Buzz
The Q950TS from Samsung demonstrates that an 8K TV can surpass 4K even in a world without 8K content!
1. Samsung Q950TS TV Review: An 8K Masterpiece, Truly the Best TV on Earth
The Q950TS is Samsung's latest attempt to sell users something they didn't even know they wanted. 8K is still finding its footing in the market, with the idea of a screen with 33 million pixels sounding incredibly enticing, but where's the 8K content to watch right now?
Samsung acknowledges that we don't necessarily have to choose content that perfectly matches our screen. While actively working to make 8K the default resolution on upcoming streaming services, Samsung's main goal is to turn their 8K TVs into the best 4K TVs you can buy.
Samsung's AI-powered upscaling technology aims to make Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and anything else you watch on an 8K TV significantly better—higher detail, more realism—surpassing even the best 4K TVs.
Is it really true?
Samsung Q950TS: Price and Features
The Q950TS is Samsung's premium QLED 8K TV for 2020, available in 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch sizes, priced at 119,900,000 VND, 189,899,600 VND, and 249,900,200 VND respectively in Vietnam.
In terms of features, the Samsung Q950TS has everything you expect from a high-end TV from a globally renowned brand.
The resolution is, of course, impressive—more pixels on the screen mean higher detail, color accuracy, and realistic images.
For connectivity, the Q950TS comes with dual-band Wi-Fi, 4 HDMI ports (including one HDMI 2.1 port), 3 USB ports, RF, satellite port, 1 Ethernet port, and 1 optical digital output. What's particularly interesting and convenient is that Samsung doesn't integrate any of these ports directly into the TV. They, along with the relevant hardware, including the power source, are housed in a relatively large box called One Connect, connected to the screen via a neat-sized cable. This makes the Q950TS ideal for wall mounting, giving it a sleek appearance.
Q950TS adheres to Dolby Vision HDR standards, and with Samsung's control over all 480 full-array backlight zones to individual pixels, the Q950TS provides viewers with incredibly deep blacks and bright whites, even when these two tones appear together in a frame.
In terms of sound, Samsung has taken decisive steps to address audio quality issues on its 2019 8K TVs. On the Q950TS, they use something called 'Object Motion Tracking+' - essentially a set of 8 speaker drivers arranged in a 4.2.2 configuration. Two mid-range drivers and two low-frequency drivers are placed near the bottom of the screen, two mid-range drivers at the top, and one high-frequency driver on each side of the screen.
With this layout, the Q950TS's volume will be higher than that of conventional flat-screen TVs, while also providing synchronized audio with on-screen motion.
Samsung Q950TS: Image Performance
As mentioned earlier, the lack of native 8K content has raised doubts about the Q950TS. Therefore, what the Q950TS needs to do is upscale 4K and Full HD content to a level where consumers feel its hefty price tag is justified.
And the Q950TS has demonstrated its exceptional upscaling ability. Whether you're watching 4K content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or a Ultra HD Blu-ray player, Samsung's TV will maximize the potential of that content.
A significant contributor to this upscaling prowess is Samsung's achievements in AI and machine learning development. The Q950TS processor has been trained on a massive image database, enabling the TV to cross-examine required display images, enhancing the upscaling process with accuracy and persuasion, and improving upscale performance in subsequent displays. Solely in terms of technology, this is already an extremely impressive achievement.
The increasing upscale quality of the Q950TS is not limited by the quality of the backlight. As a full-array screen, with the backlight behind every pixel across the entire screen rather than just around the edges (unlike some lower-quality, cheaper screens), Samsung's new 8K TV can deliver admirable results in showcasing the brightness and darkness of the images it produces. The Q950TS screen has 480 separate zones that can be completely darkened to make the black in that image area look truly black. 480 is a very large number when considering the number of dark zones, and Samsung's ability to control each zone is truly commendable.
For viewers, this means the screen can achieve a very high brightness, much higher than any OLED TV, while still maintaining bright, flawless whites, and full details without causing the image to blur.
The screen's black tone is deep and shiny, yet vivid with full shades and details. Combined with the low screen reflection and excellent image quality when viewed from various angles, Samsung's 8K TV looks outstanding even when inactive.
Considering every aspect of image quality, the Q950TS can only be summarized in one word: impressive. It has a wide color range to the point of not missing any shades. It confidently displays tones and patterns on the skin, making even the most insane or rugged details look realistic.
It handles motion, both fast and slow, with high precision, tracking motion on the screen (in any direction) without any hindrance. And it also creates a very reasonable depth of field. So, wide scenes will have enough depth, making them look more reliable.
The edges are drawn smoothly, and image noise is reduced to a minimum.
With Full HD content, Samsung's TV performs even more impressively. Although not as authentic as handling 4K, the edges may be slightly blurred, slow movements may not show seamlessness, but the results are still natural enough.
You should remember that the Q950TS takes in information with just over 2 million pixels and turns it into a product with over 33 million pixels. What more could you ask for?
Audio Quality
The sound of the Q950TS may not be as successful as the image quality, although it is still louder and better separated than other flat-screen TVs.
But one thing to say about the sound of this TV is that it's quite harsh, flat, and dazzling, to the point of being somewhat uncomfortable.
Certainly, once you've invested in a TV with a price tag like this, spending a bit more for a high-quality soundbar or a Dolby Atmos surround sound system is not a significant concern for consumers.
Design and User-Friendliness
The design of the Q950TS is noteworthy for several reasons. What people want when buying a new, expensive TV is more screen real estate and fewer distractions - and the Q950TS delivers on that.
The TV bezel is only 2mm thick, making it nearly invisible when you stand a certain distance from the TV.
And the thickness of the frame is the same. Due to Samsung's QLED technology requiring a backlight, it's unlikely to achieve the astonishing thinness of other OLED TV models.
However, because Samsung has removed most of the cables and electronic components from the frame to place in the One Connect box, you won't see protrusions or bumps on the back of the Q950TS like other OLED TVs. The entire back of this TV is flat, with a consistent thickness of 15mm. It might not be as thin as a phone, but it's certainly thinner than a laptop.
You'll have a fairly small, weighty remote control with numerous tactile buttons. It's well-designed, and Samsung has made the button presses feel very satisfying. You can control the Q950TS through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant (voice control).
Regardless of your chosen control method, what's in front of you is still one of the most universally praised user interfaces in the TV industry. Samsung's Tizen operating system, formerly with a white background, has now shifted to a light blue hue. Furthermore, everything else remains unchanged - still maintaining the formula that has earned Samsung user trust.
It's a logical, fast, intuitive, responsive, easily customizable operating system, integrating all popular streaming apps (including Apple TV with AirPlay 2 and Disney+), along with many other lesser-known apps.
Conclusion
The Samsung Q950TS is a savvy choice for those willing to take the leap. It comes with an astronomical price tag, featuring technology that surpasses the limits of any current streaming or broadcasting standard.
However, the Q950TS is still incredibly alluring: a large-sized TV with 4K content display quality far superior to the majority of premium 4K TVs on the market. At this moment, it stands as the best 4K TV on the planet. A true work of art.
