Showcasing Samsung’s massive investment in AI, the Korean giant’s new 8K TVs promise exceptional image quality and the ability to “invent” pixels to compensate for low-definition content. But at a high price (€5,799), is their true value justified?
8K TVs, like Samsung’s new Neo QLED, are at the cutting edge of technology; but their usefulness remains a matter of debate. With a resolution (and sometimes a price…) four times higher than 4K, the idea is to provide an incredibly detailed image on large screens, often exceeding 75 inches. The Samsung model that I was able to try out for a month has the sweet name of “Neo QLED 8K Smart TV QN900D”, in a 65″ version (already quite imposing for a ‘Belgian’ living room, as you can imagine).
© RTL-Info
Samsung’s argument, rather expected in 2024: to talk about “AI TV”, i.e. television boosted by artificial intelligence. I was able to see this during my visit to the South Korean electronics giant’s infrastructure in Seoul: AI is at the heart of the group’s strategic decisions, even if it is active in many areas (TV, smartphone, household appliances in the broad sense, connected home, screen, semiconductor, etc.).
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An AI that generates pixels
If Samsung is talking about AI for its new televisions, it is because its software has watched millions of videos in order to find the best way to transform 2K (or 4K) content into 8K. An algorithm that learns from existing material to improve itself and generate content (inventing millions of pixels per second), we can indeed talk about artificial intelligence.
I was able to see this by watching all sorts of content for a few weeks: Samsung’s algorithm works wonders, especially if its source is 4K. A YouTube video in 4K, a film in 4K on a streaming platform: it’s a feast for the eyes and even on Wi-Fi, even by bringing your face a few centimeters close to this gigantic screen (65″ diagonal = 1.65 meters!), it is almost impossible to see the pixels “created” by Samsung. No noise in the image (apart from the logical limits of video streaming compression/decompression), no square faces, it’s clear, it’s clean. This is a little less true for the same video in 2K (so Full HD), but from 3 meters away, it’s not visible.
A close-up photo of a 4K video, upscaled to 8K (©RTLinfo)
All this is made possible by the processor NQ8 AI Gen3a system developed by Samsung and equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) twice as fast as its predecessor, “offering 25 times more neural networks“, according to Samsung. Cost: minimum 5.799€ for the Neo QLED 8K Smart TV QN900D in the 65″ version (and it goes up to €11,000 for the 85″ version, ouch…). Beyond the upscaling, there are other technologies that improve the overall quality of the image: theAI Motion Enhancer Pro ensures smoother movements by reducing the jerky effect, while the Real Depth Enhancer Pro adds depth. Difficult to measure, these technologies contribute, we believe given the visual comfort, to making this TV exceptional.
The cherry on the cake: you almost have a work of art in your living room. The thickness of this imposing device is only 12,9 mmwhile the screen borders are practically invisible. All the connections and a large part of the electronics are located in a black tray that will have to be hidden (better than I did for my test) in a cabinet: only a discreet transparent cable comes out of the screen.
© RTL-Info
Other forms of intelligence?
As you can see, the image on this TV is amazing, regardless of the source (however, don’t expect anything magical if you’re showing an old DVD of an old movie shot in 4:3, pixel generation has its limits). But Samsung also uses AI (or so-called AI, the term is debatable here) in sound processing. By analyzing the scene shown on the screen, the TV can direct the sound to one of the many speakers located at the back, increasing the feeling of spatialization (ok, the sound is still very shrill given the thickness of the screen; connected to a high-end sound bar, it will sound much better). Much more useful: soundtrack analysis to amplify voices and separate them from ambient noise.
Finally, Samsung is offering to make its TV 8K, but here we are clearly leaving the field of AI, the new hub for your connected home. If you have a Samsung smart home (so if you use SmartThings as a management and control platform for connected devices), and if you have the time, you can schematize it on your TV screen. Fun, geeky, probably practical if you do it right and if you have “all Samsung at home”, this feature remains a little too niche for the Belgian general public (and personally, I believe more in the use of voice assistants, than in the display of a virtual house on a TV, which Bixby allows, by the way).
© RTL-Info
Conclusion
Samsung has succeeded in offering a magnificent image on a gigantic panel. I have never seen such efficient upscaling: a 2K YouTube video becomes pleasant to watch on a 65-inch 8K screen, even from 2 meters away. The AI for training, the new in-house chip for processing and display, work miracles, if you have (minimum) €5,800 to spend on a television. It is difficult to judge the value for money at this level. Let’s say that it is the best there is, but it is very, very expensive for a television. It is also the most spectacular showcase of Samsung’s colossal investments in artificial intelligence, which is present at all levels of the Korean electronics giant.
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