Samsung has confirmed rumours that it will unveil an 8K QLED display at Berlin’s IFA 2018 show. The company today announced the Q900R display would be available in four screen sizes (65-, 75-, 82- and 85-in) complete with 8K AI upscaling.
Samsung’s announcement comes after LG said it would bring the
“world’s first 8K OLED TV” to IFA 2018 and quells months of speculation regarding
its own possible 8K launch. This also means that at 85-in, Samsung’s largest 8K QLED is coming in 3-in shy of LG’s 88-in OLED.
The Samsung 8K TV will feature 8K-ready enhancements: real 8K resolution, Q HDR 8K and Quantum Processor 8K. According to the press release, the TV will be available in the UK from mid-October.
Real 8K resolution is capable of up to 4,000 nit peak brightness. This feature allows the 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.
Samsung’s proprietary 8K AI upscaling technology also comes equipped with picture and sound quality to a level compatible with 8K, regardless of the original source quality or format. Although this comes with a caveat that “upscaling for PC, game and analogue content are not subject to 8K upscaling”.
In the press release, Jongsuk Chu, senior vice president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics, said: “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.
“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.”
The Q900R also has a functions for usability including the ability to recognise and analyse a number of connected entertainment devices that auto switches the TV’s image source and audio output for an optimised viewing experience. Lifestyle features, such as Ambient Mode, have been enhanced in an effort to seamlessly blend the TV in the surrounding space by showing content such as attractive images, weather and news on the screen. Its One Near Invisible Cable, which comes standard at 5m, incorporates the optical cable and power in one cord.
IFA Berlin is held in Berlin, August 31 – to September 5, 2018.