Samsung has been faithful to its appointment of all the years around this time. This South Korean company usually wakes up early to be one of the first to publicize your news in the context of CES, and this year it has repeated the same movement of previous editions.
Although we do not yet know all the details about the televisions that will be placed in stores in 2022, we have very interesting information that allows us to get a precise idea about what will they offer us. And it is that the year that has just begun is going to put in our hands a wider range of options than we have had within our reach in the past. From this, and also from other brands.
More panel technologies. More innovations in the field of image quality. And also new solutions that seek to improve the sound quality of televisions. Last year Samsung firmly bet on MiniLED and MicroLED technologies, and in 2022 it plans to carry out that strategy to a new level. Let’s take a look at what you just told us.
Neo QLED (2022): its miniLED backlight looks good, although it is not its only asset
At the end of last July we had the opportunity to thoroughly analyze the Neo QLED QN900A model with 8K panel, and, although its overall quality is very high, our tests showed us that the miniLED technology still to mature to detach itself emphatically from conventional FALD backlighting.
New Neo QLED TVs resolve HDR grading and processing with 14-bit encoding
This is precisely one of the areas in which, according to Samsung, its engineers this year have put all the meat on the grill with one purpose: to get the miniLED technology of the 2022 Neo QLED televisions reach full maturity.
One of the most interesting improvements that Neo QLED televisions will have this year is that the processing and gradation of the HDR will be carried out with a 14-bit encoding, and not 12-bit, so the luminance scale will increase to a very respectable 15,852 levels.
This improvement does not have to intervene in the maximum brightness delivery capacity of the new Neo QLED televisions, but on paper it should allow them to reproduce HDR content with more precision, as well as retrieve more information in both shadow and highlight regions.
Another big challenge facing all miniLED backlit televisions, and not just Samsung’s, consists of control quickly and accurately the light emitted by each one of the tiny inorganic diodes of the matrix that intervene in the same local attenuation zone.
The new AI engine analyzes each frame to control the light emitted by the diodes more precisely
According to Samsung, the Neo QLED televisions that it will place in stores this year will incorporate a new artificial intelligence (AI) engine designed to analyze the lines, shapes and surfaces of each frame in order to control the light emitted by the diodes more precisely.
This improvement should have a noticeable and beneficial impact on the detail that the television recovers in shady regions and brighter areas (we’ll check as soon as we have a chance to review one of the new models).
Another very good-looking innovation in 2022 Neo QLED TVs is a processing algorithm designed to analyze the foreground object in each frame in order to separate it more clearly and precisely from the background. In theory this innovation should increase the depth and realism of the images, something that we will thoroughly check as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
What’s more, eye comfort mode automatically adjusts in real time the brightness delivered by the backlight matrix to adapt it to the ambient light at any given time. This innovation is designed to reduce eye strain when we use the TV at night or in very little ambient light.
On the other hand, one of the benefits of these televisions that has caught our attention the most is the possibility of calibrate them automatically using the ‘Smart Calibration’ app that Samsung proposes that we install on our mobile phones.
This software uses the smartphone cameras to collect the light emitted by the TV, analyze its RGB pattern and adjust automatically and transparently white balance, color, gamma correction, and grayscale linearity, among other parameters. Sounds really good.
Finally, when it comes to sound, these Neo QLED televisions also incorporate improvements that look good on paper. One of the areas that Samsung engineers have worked on is OTS Pro technology (Object Tracking Sound Pro), that now it’s more accurate. This innovation uses the multiple speakers built into the TV enclosure to allow us to locate each sound source in space.
The larger array of loudspeakers on 2022 Neo QLED TVs enables them to reproduce Dolby Atmos encoded soundtracks with more credibility
The new Neo QLEDs have a power of up to 90 watts and incorporate additional speakers that project the sound upwards in order to increase the amplitude of the sound scene. In addition, the Q-Symphony technology solves automatically, and, in theory, more precisely than last year’s version, the integration of the TV speakers with those of a Samsung soundbar compatible with this innovation.
Another interesting detail is that according to this brand, the largest number of speakers that Neo QLED televisions have from 2022 allow them to reproduce the soundtracks encoded in Dolby Atmos with more credibility. In this area, the additional loudspeakers that project the sound upwards play a leading role. It will be interesting to see to what extent they contribute to improving the amplitude and precision of the sound scene.
Also comes a smaller MicroLED TV (and we think cheaper)
Samsung’s commitment to microLED televisions is firm. We have seen them in action on several occasions, and this is the technology that is currently being proposed to us best image quality.
The 89-inch MicroLED TV that Samsung told us about last year is about to land
Here are some cool features of these televisions: they have a maximum brightness delivery capacity of 2000 nits, they reproduce 100% of the color spaces DCI-P3 y Adobe RGB, they restore color with outstanding precision thanks to the absence of filters and resolve HDR with 20-bit processing and encoding, among other attractive features.
The Achilles heel of these televisions is their price. And they are very expensive. Very expensive. The more than 100,000 euros that the 110 and 101-inch models that Samsung launched last year clearly reflect its strictly premium vocation. In March 2021, this brand announced that later versions would arrive a little smaller, and also somewhat cheaper, of 76 and 89 inches.
The good news is that this latest model has just been announced, so it will be available for the next several weeks. And the bad news is that although it will be cheaper than the 110 and 101-inch versions, its price, which is not yet available, will still be very high, which will put it out of the reach of most fans.
We have no choice but to arm ourselves with patience and trust that economy of scale Get in on the action when it comes to MicroLED technology as soon as possible.
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