Samsung’s latest innovation in home entertainment brings even more precise display capability and backlighting to its QLED LCD TVs.
The electronics company announced a new “Neo QLED” technology for its flagship 8K and 4K models. As the Verge notes, the new moniker denotes the use of Mini LED (light-emitting diodes) that are 40 times smaller than traditional LEDs.
Instead of using a lens to disperse light from fixed LEDs, the Mini LED has ultra-thin micro layers filled with many LEDs that increase the luminance scale to 12-bit with 4096 steps. This makes dark areas darker and bright areas brighter, thereby squeezing more out of High-Dynamic Range (HDR).
Neo QLED’s Mini LED is paired with what Samsung calls a Neo Quantum Processor that enhances upscaling capabilities. By using up to 16 AI-equipped neural network models, the processor can optimize picture quality to 4K and 8K picture output regardless of the input quality.
Samsung’s Neo QLED 8K models—the QN900A and the QN800A—also benefit from a few other design upgrades for 2021. The bezel isn’t just thin but virtually non-existent thanks to a new Infinity One Design, while a connectable Slim One Connect box tidies up cords to make the screen’s install area more sightly.
Object Tracking Sound Pro—previously featured on the 110 MicroLED announced in late 2020—identifies objects moving on screen and projects the sound accordingly to follow the action. A new “SpaceFit Sound” feature uses a built-in mic that analyzes a room’s acoustics and automatically adjusts to create optimal audio settings.
Pricing info hasn’t been released, but the first Samsung Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs are due to roll out in the coming months.