Samsung has announced its entire 2019 line-up of QLED TVs at the Samsung Europe Forum, ahead of next month’s commercial launch of the new products at retailers across Europe.
Held at the Alfandega Porto Congress Centre in Portugal, the Forum was used to announce a suite of 8K and 4K TVs with the full range comprising of more than 20 models. The range includes the 8K Q950R that ranges from 65-in to 98-in in size, as well as the 4K Q90R, Q85R, Q80R, Q70R and Q60R ranging from 43-in to 82-in in size.
As part of a wider strategy in response to shifting consumer demands, this range increases the number of large-screen model. According to global business information provider IHS Markit, it was recorded that 2.1 million 75-in or bigger TVs were sold in 2018 with this figure expected to grow by 43 per cent to three million units this year and to 5.8 million units by 2022.
Jongsuk Chu, executive vice president of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics, said: “We have witnessed our customers’ unfaltering confidence and affection towards Samsung QLED TVs within the past year. This year, our QLED 8K and 4K line-ups are addressing the growing demand in the market for ultra-large TVs and we are proud to be able to deliver our most innovative and immersive lineup to date.”
In the announcement, Samsung revealed an Ultra Viewing Angle technology which will feature in the QLED range, restructuring the TV’s panels so the backlight passes through the panel more evenly onto the screen to give a better viewing experience for the user. In addition to this, most of the TVs in the line-up are Direct-Full-Array models, creating better contrast and deeper blacks on the screen.
Samsung’s Quantum Processor is included in all new QLED 4K TVs, enabling them to upscale pictures from any source to deliver a true 4K picture. This improves brightness, picture quality and sound optimised for each scene through AI upscaling.
Focussing on picture quality, the 2019 QLED line-up will feature the premium picture processing format, HDR10+. The QLED 8K TVs will also support HDMI 2.1 (8K 60P) transmission.
The new Bixby feature will a give Samsung Smart TV user the ability to use voice control to search content on the TV through Samsung’s Universal Guide. This is in addition to the integrated Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for simple voice commands such as switching TVs on and off and changing the volume.
Other features include the Ambient Mode, giving users the option to display decorative content, useful information, photos, and can also mimic the texture of the wall behind it to blend in with décor.