lives up to the in-theater experience. That’s where your QLED TV comes in with its 4K HDR screen, providing that cinematic view you want. How? Well, 4K, also known as Ultra HD, presents you with a high-quality picture when paired with HDR. The combination of the high resolution of 4K draws out the details that HDR provides.

And you don’t even have to worry about your living room lights. We’ve infused Ultra Black technology into the 4K HDR screen to reduce both reflection and glare, so all you need to prepare for the movie is a delicious snack. Lights on? Lights off? Totally up to you.

With Samsung HDR, the scarier the better

When you’re picking out the movie, go ahead and gravitate toward your horror film collection. What better way to forget about the cold than with images that will make your heart race? Where previously the movies may not have been as scary as you want, you’ve got an HDR TV that can show you the subtle details on the screen, whether plunged in darkness or hiding amongst the blinding white snow. It’s because QLED TV has HDR 1500 illuminating the screen with a brightness equivalent to 1500 candles. There’s also a new technology called HDR10+ which offers Dynamic Tone Mapping, a feature that maximizes the tones and shades within each scene. With that extra bit of luminosity, you’ll see new sides of your favorite movies.

A summer escape in your QLED TV

Run away from the cold to a summer paradise with your HDR TV. Simply select a summertime movie to start your virtual tropical vacation. Because QLED TV has the New Metal Quantum dot producing color in a beautifully fine and dense manner, it offers hues that look incredibly close to what you see in real life. Pair that lifelike color ability with the incredible detail and brightness of 4K HDR and it takes you right to the heart of summer, immersing you to the point you feel like you are actually there.

Winter is gray, but your movies are in vivid color

It’s not just the New Metal Quantum dots that help produce realistic color. With the help of QLED you can experience 100% color volume of color spectrums known to reach 400-500, meaning that regardless of brightness, tints and shades throughout a color’s spectrum are clear and rich on screen. When combined with HDR on a QLED TV, it means details in vibrant whites and deep blacks can be seen beautifully, so that whether like a fairytale or a natural color scheme, you can watch your movie just as the directors imagined.

Relish the enriched life of QLED TVs

You can enjoy the breathtaking resolution of your QLED TV with the plethora of HDR content available on Smart Hub. From streaming movies to cloud games (keep this in mind for game night!), it’s an exciting night ahead whatever you decide. But your experience doesn’t end with HDR. With Samsung HDR+ Mode, you can view any of your old favorites in heightened color and detail, even if they weren’t originally filmed in an HDR format.

Now, bring on the popcorn.

All right, it’s cold out there. So there’s no better time to see the difference of HDR10+, HDR1500, and 4K for yourself. Whether you’re watching haunted horrors or escaping to an island resort on screen, these QLED TV features change the way you think of movie nights. Go on! Try it out and make the fun last to shorten the winter nights.