In the latest indication that the 3D TV craze is almost dead – at least for now – Samsung have made two pre-IFA 2013 announcements. The most noteworthy is a new 98 inch ultra-HD TV, with the promise that this will be followed by a staggering 171-inch model.
Large format TV’s have been largely shunned by the UK market, with sets larger than 50 inches making up a menial percentage of UK sales. The story has been different in the USA though, where penetration sits at above ten percent, and it seems that the UK market is now ready to follow suit.
The other emerging trend – this one replacing 3D – is the rapid emergence of ultra-high definition TV sets. The technology already exists to go up to 8K and beyond, but the commercial models are currently focussing on 4K. A 4K TV has 4x more pixels than a regular HD set, which provides a markedly increased picture quality. Samsung have announced that their 98 inch large format display (LFD) will be ‘near 4K’ quality. I suspect that we will need to wait for the IFA event to get the full spec, but anything near 4K resolution on a set that big is sure to be an incredible viewing experience. As incredible as 4K would be on a 98-inch TV, it blows the mind to imagine it on a 171-inch TV. Samsung have promised that they will showcase both sets at IFA, and we will definitely get a few pictures for you there.
Samsung have been working on upgrading the picture quality on their TV sets over the past twelve months. The main aim has seemingly been to cram more pixels into each square inch. The company are planning to target the business community with these super definition screens, but no doubt the screens will end up in people’s homes. As incredible as a near 200 inch TV set would be in an office reception, in our opinion it would work much better as a home cinema.
So start planning your man cave now, and we will keep you posted about the developments and will get the pictures to you during IFA.
Now the burning question becomes, could you persuade your partner to let you buy a 171-inch TV set? let us know in the comments below!