Samsung Electronics has shaped the history of television through the development of its technological innovations, from FHD and 4K to 8K, thanks to its strategic vision and an undying passion for bringing new technologies to market.
To learn more about TV technology innovation achievements to date and the future of display technologies in the UHD era, Samsung Newsroom spoke with experts on the subject.
▲ (From left) Sangmin Lee, Head of Image Quality Solutions Lab, Hyunchul Song of Product Development Group, and Youngseok Han of H/W Platform Lab of Samsung’s Visual Display Business
Pioneering the future of TV through endless innovation
Picture quality is one of the most important factors consumers consider when choosing a TV these days. In 1977, Samsung succeeded in developing and mass-producing a color television for the first time in Korea, the Color Economy TV, ushering in the era of color television in the country. Samsung earned the title of Korea’s first color TV manufacturer thanks to its steadfast commitment to innovation, and the company never settled for the colossal success of its black-and-white TV model, the Econo TV, which sold most of the monthly TV market at that time.
▲ Samsung’s first LED TV, released in 2009, amazed the world as a breakthrough in TV technology.
The next development was the LCD TV and in 2009 Samsung introduced its revolutionary model: the Samsung LED TV. This TV was the pinnacle of all the innovative technologies available at the time, enabling unparalleled picture quality thanks to light-emitting diodes. All components of the Samsung LED TV are newly designed, and the number of patents obtained for this model has exceeded three thousand.
▲ Samsung’s QLED TV made its world debut at CES 2017.
In 2017, Samsung introduced the world’s first QLED TV based on cadmium-free quantum dot technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The innovative TV was the center of attention that year, with excellent picture quality and 100% color volume.
A year later, the company launched a QLED 8K model with 8K resolution on Samsung’s proprietary quantum dot technology. It included Direct Full Array, a backlight technology capable of precisely controlling the balance of lighting in every part of the image on the screen, as well as 8K AI Upscaling, a technology designed to intelligently upscale lower quality videos. scale to a vivid resolution. the first time in the industry. Samsung’s innovative 8K QLED technologies launched the 8K era.
“In 2020, Samsung introduced the world’s first TV that completely eliminated bezels around the screen”said Hyunchul Song of the Product Development Group. “One year later, we further strengthened our position as market leader by introducing our Neo QLED technology based on Quantum Mini LED displays. From FHD to 8K, we have made relentless efforts to develop innovative products that deliver differentiated experiences based on consumer needs.”
The effort to provide superior image quality through in-depth research into human behavior
Samsung continues to strive to provide the best possible viewing experience by delivering industry-leading picture quality. But what does ‘good image quality’ mean to someone working on your development?
“Image quality is considered good when it conveys a sense of reality to the viewer, as if they were seeing the images on screen firsthand,” explains Youngseok Han, developer at H/W Lab.To ensure good image quality, display performance indicators such as high resolution, high brightness and excellent color expression are essential. What also matters is how well balanced the other advanced display technologies are, including chip design, image quality algorithms and sound.
Han went on to explain more about the importance of balance to associated image quality. “The factors that most affect image quality are how well you organize the various relevant technologies. This includes technologies designed to reduce distortion and any image transmission noise, technologies that reproduce colors accurately and richly and create sharp contrast for brighter, more vibrant images, and motion technologies that make moving objects on screen look smooth and fluid.
It would be impossible to develop good image quality with just one technology, no matter how good it was. Therefore, Samsung is committed to developing innovative technologies through any approach. Real Depth Enhancer was recently introduced on the 2023 Neo QLED TV and is one of the new features developed to further improve picture quality.
When human eyes focus on an object, it draws attention to the object by optimizing sharpness, clarity, and texture while preserving the background scene. Developed from an understanding of this human behavior, Samsung’s Real Depth Enhancer technology uses AI to automatically separate an object from the background to create a greater sense of depth and make images really pop .
In addition, Neo Quantum Matrix Pro technology refines the reproduction of fine details by precisely controlling the mini-quantum LEDs in a total of 13,684 levels. This meticulous adjustment adds even more dimension and realism to the images on the screen.
“Our Real Depth Enhancer technology is the result of optimizing all relevant technologies in a way that takes human psychology into account, rather than just focusing on improving resolution,” Han noted.
From 8K gaming to artwork on Samsung TVs in the age of 8K technology
Nowadays, users are bombarded with new content. Every day tens of thousands of new media and content appear on all kinds of platforms, but does that also apply to content made in 8K?
“With the recent growth of 8K devices, including smartphones, anyone can create 8K content and view it in ultra-high resolution,” said Sangmin Lee, head of the Image Quality Solutions Laboratory. “With powerful graphics cards, users can now also enjoy 8K gaming, which means we are already living in the era of 8K UHD.”
Song went on to describe the growth of 8K content in today’s display market. “More and more 8K content is available on social media channels and artists are creating digital artworks in 8K,” he explains. “We’ve added the ‘YouTube 8K Videos’ feature to the 2023 Neo QLED TV to allow users to browse 8K content on YouTube and explore digital artwork, such as an NFT1 format image, at a glance.”
Samsung is also leading the way in expanding the 8K content ecosystem by leading the 8K Association, a global non-profit organization founded in 2019 with the goal of establishing 8K standards and expanding 8K content. As of February 2023, the association has 33 members, including Samsung, TV panel makers, SoC chip makers, and leading content creators. Last year, Samsung released a teaser from The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series in 8K, co-developed with Amazon Prime Video, another member of the 8K Association.
Develop optimal image quality that takes viewing experiences to the next level
To learn more about market leader Samsung’s next steps in picture quality in the 8K era, Samsung Newsroom asked the three TV pros what their goals are.
“As a developer, I feel more fulfilled when I hear feedback that viewers think the images on screen look real. My goal is to further refine our algorithms by optimizing a range of components to deliver image quality. That’s ‘more real than really’ for viewers”.
For Song, creating technologies that add real value to users is of paramount importance. “While the development department works to create the best image quality through technology innovation, I’m more involved in product optimization to bring high-quality experiences to as many viewers as possible,” said Song. “I’ll keep thinking about what other types of user value we can offer our viewers.”
Ultimately, from Lee’s perspective, the goal has always been to provide users with experiences beyond just viewing content. “The most important value a screen can provide is presenting images that appear more real than reality,” explains Lee. “Using the best picture quality algorithms and industry-leading sound performance, the optimum picture quality allows users to enjoy their favorite content without worrying about adjusting settings. Our ultimate goal is to provide outstanding image quality that allows users to fully enjoy their viewing experiences beyond just viewing content.”
Stay tuned to the Samsung Newsroom for the second and final part of this series, which highlights the role of 8K TV and the innovative technologies Samsung has developed to provide the best possible viewing experience for its users.
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