New Samsung 8K QLED TVs

The new Q900R range features 8K QLED panels and these start where many other displays close their maximum at 65 inches. They add up to 75 inches, to 82 inches and the grand master of the range: 85 inches.

The main thing we find is Samsung’s proprietary 8K AI Upscaling technology. The company upscales the picture and audio quality to an “8K-compatible level regardless of the original source quality or format”. Therefore it assumes to be able to project with quality any original quality or format below that magnitude. At the same time they go along with the claim that it will not work with “PC, gaming and analog content”. The company claims that whether users are viewing content through a streaming service, set-top box, HDMI, USB or even mobile mirroring, Quantum Processor 8K recognizes and enhances the content to appear in 8K quality.

It gives us to imagine that starting with a 4K feed will give the unit the best chance of scaling things up to 8K resolution, but until there is enough native 8K content to feed into a comparison, the contrast between the two quality terms will be a bit difficult. That said, those who saw the IFA demos reported that decent images are produced even when down to 720p, with clean blurs and little in the way of artifacts.

The sets include Q HDR 8K based HDR 10+, 4000 nits peak brightness, 100% color volume, Direct Full Array Elite and many of the expensive innovations you’d expect from a high-end TV in 2018. On the other hand, we see included an Ambient Mode, a combined optical / power cable or a universal EPG.