RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.—Authorized Samsung retailers are making the company’s 2023 Neo QLED 8K TV and Neo QLED 4K TV available to shoppers this week for the first time, the company said today.

The latest models join the company’s large home entertainment portfolio, which includes The Frame and The Freestyle models, projectors and home audio.

The new 8K and 4K Neo QLED models offer brilliant picture, dynamic audio and seamless connectivity. They are vivid enough to be used in bright rooms, Samsung said.

The models rely on Samsung Quantum Mini LED technology, which powers up to 33 million pixels and delivers 1 billion colors. Offering an advanced Neural Quantum Processor that leverages 14-bit processing and AI upscaling, the new QLED TVs up-res content automatically to 4K or 8K resolution, it said.

Both new televisions automatically apply scene-by-scene high dynamic range (HDR) in real time with Auto HDR Remastering and leverage Anti-Glare and Ultra Viewing Angle technology, it said.

The virtually bezel-free Neo QLED 8K TV is powered by a grid of Samsung Quantum Mini LEDs. The Samsung Quantum Matrix Pro brings the smallest details to life with 1.5 times more lighting zones than standard Quantum Matrix Technology, it said.

Besides the Neural Quantum Processor that leverages AI, the new television supports Dolby Atmos, Object Tracking Sound Pro and Q-Symphony 3.0, it said.

The Neo QLED 4K offers a 4K upscaler, Quantum Mini LED technology, Neo Quantum HDR+ and HDR10+, Samsung said.

Both models have had their color validated by experts at Pantone. 

More information is available on the company’s website.

BOSTON—8K TVs could go big over the next few years, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics, shared by 8K Association. By 2025, 72 million homes around the world will own an 8K TV, with the hi-res TVs taking ownership of the market for TVs 70 inches and larger.

In 2020, about 350,000 8K TVs were sold, said Strategy Analytics. Sales were slowed by the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics. Those numbers are expected to reach 1 million in 2021 with the Olympics expected to take place (though some concerns still remain). That figure is then projected to grow to 4 million in 2022.

For TVs 70 inches are larger, 8K TVs will likely makeup 40% of the market in 2023, before jumping to more than 90% in 2025, Strategy Analytics estimates. Projections have 8K TVs making up just under half of the market for 60-69-inch TVs and under 10% for TVs 50-59 inches in 2025.

“Overall, the penetration of 8K TVs will lag the rate that 4K penetrated the market as the screen sizes for 8K will be bigger and therefore a more limited market,” David Watkins, service director, Connected Home Devices, for Strategy Analytics told the 8K Association.

A  potential issue in the near-time for the sale of 8K TVs is the price increase that may occur as a result of shortages in TV panel supply, though Strategy Analytics still projects single digit growth.

Chinese brands like TCL and Hisense could continue to focus on value pricing, which Watkins says could help get 8K TVs to a $2,000 price point by the end of 2021.

“Ultimately, we see the panel makers as the key to driving down 8K TV prices,” said Watkins. “If one or two switch over entire lines to 8K, that could initiate a stampede among other suppliers.”

LAS VEGAS—The 8K Association has announced publication of an updated performance specification for the 8K Association Certified logo program.

The mark is intended to alert shoppers looking for 8K TVs that a set bearing the logo meets the highest performance standards. The mark will be available for qualifying 8K televisions launched in the market this year, the association said.

To qualify for the logo, vendors must meet new program requirements enabling access to advanced multi-dimensional surround sound formats in addition to existing requirements for resolution, luminance, color and connectivity. The program now also recognizes more video decoding standards, it said.

PLUS: Deloitte: 2021 Will be 8K TV's First Million-Unit Year

“During this difficult time when a communal movie theater experience is not possible for many, the availability of big-screen TVs with super-sharp 8K resolution offers an alternative cinematic option at home,” said Dan Schinasi, director of Product Planning at Samsung Electronics America.

“With the 8K Association’s support to promote performance standards that include audio-video performance and interface standards, we expect that more homes will choose 8K TVs and more 8K content will be increasingly available in those homes in the year ahead, offering a safe and exceptional home theater experience.”

The 8K Association also announced it will focus efforts this year on educating video content creators on the benefits of 8K.

More information is available on the association’s website.

Even though 4K is still establishing itself with consumers, the 8K revolution is coming, with TV the likely avenue for most viewers to get their first taste of it. This was one of the key takeaways from the 8K Association panel “The Creative Perspective on 8K” during SMPTE2020.

The panel featured a group of filmmakers, including Erik Messerschmidt and Peter Mavromates, the cinematographer and post producer, respectively, for David Fincher’s upcoming Netflix movie “Mank.” The panel discussed how and why they are choosing to shoot in 8K, even though at the moment there are no simple methods to transmit 8K to large TV audiences. 

However, as Bruce Markoe, senior vice president of post-production/operations and DMR at IMAX, pointed out, filming in 8K now will make things easier when 8K becomes more readily available later.

When 8K distribution and display technology is widely available, audiences are going to demand content that can take full advantage of the available resolution. If you shoot in 4K or even 2K now, that will be more difficult to upconvert to 8K later on. As Markoe puts it, “skimping on resolution doesn’t serve you well downstream.”

While the panel discussion was largely based around the film community’s use of 8K, Markoe recognizes that home viewing of this content is crucial to its longevity. TV is well prepared to meet that eventual demand, he claims.

With most TVs now capable of displaying HDR, today’s TVs are brighter, have better contrast and are bigger than ever before, Markoe says, providing the highest-quality presentation of content. While 8K TVs are not yet prevalent on the market, they are coming, he says—even if their initial introduction to the market was slowed because of the pandemic and the postponement of the 2020 Olympics. And when the price points begin to come down, consumers are likely to begin adding them in droves.

At that point, being able to say that something was shot and mastered in 8K will help draw interest in the content, even if it is still only displayed in 4K, the panel concluded.

To register for SMPTE2020, visit 2020.smpte.org/ 

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.—Much like the rest of the world, 8K TVs are not having the 2020 they expected. Manufacturers of TV panels capable of displaying the high-resolution had hoped for a strong showing of sales, but as ABI Research reports, those numbers were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABI’s latest report reveals that the overall flat-panel TV market is sluggish in 2020 because of economic uncertainties. There was expectation that 8K-capable TVs would help boost the market, but the one-year delay of the 2020 Olympics, which was going to consist of 8K content, is among the key factors that have led to low 8K TV unit shipments for 2020.

Flat-panel TV makers are still pushing 8K TV sets, though. Samsung and LG are reportedly aiming to increase 8K TV sales to generate higher revenues and profit margins. Samsung has offered promotional prices for its 8K TV sets as a way to counteract many consumers’ economic challenges from the pandemic, ABI says.

“Although 8K TV set price points have declined from a year ago, the cost of most 8K TV sets is still relatively high, ranging from $3,500 to $30,000,” said Khin Sandi Lynn, industry analyst at ABI. “High cost and lack of content will delay 8K TV set adoptions.”

ABI estimates that just 1% of worldwide flat-panel TV shipments in 2021 will be 8K TV sets.

For more information, visit ABI’s website. 

LAS VEGAS—LG Electronics today announced it will offer six premium OLED TV models supporting ATSC 3.0 in 2020, ranging in size from 55 to 88 inches.

The announcement, made the day before the official opening of CES 2020, answers the question in the minds of many industry observers about whether or not ATSC 3.0 consumer receivers would actually make it to market in the United States, and offers one more indication for broadcasters that a voluntary transition to Next Gen TV will actually be able to seen by viewers.

“Speaking of futureproofing, another key change in 2020 is the official U.S. launch of Next Gen TV,” said Tim Alessi, director of new products for LG Electronics. “Next Gen TV is the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard, co-developed by LG, which is the world’s first internet protocol-based television standard.”

During the LG Electronics press presentation at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the company laid out several key strategies it is pursuing, including leveraging AI to enhance the lives of customers, and partnerships.

The Next Gen TV rollout is timed with this year’s expectation that more than 60 local TV stations covering around 70% of the U.S. viewing public will launch ATSC 3.0 service in 2020.

Briefly explaining the standard, as a marriage of broadband and broadcast, Alessi laid out how ATSC 3.0 will enable broadcasters to deliver 4K UHD, multidimensional sound and interactive content “among many other potential benefits,” he said.

All of the new 3.0 models will carry the Consumer Technology Association’s new Next Gen TV logo, he added.

While the announcement is a major step on the road to 3.0 success, reaction to the news among the mostly consumer electronics press in attendance was rather low-key.

Their interest was focused on the company’s new G10 OLED Gallery Series 65-inch OLED. With a thickness of only 20mm, the new television mounts flush to the wall without the need for a separate connection for source signals.

The company is also extending its lineup of 8K televisions with six new models, leveraging AI to scale content, touting the use of its new televisions as displays for gaming and supporting the UHD Alliance’s Filmmaker Mode to ensure what a filmmaker intended the audience sees is actually displayed on its televisions.

For a comprehensive source of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see ourATSC3 silo.

SEOUL—Samsung Electronics and the 8K Association are setting the bar for 8K televisions, announcing the creation of a certification program that will verify 8K-enabled televisions and other devices. Samsung’s own QLED 8K TVs are among the first to be certified by 8KA.

The 8KA certification program determines whether or not a TV is truly 8K by judging its clarity, contrast, color and HDR performance. Specifically, it will seek to determine that display resolution reaches 7,680x4,320, that peak brightness is more than 600 nits, test its image transmission of HDMI2.1 as well as HEVC.

Member companies that receive 8K certification will be able to promote it by featuring the 8KA certification logo.

While Samsung claims to be among the first to receive 8KA certification, in December LG reported that it had met the requirements for 8K set by CTA.

In addition the launch of the certification program, 8KA also has plans to increase educational programming efforts across different industries to promote member participation, innovation and content development within the 8K ecosystem. This will also include demos showcasing the development of 8K-enabled products, production workflow, delivery options and display devices.

“Our goal is to provide consumers with the ability to easily identify premium 8K displays from other devices when making purchasing decisions,” said Hyogun Lee, executive vice president of Samsung’s Visual Display Business. “Home entertainment and TVs are important investments for many of our consumers, and we hope that the 8KA Certification Logo will help guide them.”

More information is available on Samsung’s website.

DURHAM, N.H.—The traditional TV buying cycle, along with lower prices is helping to spur acceptance for 4K in the marketplace, according to a new report from the Leichtman Research Group. And although highly expensive 8K TVs are starting to hit the market, the retail outlook for TVs remains very active.

LRG’s recent study “Connected and 4K TVs 2019,” found that for the 15th consecutive year, more than 20% of adults said that they got a new TV set in their household in the past year. This pattern suggests that “TV sets are a recurring purchase item,” LRG said.

The researcher also found that, despite the proliferation of video screens on PCs, tablets and smartphones, the number of TV sets per household remains steady at 2.6, representing an estimated 320 million TV sets currently in American households.

LRG compared the move to 4K with the transition to HDTV in the mid-2000’s, estimating that, in the early years of HDTV, about half of all HDTV owners were watching HD programming from a pay-TV provider but that 25% thought they were watching HD from a pay-TV provider even though it wasn’t HD.

This lack of consumer knowledge over what constituted high definition decreased as more HDTVs appeared in American households.

“The prior confusion over HD content declined as HDTVs became more commonplace,” LRG said. “It is important to recall that after reaching 17% penetration in 2006, HDTV expanded to 69% of TV households in 2011.”

Similar confusion is taking place in the current transition to 4K, however, LRG’s study found that “59% of 4K HDTV owners strongly agree that picture quality on a 4K TV set makes everything look better even when not watching 4K content, while just 7% disagree.”

LRG says the transition to 4K is entering a similar growth stage of the product lifecycle for 4K TV with nearly half of non-4K TV owners (48%) planning to purchase a new TV in the next 12 months “very interested” in buying a 4K TV and 41% of current 4K TV owers interested in getting another 4K TV. 

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AUSTIN, TEXAS—In less than five years, the number of 8K flat panel TVs sold annually will reach nearly 6 million and the manufacturing cost of an 8K 65-inch LCD panel will drop from $1,000 today to $595 in 2021. Those are among some of the findings in a new report from Display Supply Chain Consultants and Insight Media. The report, “Outlook on 8K TV,” forecasts that China will account for 60 percent of the 5.8 million 8K flat panel TVs sold in 2022.

Industry plans envision a significant expansion in Gen. 10.5 manufacturing capacity that will enable 65-and 75-inch 8K LCD and OLED TVs. Production of substrates for the displays will grow from last year’s 8 million square meters to 75 million square meters in 2022, the report says. However, there will be challenges to the growth of 8K TVs, including a substantial increase in the cost of backlights and driver circuitry.

[Is It Time to Think About 8K?] 

The report also examines the latest tech developments in 8K, including: production equipment, distribution systems, connectivity and display factors that will make 8K possible. It also examines in detail the cost of 8K TV LCD and OLED display panels and forecasts the outlook for 8K through 2022.

Insight Media brings expertise in cinema, broadcast and ProAV issues to the report, while DCSS draws on its insight into flat panel displays and costs associated with the 8K ecosystem.

The report examines:

· The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which Japanese broadcaster NHK plans to broadcast in 8K;

· 8K cameras from Hitachi, Astrodesign, Ikegami, Sharp and Sony;

· Transmission parameters for 8K satellite distribution;

· The HDMI Forum’s activities to address connectivity as well as other connection solutions;

More information is available online.