I can’t afford the Apple Pro Display XDR, so I sure can’t afford a big ol’ 8K HDTV. But if you can, LG Electronics will introduce its expanded 8K TV lineup next week at CES 2020 – eight TVs with new 77- and 65-inch class models joining LG’s existing 88- and 75-inch screen sizes. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but I’m sure it will beyond my budget.
The lineup includes 88- and 77-inch class LG SIGNATURE OLED 8K TVs (models 88/77 OLED ZX) and advanced LG NanoCell TVs (models 75/65 Nano99, 75/65 Nano97, 75/65 Nano95), with every model exceeding the industry’s official new 8K Ultra HD definition set by the Consumer Technology Association(CTA) which requires a minimum 50% CM threshold.
The new models offer the capability to play native 8K content thanks to support of a wide selection of 8K content sources from HDMI and USB digital inputs, including codecs such as HEVC, VP9 and AV1.LG’s 8K TVs will support 8K content streaming at a rapid 60FPS and are certified to deliver 8K 60P over HDMI, according to Park Hyoung-sei, president of the LG Home Entertainment Company. LG’s latest 8K TVs also feature upgraded performance thanks to the new α (Alpha) 9 Gen 3 AI Processor.
“By leveraging deep learning technology, the 2020 lineup delivers optimized picture and sound quality for all types of content through AI-based 8K upscaling,” says Hyoung-sei. “Based on an intelligent deep learning network, AI 8K Upscaling delivers vivid and accurate 8K images by analyzing the content and applying Quad Step Noise Reduction and frequency-based Sharpness Enhancer to increase lower resolution content to near 8K perfection.
The α9 Gen 3 processor’s AI Picture Pro is purportedly capable of recognizing faces and text on screen, fine-tuning and sharpening each to produce more natural skin tones, well-defined facial features and clearer, more readable characters. What’s more, Auto Genre Selection recognizes the type of content being watched and automatically applies the ideal picture settings, guaranteeing the best image quality among four genres: movie, sports, standard and animation, according to Hyoung-sei.
He adds that LG’s AI Sound Pro analyzes and classifies the audio of content among five categories –music, movies, sports, drama or news – for clearer voices and richer, more textured background sound. Spoken words are isolated and their volume increased, making it distinctively easier for viewers to understand while background noises are identified and the scene up-mixed to virtual 5.1 surround.
Users can monitor and control compatible IoT [Internet of Things] devices directly from the TV’s Home Dashboard, while Hands-Free Voice Control allows viewers to control multiple connected devices with their voice.And with LG’s popular smart TV platform, webOS, the new TVs support Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit as well as both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, with Amazon Alexa Premium Far-Field Voice compatibility in the future.
