This week Samsung presented several gaming monitors, the matrices of which are made using quantum dot technology (QLED). How does this technology differ from others and is it worth buying such monitors?
Samsung will launch CH711 curved monitors in 27-inch and 31.5-inch screens, both with 2560x1440 resolution, 178-degree viewing angle, and 125 percent sRGB spectrum coverage. For Samsung, these are not the first monitors with quantum dots, although the company still mainly uses PLS (analogous to IPS) and OLED technologies in its monitors and TVs. Samsung's first quantum dot monitors were unveiled in September 2016 at IFA in Berlin, and the CH711 will be showcased in early January 2017 at CES in Las Vegas.
The cost of QLED monitors is quite high: the CFG70 with a 27-inch screen costs $450, and the CF791 with a 34-inch screen costs $1,000.
According to Samsung, quantum dot screens do not have the disadvantages of matrices based on other technologies, although they do not have such deep blacks as OLED monitors.
QLED technology should be considered a variation of LCD, since it also uses LED backlighting, although the diodes are based on quantum dots. So far, no manufacturer has been able to create a matrix that would consist only of quantum dots and not contain LEDs, but such screens may appear in the future.
Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that glow when subjected to a current. They emit different colors depending on their size and the material they are made from. According to the researchers, the displays can consume up to five times less power than conventional LCDs and also have a longer lifespan than OLEDs. The cost of producing QLED panels can be half that of LCD and OLED displays.
The idea of using quantum dots as a light source was first proposed in the 1990s, but the first prototype of a QLED screen was created by Samsung only in 2011. A few years ago, it was believed that displays based on this technology are unreasonably difficult to manufacture, since they require cadmium, which is dangerous for people. Now this problem is solved - chemical companies are engaged in dangerous processes.
Quantum dot monitors are now mainly produced by Samsung, but the first commercially available display based on this technology was released by the Hong Kong company TPV Technology under the Philips brand - model 276E6ADS with a 27-inch FullHD panel. There is no excitement around QLED technology. Apparently, few people are interested in it and it can hardly be considered promising.
Kirill Sysoev
Calloused hands do not know boredom!
Content
Global manufacturers want to make their products as attractive to users as possible, so they are constantly introducing new technologies. This also affected televisions - cutting-edge models create such a realistic picture that there is a feeling that the action is not happening on the screen, but next to you. Billions of pure colors, rich colors, super-thin display - this is about the latest generation TVs.
What are quantum dots
The abbreviation QLED (Quantum dot LED) is the designation of the technology with which quantum dot televisions are created. The latter are semiconductor nanocrystals. Their diameter reaches 2-6 nanometers. For comparison: the thickness of a human hair is 60-80 thousand nanometers. A feature of quantum dots is that they glow in different colors depending on their size. Like an atom, a nanocrystal can produce light at a specific wavelength.
Large quantum dots emit long wavelengths of red. The smallest particles emit short blue wavelengths. This ability of nanocrystals has attracted the attention of scientists. The glow occurs due to the phenomenon of luminescence, i.e. particles must be excited by additional light or electric current. Experiments with quantum dots began about 30 years ago, but the completed result in the form of implemented SUHD technology was presented by Samsung in 2015.
Quantum dot display
The matrix of QLED TVs consists of several layers: substrate, LED backlight, quantum particles, liquid crystals. The layer of light filters, which is used in conventional LED matrices, is excluded as unnecessary, because the nanocrystals themselves produce the desired color. Quantum particles absorb light from blue diodes and re-emit it at a well-defined wavelength. This property allows you to get more pure basic colors: blue, green, red.
Advantages and disadvantages of quantum TVs
Quantum dot technology has not become a colossal breakthrough in the world of science, it is an excellent refinement of LED technology. The Korean company Samsung managed to create a high-quality product. Devices have the following advantages:
- Increased color gamut. QLED TVs have more than a billion colors in their arsenal, while conventional LED displays have a little over 16 million.
- Quantum particles are capable of reproducing 100% of the color volume. This was confirmed by the specialists of the German scientific and technical association Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker. When forming an image, minimal distortion is introduced into the color structure.
- Peak brightness reaches 1500-2000 nits. The indicator opens up the possibility of using HDR 10 and Dolby Vision technologies. This figure is partly achieved by reducing the reflectivity of the screen. The display has better color rendering, evenly scatters light.
- Colors are not distorted when looking at the screen from any viewing angle.
- Quantum Samsung TVs great design. The device has become thinner and lighter, has very narrow bezels.
- QLED models consume 140-195 W/h. It's a little, power consumption plasma TV- 300-500 W / h, and the LCD screen with a large diagonal - 200-250 W / h.
The vaunted quantum TVs also have drawbacks. There are not many of them, but for lovers of the perfect image, they are essential:
- Not the best contrast. The model uses VA panels, but no local functions dimming. Because of this, black level control is less than LED LCD and OLED TVs.
- The need for LED lighting. Quantum dot technology is still being developed, and for now, existing quantum models require LED lamps.
- High price. The price of QLED TVs starts at 120,000 rubles, and the 2019 models cost about 330,000 rubles.
Production
QLED technology began to be actively developed in 2004. The scientists founded the QD Vision research laboratory, soon LG Electronics and Samsung joined their staff. In 2011, Samsung specialists created a prototype of a color screen based on quantum particles, but it did not go into mass production. In 2013 SONY company introduced the flagship quantum TV KD-65X9000A. The model is based on Triluminos illumination: blue diodes are used in it, and yellow phosphors are absent.
A lot of developments were presented at CES 2015. These are the SUHDTV model from Samsung, Ultra HD from LG, QD Vision from the Chinese company TCL, ULTRA LED from Hinsense. The most popular quantum TVs from Samsung, in 2019 it introduced several advanced new products in the SUHD line. The most affordable model:
- Name: Samsung 49″ Q7F 4K Smart QLED TV (QE49Q7FAMUXRU).
- Price: 119 900 rubles.
- Characteristics: flat screen with a resolution of 3840x2160, an image quality index of 3100. HDR 1500 technologies, Ultra Black (eliminating glare from ambient light sources), a powerful Q Engine processor. Control universal remote control One Remote Features smart view, Auto Detection, Dolby Digital Plus support. Power consumption 160 W, peak brightness 73%.
- Pros: beautiful frameless design, natural image, saturated colors, clear picture, high-quality sound, simple operation.
- Cons: inconvenient connection block, no function to improve image contrast.
If it is possible to buy a more expensive quantum dot TV, pay attention to the Samsung Q9F line. The model below was recognized as the best HDR TV, it won first place in three categories: REFERENZ, INNOVATION, HIGHLIGHT 2019. The main functions are the same as the previous device, but improved:
- Name: Samsung 88" Q9F 4K Smart QLED TV (QE88Q9FAMUXRU).
- Price: 1 499 990 rubles.
- Characteristics: HDR 2000 technology, the widest viewing angles, body material - metal, image quality index 3400, there is a function to improve contrast, improve the clarity of transmission of dynamic scenes. Power consumption 395 W, peak brightness 88%.
- Pros: thin, organically fits into any interior, has a maximum color range, excellent contrast, is fast.
- Cons: expensive.
What is the difference between QLED and OLED
These are two fundamentally different concepts. OLED (organic light-emitting diode) is a technology for creating organic light-emitting diode televisions. A carbon-based organic film is placed between the two conductors. Conductors radiate electricity, which the LEDs pick up and begin to glow. Each pixel emits a wave of a certain color, and adjacent pixels do not affect each other in any way. OLED TVs are mass-produced by LG, Sony, Panasonic. Comparative characteristics of technologies:
Criterion | OLED TV |
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Principle of operation | Nanocrystals glow in a certain color when they are exposed to radiation from diode lamps. | Organic diodes do not require a light source, they glow on their own |
Contrast level | Tall but imperfect | Deep, vibrant blacks, perfect contrast levels |
Color volume | Unsurpassed color reproduction, built-in multi-HDR | Excellent color reproduction, but inferior to QLED |
Response time | 9.9 ms - Pixels move quickly, resulting in an image with less shift | 0.1ms - pixels change color instantly |
Viewing angle | Maximum |
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TV life | Long | 2-3 years with moderate use (max. 7000 hours) - pixels burn out over time |
Video
Did you find an error in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!Recently, LG, Sony and Samsung have been releasing quantum dot TVs and completely diverting attention and resources from the development of TVs.
At CES 2016, Samsung showed off its new flagship SUHD TVs, each featuring quantum dot technology.
Quantum dots are a technology that stimulates the creation of TVs with a high dynamic range () and the creation of a new standard.
What are quantum dots you ask? And here is the answer:
These are incredibly small particles. They range from 2 to 10 nanometers in diameter, equivalent to 50 atoms. You cannot measure these things using your school ruler. It is this small size that gives quantum dots unique properties to enhance this technology.
The colored light emitted by a quantum dot is directly related to its size. Smaller dots appear blue, larger dots appear red. In liquid crystal displays, they are used as a way to eliminate the need for white LED backlights and color filters.
As the president of DisplayMate explains, “Instead of using existing white LEDs (which have a yellow phosphor) that produce a wide spectrum of light but do not show rich colors, quantum dots directly convert light from LEDs into rich, narrow-band primary colors for LCDs.”
Advantages of quantum dots
For LCD screens, the benefits are huge. Higher brightness - one of the reasons TV manufacturers love quantum dots is because they allow them to produce TVs with much higher brightness. It opens interesting opportunities, such as support for high dynamic range TVs.
Dolby Vision is a film standard that stores more color and contrast information. The result is images that are more dynamic and realistic.
Do I need Dolby Vision?
- Better Color Reproduction – Another big benefit of quantum dots is improved color accuracy. The light produced by quantum dots is so closely related to their size that they can be tuned very precisely to emit precise light.
- Higher color saturation. One of the benefits that some people cite as a downside is that OLED screens tend to experience color saturation. Colors on OLED screens just "pop" more due to the huge color gamut of OLED screens. Quantum dots can increase color scheme on LCD screens by 40-50%.
Samsung has announced approximate dates for expanding the range of SUHD TV models available in Russia in 2016, as well as recommended prices for them: from 110 thousand to one and a half million rubles. All devices are assembled in Russia - at the Samsung plant in the Kaluga region.
At present, in Russia, it is already possible to buy individual models of TVs from a Korean manufacturer with displays that use quantum dot technology to improve the image, however, some lines are either not represented on the Russian market at all or are not represented by all diagonals.
Quantum dots - what is it?
What are quantum dots? These are semiconductor nanocrystals a few tens of atoms in size that glow when exposed to current or light. They emit different colors depending on the size and material from which they are made. The use of quantum dots in LCD displays improves the color reproduction and contrast of the image, bringing it closer to OLED screens and at the same time refusing additional white backlight LEDs (in the RGBW scheme) and color filters. Essentially, quantum dots "convert" the blue light emitted by LEDs into other primary colors, thus forming an image.
It is these microscopic crystals that glow in a certain color that make it possible to display HDR content on TVs - images and videos with a wide dynamic range, in which details can be seen both in very dark areas and in very bright areas. In 2016 Samsung TV displays model year uses environmentally friendly cadmium-free technology for the production of quantum dots. Apparently, the Koreans decided to prefer quantum dots to OLED technology, which makes TVs inaccessibly expensive and has a number of disadvantages - a maximum brightness limit and problems with the gradual burnout of light-emitting elements.
New Samsung TVs 2016
The most affordable Samsung SUHD TV with 4K support and HDR1000 (provided just by quantum dots) is part of the KS7000 line and has a diagonal of 49 inches. Its recommended retail price is 109,990 rubles, and sales will begin in July. This line will also feature 55- and 60-inch TVs.
The KS7500 line offers roughly the same features and picture quality as the KS7000, but the screens of its TVs are curved. The 49- and 55-inch KS7500 models are already on sale in Russia (the 49-inch one costs 119,990 rubles), and the older 60-inch model will debut in retail in July.
A month later, in August, Samsung plans to start selling the top 75-inch model of the KS8000 flat-panel TV series already in stores, at the same time the 78-inch KS9000 series curved TV will appear in stores. Finally, at the end of the summer, an exit is planned for Russian market top model 88KS9800 with a price tag of 1,499,990 rubles.
All 2016 Samsung TVs have received an elegant (not only front but also rear) design, Ultra Black anti-glare coating and new software that makes the most convenient work with smart apps, including streaming services. In addition, the devices are equipped with a special Samsung One Remote, which allows you to control not only the TV, but also other devices connected to it.
With this material, we are only opening a series of articles about the top line of Samsung TVs of 2016 - and in each of them we will reveal in more detail the essence of their key technologies and features: quantum dots, HDR 1000, Smart TV, curved display along with 360 branded design °. Today we are talking about the current top model in the family - KS9000.
KS9000, however, has absorbed the whole range of Samsung's latest achievements in the field of LCD TVs, this is a kind of pinnacle, the benchmark of this technology. The effect is primarily achieved through latest technology LED backlighting using quantum dots. Let's talk about it in more detail.
⇡ Video review of the 2016 Samsung SUHD line
⇡ quantum dots
The technology of using semiconductor nanocrystals has long attracted imaging engineers. More precisely, it attracts the physical dependence of the length of the emitted light wave (and, accordingly, the color) on the size of the crystal. It is very convenient, just grow the desired crystals, and - voila! - we have a source of pure color radiation without light filters.
And they learned how to grow crystals a few nanometers in size! In 2011 Samsung for the first time presented a prototype TV showing the image solely due to self-luminescent quantum dots. True, it remained a concept, a hint of future great achievements. And while we see a transitional stage.
The Samsung SUHD TV 2016 model year uses classic VA-type LCD technology - and quantum dots play only the role of an interlayer between liquid crystals and LED backlight. The latter makes crystals 3 to 7 nanometers in size luminesce - and yes, they do it in different colors.
Another effect of using Quantum Dot instead of filters is the absence of loss of brightness on them. In addition to this, a special layer between the diodes and the “quantum” diffuser works, generating additional light. As a result, Samsung claims an honest 1000 nits for its KS-series TVs - and this number can be trusted. TVs with quantum dots simultaneously show more shades, more accurately follow the author's idea of color reproduction and at the same time turn out to be brighter - and in the latter case, the gap from OLED models, which have inherent problems with brightness, is especially noticeable.
Let's proceed directly to the story about the Samsung KS9000 itself.
⇡ Design and interfaces
TVs are the same gadgets as, for example, smartphones. And the trends in their design are exactly the same: less frame, thinner edges, more metal in the design. The style of the 2016 line was named "Design 360 °" - not because the back of the TV has the same screen as the front (although there are such experiments), but because of the visual "flow" of surfaces one into another, as if without joints . We will not describe the concept in detail, we will simply admit that the Samsung KS9000 is beautiful: the front panel is completely occupied by the screen, the back is elegantly polished, and the thickness is a few millimeters.
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It has become much smaller than before, but includes a full set of necessary interfaces: 4 × HDMI, 2 × USB, optical audio jack, antenna connectors. On the TV itself, in addition to the One Connect port itself, we see another USB, Ethernet and a Common Interface expansion slot.
Another feature is the absence visible buttons. They are hidden on the bottom, right under the glowing plate with the name of the manufacturer.
We also note an elegant metal leg: if this detail usually does not evoke any emotions - anyway, flat-panel TVs are designed to be hung on the wall, then for a curved model, placement on a pedestal looks more relevant.
The beauty of it is how the engineers were able to fit the speaker output into the gap between the leg/wall mount bar and the chassis. A very elegant solution.
It makes no sense to write about dimensions - they depend primarily on the diagonal. The KS9000 comes in four sizes: 49", 55", 65" and 78".
⇡ SmartTV and remote control
TVs learned how to access the Internet and provide direct access to various gaming and Video-On-Demand services more than seven years ago - all this time the system has only been honed, finally turning the device from easy way playback picture to a home entertainment center.
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For control, an unusual in form, but quite traditional in content, remote control is used - with a minimum of keys, but capable of controlling many devices at once.
The latter is provided by the Smart Hub concept - the TV recognizes what is connected to its ports and allows you to command the receiver, Blu-ray player, and so on, without changing the remote control. It is very comfortable.
We will tell you more about Smart TV from Samsung in 2016 in one of the following articles, but here we will focus on key points.
At the heart of everything is a quad-core processor, which provides not only the speed of the shell and multitasking, but also the highest quality signal processing from external sources. Given the need to work with the most complex HDR signal and the ability to HDR upscaling (more on that later), there is more than enough work for him.
Among other things, a full-fledged media player is built into the KS9000, capable of playing files in MKV, MP4 and M2TS containers, and with full support for HDR video - all that remains is to find this very video in any access. Huge head start for the future.
When you turn on the Samsung KS9000 for the first time, it asks for permission to connect to any available Wi-Fi network - of course, there is a wireless module. Next, we get access to a serious number installed applications, the number of which will only increase with system updates. Branded Smart TV is based on its own operating system Tizen, which was previously planned to be actively implemented in Samsung smartphones- now she primarily serves televisions. The already mentioned multitasking, speed and low risk of catching a virus when surfing the web (due to the low prevalence of the OS, they are practically not written for it) are its advantages. But for every samsung case also uses anti-virus software - problems with malware should not be from the word "absolutely".
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The interface of both Smart TV and the settings menu is extremely concise and simple. Among the branded features, we highlight the ability to preview popular/recommended videos from other applications on any screen. The set of services is extensive: Netflix, ivi, OKKO, Megogo and many others.
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It is also possible to play without connection external device- and in two ways. Or in simple arcades in standard application"Games", or PS4 and Xbox level games through content streaming on GameFly. To use it, you need to have account Samsung.
⇡ Picture
Samsung has been keeping its TV specifications for quite some time, refusing to talk about contrast or minimum black field luminosity. This, however, does not mean that they hide from us terrible truth, - it's just that at one time the endless race of numbers led to rather ridiculous results when companies measured contrast ratios measured in millions to one. It was impossible to confirm or refute these numbers regarding the so-called dynamic contrast, and the real, static contrast was several thousand to one. And this is a very good result.
With the advent of the HDR standard (we will talk about it in more detail in one of the following articles), increased resolution also made sense - when, in addition to a simple increase in the number of displayed pixels, a significant increase in detail in the shadows and in the bright areas of the image (that is, an extended dynamic range) was added, the picture became look really impressive.
The native resolution of the KS9000 panel is, of course, 3840 × 2160. Due to the use of 1152 backlight units, we get a high level of dynamic contrast with minimal backlight for an LCD. Contrast, depending on the user mode, is kept in the region of 4000:1 - 5000:1. And not to the detriment of brightness, which even in film and game mode, configured primarily to achieve maximum black depth, reaches 500 cd/m 2 . In addition to this, the panel is equipped with an Ultra Black anti-reflective layer. According to the manufacturer, it absorbs 99.7% of external light. It is not easy to believe in this, but the fact is that there is practically no glare, it is comfortable to watch TV in daylight, even with the backlight not twisted to the limit.
Two more important trumps of KS9000 are the highest smoothness of motion display and response time. These are only visual, subjective impressions, but no artifacts, smearing or plumes are noticeable. There will be no problems in game mode either - in fact, LCD panels have always had a decent response time, and this VA is no exception.
And of course, as befits a top-end TV in 2016, there is a curved panel, which some people like, some do not, but its implementation is very good. Due to the Auto Depth Enhancer technology, the depth of each plan is worked out separately, optical distortion is minimized.
⇡ Conclusion
Samsung KS 9000 is, if not the logical limit of LCD technology, then at least the obvious pinnacle on this moment. Against the background of a 10-bit panel, the use of a unique quantum dot filter and HDR 1000 technology that provides a previously unavailable extended dynamic range, other technological advantages, such as native 4K, high contrast levels, near-perfect motion processing and a beautifully realized Smart TV of 2016, even fade into the background. Excellent TV in every way.
We express our gratitude to the Samsung branded store in GUM for the opportunity to shoot
