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Samsung Shows SUHD 4K TVs at CES 2015

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118K views 2K replies 172 participants last post by  Chase Payne 
#1 · (Edited)


Samsung discussed both hardware and content at its 2015 CES press conference and at a press preview the night before. The company introduced its SUHD lineup of 4K UHD TVs that focus on image quality.

With its latest lineup of LED-lit 4K UHD TVs, Samsung doubled down on its commitment to improving LCD display technology. The company also reaffirmed its asserting that consumers love curved TV screens.

The three new series that comprise the SUHD lineup are the JS9500, JS9000, and JS8500. Samsung introduced a total of nine new SUHD models between the three series. All three series claim superior color accuracy and gamut thanks to the use of nanocrystals aka quantum dots. Samsung says its new SUHD lineup "surpasses the limitations of previous displays."


Samsung demonstrated the benefits of HDR and expanded color gamut in this side-by-side display. The JS 9500 SUHD is on the right.

In case you were wondering what the S in SUHD stands for, the answer is a not any one word. Instead, it is associated with a number of words that include stylish, superb, seductive, smart, striking, and special. Of course it helps that the letter S is the curviest letter of them all.

The JS9500 series is at the top of the SUHD lineup, and it offers high dynamic range (HDR) as well as full-array local dimming (FALD). Samsung says the JS9500 is the first curved FALD 4K UHD TV on the market. According to the company, the new TVs feature 2 ½ times the maximum brightness of conventional LED-LCDs—perfect for HDR.

The JS9500 comes in 65-inch and 88-inch screen sizes. Because it is a FALD TV, it is not as thin as edgelit models. However it looks quite slick thanks to its chamfer bezel, even if the curve is not exactly necessary. Samsung says that its customers love curved screens and that more than half the 4K UHDTVs it sold last year were curved.

The edgelit JS9000 and JS8500 SUHD TVs are also designed as SUHDs. The JS9000 series is curved and the JS8500 series is flat. The JS9000 series is available in four sizes: 48 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, and 78 inches. The JS8500 omits the 78-inch size but does offer 48-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch options. Samsung said the flat version is for the US market only, where there is still a demand for non-curved televisions.

At the press event Samsung showed its new S9W TV, designed by Ives Behar. It's an 88-inch 21:9 4K UHDTV with a unique cube-shaped base that was likened to a pedestal for a sculpture. Supposedly the curved screen makes the displayed image more akin to a sculpture than a painting, and traditionally sculpture rests on a pedestal. The base allows users to move the TV in various ways, I'll have to get a closer look at Samsung's latest artistic statement in TV design on the show floor.


Ives Behar and Joe Stinziano show off the new S9W 21:9 ratio 4K UHD TV.

A 4K UHD TV is no fun if you have no UHD content to watch. To address that, Joe Stinziano, Samsung Electronics Executive VP, announced the company's participation in the HD Alliance, which aims to establish common standards for next-generation content. The alliance consists of 20th Century Fox, DirecTV, Disney, Dolby, Netflix, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Technicolor, and Warner Brothers. Hopefully, cooperation between companies will result in much more 4K UHD content in 2015. Samsung also announced a collaboration with 20th Century Fox to remaster movie titles in order to take advantage of the expanded gamut and HDR capabilities of Samsung's SUHD TVs.

There was news about Smart TV functionality. Samsung touted a switch to its Tizen operating system running on eight-core processors. The company says Tizen makes the smart TV experience run faster, smoother and offers improved opportunities for interactivity. The company announced several new additions to its suite of smart apps including the PlayStation Now video game streaming service and its new Milk Video app.

The company touched upon its commitment to better audio by touting its new state-of-the-art research center in Los Angeles. And it took the opportunity to introduce its new omnidirectional speakers featuring "ring radiator technology," the WAM 6500 and WAM 7500. The new speakers work with Samusung's mullti-room app and Milk music service and provide a whole-home audio solution.

I'm quite pleased to see Samsung concentrate on image quality at the show, even at the expense of building a thicker TV. Of course these are still LED-lit LCD TVs with vertically aligned (VA) panels, so there are isssues with viewing angles and screen uniformity. However, it turns out that many other major TV manufacturers have some variant of quantum dots in their LED-LCD lineup. In order to stand out from the pack, Samsung needed to offer something more. By embracing FALD and HDR, the company might just have achieved that with the JS9500.

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#214 ·
I'm interested in what you think about Samsung not including 3D with their new flagship expensive 4k sets. It can't be because 3D isn't that popular. I think 3D movies are the best looking things on my screen and a lot of others say the same thing. I'm guessing the new sets can't handle it for some reason. Personally I would probably not buy a new TV that didn't have 3D. Something tells me that the new 2015 Samsung sets aren't quite ready for prime time. I wonder if the 2015 Evolution Kit will take away 3D from the 2014 4k sets.
 
#259 · (Edited)
The carry over models probably can't be upgraded. Both because of OLED phospher, and because of lack of compute power. I would imagine the firmware update would only work for some of the models, but unsure which unless LG tells us. JS9500 seems safer in this regards, we know basic hardware is there.


Edit: to be fair to LG, all the models hardware may support HDR, just don't know yet...
 
#226 ·
Upgrade is really a downgrade

Firstly - it is amazing how the marketing spin can sell SUHD as the best thing since sliced bread when the better technology - OLED - has been abandoned due to manufacturing cost. So we are being sold an inferior display technology as nirvana.

Secondly - most material videoed at 4K is 4.2.0 chroma. Even if the TV is 4.4.4 capable it is still going to be fed with an inferior signal. You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear as the saying goes.

Thirdly - there is still a lot of milage yet in 1080. If you take a 4.2.0 4k source and downscale it to 1080 you get a stunning picture that is displayed in 4.2.2 chroma or 4.4.4 depending on interpolation.

Lastly - Samsung TVs have shown themselves to be unreliable with high failure rates. My own series 8 has failed 3 times in the first 18mths requiring replacement of the motherboard, LED light source and wifi module.
 
#272 · (Edited)
Firstly - it is amazing how the marketing spin can sell SUHD as the best thing since sliced bread when the better technology - OLED - has been abandoned due to manufacturing cost. So we are being sold an inferior display technology as nirvana.

Secondly - most material videoed at 4K is 4.2.0 chroma. Even if the TV is 4.4.4 capable it is still going to be fed with an inferior signal. You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear as the saying goes.

Thirdly - there is still a lot of milage yet in 1080. If you take a 4.2.0 4k source and downscale it to 1080 you get a stunning picture that is displayed in 4.2.2 chroma or 4.4.4 depending on interpolation.

Lastly - Samsung TVs have shown themselves to be unreliable with high failure rates. My own series 8 has failed 3 times in the first 18mths requiring replacement of the motherboard, LED light source and wifi module.
Well, at some point after billions in R&D have been spent, manufacturers had to change directions. LG has been the only one to somewhat solve the OLED panel failure rate problem. And as you said, SUHD was never supposed to be the next big thing. OLED was.

And you can't blame them really for pushing UHD as the holy grail. It would be terrible marketing to say "Buy our new 4K sets. Not as good as OLED but it was the best we could do."

And as I've said in another thread, marketing is one of the big shortfalls of OLED. They should be showcased in a dark room environment at Magnolia Centers instead of just thrown out there at random with the other sets at Best Buy.They have a $3500 HD 55" OLED that looks average at best next to the Vizio 55" 4K demo priced at $1000. Very poor marketing strategy.
 
#243 ·
IR is not nearly as bad on OLED as it was on plasma, even the latest plasmas had worse IR than OLED and those weren't bad at all. Im not saying LCD is terrible, just that no LCD will ever be the "holy grail" of picture quality. If it ever were to be, it would be for one person sitting dead center. In the end you have to decide what your willing to trade off, but IR is not a reason to not get OLED. I have only seen a few cases so far of IR on OLED, and they have been from people buying store displays that have the adverts running on the side or top of the screen for 10 hours a day everyday. With that, even LCD can get similar IR. My only gripes with OLED are ABL and power consumption. The one thing that bugged me about plasma was ABL, and OLED has it to, even though its much less than it was with plasma.
 
#252 ·
FWIW, FlatpanelsHD's hands-on impressions of the JS9500 from CES. They arent fans of HDR on LCD or automatic upscaling of the color gamut.

http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1422444976
These extra pictures that Rasmus Larsen posted in the comments show some interesting results (don't think I can actually post them so I'll paste the links).
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/pictures/samsungsuhdpq-1.jpg
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/pictures/samsungsuhdpq-2.jpg
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/pictures/samsungsuhdpq-3.jpg
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/pictures/samsungsuhdpq-4.jpg

I am especially looking at pictures 2,3, and 4. The reds on Sammy's SUHD are to me unrealistic. But, with the same token using picture #4 as their example, that extra color samsung is adding gives the cutting board / table a little more "life" or vibrance (even though it may not look like that in real life). I am curious to see if people like this effect or not. You can even see on the "Conventional LED" on the top right, that its reds or colors are closer to the OLED's in the bottom left corner and seem more natural. Maybe it was the camera or something else that contributed to the sammy's reds looking like that, but to me just in the context of these pictures, it looks weird and unrealistic. I hope I am wrong as I was really looking forward to the 9500 (still hoping for a 78" model) even though I despise the curve.

Maybe it was just a calibration problem?
 
#253 ·
So many unknowns about the pictures. Samsung has been deceitful in the past, especially at CES this year. They were comparing 4k pictures on the js9500 to last year's 8550 (using a 1080P picture here) I'd like to know why they are showing a 4k picture on this year's flagship to last year's 3rd best model in 1080p mode. I'm sure we'd all rather see the js9500 against the js9000&hu9000 showing the exact same source.
 
#271 · (Edited)
I probably would not be able to afford the js9500 so I will be content on getting the js9000 in 78" if the price is right .
My old 750 67" DLP Samsung is also acting up and it is developing a greenish color , so the time to part with it is approaching fast .
If the js prices are too steep at the present time , I will perhaps get me a curved 78" HU9000 in a couple of months since its price is coming down . That will suffice me for a couple of years until everything settles up and then I will upgrade if the jump in technology is big enough . For what I am able to watch in compressed Directv plus some nice movies here and there , the 78" HU9000 will do nicely .
 
#273 ·
I have talked to BestBuy and Crutchfield and they have told me that their stock of 78HU9000 will be non-existent come March. Where do you think you will be able to buy one in a couple of months? Do you know of a reputable retailer that will have it past February?
 
#285 ·
So when are we going to know if the 2015 Samsung models can still do 3D modes at 4K resolutions and 4:4:4 chroma at 4K/60 Hz like their 2014 HU9000 series models can? Are we going to have to wait until the JS series are actually in stores and have to go test it out ourselves?

I'd like to know before March so I know whether or not to pick up a HU9000 series TV before stock runs out.

I HATE how these companies refuse to post detailed specifications before they release their new products into the wild and replace their old models!
 
#289 ·
in 2014 samsung made an 85inch 8550(flat). sorry to say, but the curve is not a fad. the curve sales are actually very good. as a matter of fact, the curve sales have been so good over in europe and other countries, that the flat 4k tvs that samsung offered in the U.S. are only sold in the U.S., the other countries are going strictly curve. also if you go with samsung, their top curve tvs are much better than their top flat tv, they are purposely putting the better technology in the curves.
 
#290 ·
i wasnt impressed by the samsung 2014 lineup at all really i ended buying a sony x900b. the only reason i was interested in samsung for 2015 was the fact they were switching to full array with a massive amount of zones. im still skeptical though

ps the curve is hit or miss depending on customers and as well the panel isnt better tech because its curved they just stuck there best in the curve to give people a reason to buy it. Samsung has always been about gimmicks and marketing. lets hope 2015 isnt another one
 
#297 · (Edited)
attached are some shots of another 78JS9500 in what appears to be the games area of Samsung booth.


Prelim pricing in France appears to be 9,990 Euros. At that price a long wait for flat OLED may be more bearable.:eek:


Note: Mits mania pointed out price may include VAT
Good evening to all
little info regarding rates of this model ;)
Product is referenced Boulanger store :)

EDGE LED:
48JS9000 2790 €
55JS9000: € 3,290

FULL LED:
65JS9500: € 5,990
78JS9500: € 9,990
88JS9500: € 24,990
above from the French site Hdfever


pictures from Chinese site 4k123
 

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#298 · (Edited)
#315 ·
I think exchange rate is $1.13 per Euro, so 10000 Euro ==> $11,300. I had not updated my convert pad app for awhile, thanks for pointing out latest rate. came in at 1.14 this morning.

Great point on price to bear in different markets. Went on a business trip to Korea last year, and my colleagues there bemoaned the irony that we could get LG's and Samsungs TVs cheaper than they could in Korea.

All said, I hope you are right. :) $9000 for a 78" LCD pricey, but I think with FALD, HDR, and gamut worth a try. Much more $$ than that would make waiting for flat OLED that's smaller, not upgrade-able for for HFR (HDMI x.x), and possibly "premium" HDRs like Dolby vision... seem more tolerable. :eek:
 
#308 ·
as i stated in another thread, between best buy reviews and amazon, the curved HU9000 has 501 reviews, while the flat sony 900b 146 reviews. based on this, the CURVED 9000 is blowing out the flat 900b in sales!!! the 9000 is also more expensive, so not only are people wanting the curve, they are paying MORE for it! thats almost a 5 to 1 ratio, which honestly surprises the hell outta me. if the curve was hated as much as people say...those numbers would be flipped easily.
 
#311 ·
Samsung should've helped sponsor restoring smilevision movies to 4k curved, and producing brand new 4k demo content, much like what video game console and pc video card makers do.

I really hope curved catches on for 4k and beyond.

I myself was pessimistic about curved without seeing it. Unlike 4k only which still has benefits held in your hand as a retina tablet, 4k curved didn't bring me into a 4k immersive world for the 55 inch size, no matter how close I got. The effect didn't kick in until 65+ inches.
 
#310 ·
or the demographic of people are different that buy samsung to sony and curve to flat. i can tell you from working around it on a daily basis. the common idiot comes in stairs at the curve like a moth in bright light. people like samsung generally ebcause there a brighter panel. when someone comes up looking for rich colors and theather expierence they generally got to sony. the videophiles wont commonly write a review on bestbuy,com while the common consumer will just to get rewards points. another thing that kills sony sales is the speakers on the side making the tv massively wide and bulky. most people don't care for that. which has nothing to do with flat vrs curve.

by that logic look at the amount of reviews of the 8550 or better yet x850b a massive amount of good reviews on bestbuy and amazon so hush lol curve is a Feature some people love it like you some dont. you sound like a spokesperson from samsung
 
#317 ·
This constant bickering over the curve is such a bore. Time will tell if people really want it or not (as in stop doing it and see if people complain). If you put a curve on your best display people will buy it. If there were a flat 9000 to compare to the curved one it would be a worthwhile comparison. Anything else is a waste of time. I am so tired of this whole bloody thing where a manufacturer forces a design on the public by bundling it with their best display and then goes around saying look people love it its great. By this measure I love every channel Comcast forces me to buy in order to get the 5 I actually watch. If you wanted the best retail priced display (excluding the S9 etc.) that Samsung sold you were stuck with the curve. This is not proof of people liking it, it proves that people wanted the highest end Samsung. It was the same thing with OLED, if you wanted one in 2014 you had to buy a curved one - there was no other option. This will change in 2015 and then we will see what people really want. The poll on this site overwhelming states that the people here want flat displays (the numbers were 85% in favor of flat or something like that) arguing about it won't change that.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/92-community-news-polls/1873353-do-you-prefer-flat-curved-tvs.html
 
#320 ·
ive followed the curve/flat thread and commented in there a couple times, but as i and others have pointed out, AVS forum is a different breed of people than the average person out there, avs is filled with people who are usually overly picky about little things, im guilty of that as well. based on the vote where avs is 90% flat, you would think that no store in the world is selling curves, but its not true, they are actually selling quite well and if you actually read the reviews on websites, 90% of the reviewers said they either liked the curve or didnt mind it, only a handful of reviews said they returned the tv because they didnt like the curve at all. I DO agree though that there should be a flat version for every curve tv, then you could see what really sells best. samsung is indeed putting their best stuff into their curve tvs, BUT if someone really doesnt like the curve, they can purchase a sony or LG, yet the samsung curves continue to sell despite how much everyone hates them, which only points to that the curve isnt as hated in the real world as it is at AVSFORUM.com
 
#322 ·
Ray,

I think most people are used to flat because that's all there's been used their whole life. Flat has problems too like making the center appear larger and corners are slightly less focused. A curve also adds more 3d effect, since you are focusing on different planes. Overall I like the curve. My only complaint is LCD black levels suck and OLED has weird motion.

I've always liked a curve ever since seeing the dome theater at the Fleet Space Center in San Diego as a kid over 30 years ago.
 
#323 ·
i noticed the 3d affect in the stores too when comparing side by sides. yes, people are conditioned to like something a certain way because thats the way its always been. the LED tvs in general would be much better if these companies put some effort into making a quality panel instead of whipping something together real fast on the assembly line and not taking proper precautions to ensure panel seperation and light bleed.
 
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