PartⅠ.The First Step in the Evolution of Crystal Clear UHD TV

When Samsung’s 85-inch S9 UHD TV was unveiled at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), audience members saw a unique display panel that seemingly floats over a frame, as well as the S9’s crystal-clear picture and sound that seemed too good to be true.

It was clear that the 85S9’s developers worked hard to shape the future of the UHD TV, however, the CES audience members may have asked themselves, “Is this really a marketable product? Surely it’s just a conceptual model created for the show.”

01. Samsung 85S9 comes with a proprietary up-scaling technology for tracing original contents

Lee’s guess was right. When Samsung Electronics released its 85S9 UHD TV earlier this year, neither UHD broadcasts nor content had been launched; and it was widely perceived that prospective buyers of UHD televisions would not be able to enjoy ultra-high definition content until 2015.

However, at a time when there is no broadcast standard or content designated for UHD TV, the 85-inch S9 is already using a UHD image engine. The TV includes up-scaling technology that is able to convert currently available content to UHD resolution, and thus is able to deliver sharper images. Moreover, the Samsung 85S9 UHD TV identifies the resolution of the original content and automatically adjusts the screen size.

When UHD content is available in 2015, the 85S9 will already be equipped to offer clear, realistic ultra-high resolution images for UHD content. UHD content has fewer frames per second due to the limited transmission standards of UHD signals. This causes minor screen flickering regardless of the resolution. However, the Samsung 85S9 UHD TV is the first of its kind to introduce image processing technology capable of predicting the transition from one image to the next and thus provides users with a smooth, seamless broadcast. An extraordinarily vivid resolution is one of the 85S9’s strengths.

02. Outstanding contrast leading to vivid blacks

Ultra-high definition (UHD), also known as 4K, has four times the resolution of full HD. The 85S9 UHD TV maximizes the resolution with ‘Micro Dimming Ultimate,’ a technology that divides the 85-inch screen into 1,152 zones, each of which adjusts images by maximizing the contrast, color, and detail.

Micro Dimming Ultimate technology displays crystal-clear pictures with realistic and vivid detail. In particular, the 85S9 displays much more vivid screen colors. The local dimming process scans 240 (20×12) zones across the backlight, adjusting the brightness of each zone. The process maximizes the contrast between light and dark areas by turning off each dark spot on the backlight. What results is life-like images with outstanding contrast and near perfect delivery of realistic colors and vivid blacks.

03. The perfect response to all broadcasting standards and regulations

In the case that current UHD TV models are unable to support future UHD contents due to changes in the standard, a costly UHD TV would be rendered useless since it would not be able to access UHD broadcasts, related content, and other peripherals such as BDP. Though there are ongoing discussions over the standardization of connectivity between UHD broadcast, video player, TV, and peripherals such as BDP, an international UHD standard has not yet been made available.

A sudden incapacity to play back UHD content due to altered future standards would undermine the reputation of the world’s leading TV manufacturer.

Remarkably, the developers devised a winning solution for this key concern: Samsung’s proprietary ‘Smart Evolution.’

Smart Evolution can be embedded in Samsung’s Smart TV and serves to update all software and hardware instantly, including CPU and GPU. Thanks to Smart Evolution, the S9 has become the world’s only UHD TV able to respond to future amended UHD standards, and thus provides its consumers with a timeless viewing experience

Samsung’s Smart Evolution functionality not only enables users to enjoy a variety of UHD content regardless of which standards are imposed, but the technology is compatible with previous Smart TV models so users can enjoy up to date functionalities and performance. The existing UHD TV network is also utilized to prevent consumer inconvenience.

04. The evolution of technologies; evolution of the television

Due to the lack of UHD contents and panels, the developers of the 85S9 UHD TV faced a number of challenges when testing their new product and even went as far as developing a proprietary codec to convert original video to UHD format. Needless to say, Samsung has taken steps to anticipate and respond to development requirements.

The simultaneous evolution of technology and television is in line with the “Timeless” value that the Samsung 85S9 UHD TV pursues. The 85S9 is set to evolve alongside Samsung’s technological prowess in order to maintain its unique identity and simultaneously offer customers an exceptional viewing experience far into the future.