MediaTek unveiled its new Pentonic family of smart TV chips with the introduction of the Pentonic 2000 for powering next-generation “flagship” 8K TVs with 120Hz frame rates, said the chipmaker Friday. The Pentonic 2000 is the world's first commercial TV chip manufactured using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s 7-nanometer node process, said MediaTek. It can also support 144Hz frame rates for gaming PC hardware and ninth-generation gaming consoles, it said. The Pentonic 2000 is also the first commercial 8K TV chip with Versatile Video Coding (H.266) media support for enhanced compression efficiency, it said.
TCL, one of two Roku TV vendors marketing 8K models, aimed to drum up support for the next-generation screen resolution Tuesday, announcing that Roku added content to the platform's Explorers 8K Channel. The Explorers 8K platform has “hundreds” of videos, with new content posted daily, TCL said, and it complements a YouTube channel with 8K videos. Roku didn’t comment. TCL’s 65-inch 65R648 ($2,199) and 75-inch 75R648 ($2,999) launched this year and are available at Best Buy. Hisense is also marketing an 8K Roku TV, the 75-inch 75U800GR, priced $2,699 at Best Buy but unavailable Tuesday. It was also shown as unavailable at Amazon. Hisense didn't respond to questions.
TCL, which announced a 6-Series 75-inch 8K Roku TV at CES 2019, is finally delivering it, said the company Monday (see 1901070058). TCL was the first TV brand to confirm it was joining the 8K Association, which had its inaugural news conference at the same CES. TCL was due to begin taking preorders for the 75-inch 75R648 ($2,999) and 65-inch 65R648 ($2,199) mini-LED TVs at Amazon and Best Buy Monday. Amazon gave a shipping date for the 75-inch model with the ability to order, but it didn't show the 65-inch model. Best Buy showed pricing above TCL’s announced prices at $3,999 for the 75-inch 8K TCL TV and $2,599 for the 65-incher but wasn’t taking orders. A notice said, “Coming soon.” The models are the first 8K TVs to be stamped with THX’s Certified Game Mode, TCL said. Low latency combined with variable refresh rate and auto game mode are said to provide smoother, optimized game play. Both have Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. TCL didn’t respond to questions.
LG diversified into a new premium TV segment, announcing pricing and July availability Wednesday for its first Mini LED TVs. The 8K and 4K LCD TVs, with Mini LED backlight technology, are led by two 86-inch models: the 8K 86QNED99UPA ($6,499) and 4K 86QNED90UPA ($3,999). The ZX 88-inch OLED TV remains LG's flagship TV at $29,999. LG called the QNED Mini LED series, based on its quantum dot NanoCell color technology, a “new era in LCD TV picture quality,” promoting “richer and more accurate colors.” The TVs were certified by global testing agency Intertek for providing 100% color volume and color consistency, it said. The QNED TVs pack smaller LEDs into the backlight vs. similarly sized screens, said the company, with the 86-inch 8K model backlit by about 30,000 LEDs arranged in 2,500 local dimming zones for superior contrast ratio to conventional LCD TVs. LG didn’t cite a contrast ratio comparison to OLED TVs. Also in the 8K lineup are the 75-inch 75QNED99UPA ($4,799) and a 65-inch version at $3,499. The comparable 4K QNED models are priced at $2,999 and $1,999. LG decided to move into Mini LED to “remain at the forefront of technology, not only with OLED, but to also offer the latest in LCD/LED technology,” spokesperson Chris DeMaria emailed. All the QNED models will feature LG’s latest webOS 6.0 smart TV platform with built-in Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and LG ThinQ AI technology, he said, along with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. LG continues to position OLED as its reference TV technology: “Even though MiniLED technology does a great job of improving black levels and local contrast through more dimming zones compared to conventional LED sets, only OLED is emissive, and can control every pixel individually to create perfect blacks and eliminate light bleed between bright and dark areas,” he said.
Google joined the 8K Association to “track and help define how the evolution of 8K content will be manifest in devices and platforms,” said the group Monday. Advantech, Ateme, Harmonic, Main Concept and Spin Digital are among other new members. The Samsung-originated 8KA also added Allion Labs and Telecommunications Technology Associates as authorized interoperability test labs, it said. 8KA Executive Director Chris Chinnock said all are joining to “alleviate barriers,” technical and business-oriented, in the 8K ecosystem.
The 8K Association launched a YouTube channel comprised of three playlists to address “particular industry needs,” said the Samsung-led group Monday. One playlist contains native 8K content for playback on 8K TVs and for retail demos; the others feature a rundown of 8K products and services and a consumer tutorial about how the technology works. Nearly two dozen clips populate the “8K entertainment” playlist, including a NASA video, Above & Beyond, showcasing 8K with HDR at 4,000 nits, plus a trailer for Two Yellow Lines, the Derek Bauer-directed feature film that debuted at last summer’s BZN International Film Festival in Montana. The association helped create the Two Yellow Lines trailer, "which is also now running on Samsung TVs at retail," 8KA Executive Director Chris Chinnock told us. "This was done before the film had a distribution deal." 8KA created a new membership class last summer enabling independent filmmakers to join for free in return for licensing short clips of native 8K content to member companies for use in demos and on websites (see 2009150052). The content generated through that membership arrangement "is being used internally for the most part, but we hope to expand use soon," said Chinnock.
Sony began taking preorders Monday for some of the 2021 Bravia LED and OLED TVs it launched at CES and gave approximate preorder dates for others. All new Sony models run on the company’s new Cognitive Processor XR that’s designed to “replicate the way human brains think and respond,” said the company. The company didn't say whether the ATSC 3.0-compliant TVs would carry CTA's voluntary NextGenTV certification logo. The flagship Z9J series of 8K LED TVs, available for preorder in summer, include the 85-inch ($9,999) and 75-inch ($7,999) models. Among flagship OLED models, the 65-inch ($3,999) and 55-inch ($2,999) are available; the 83-inch ($7,999) can be preordered next month, said the company. All A80J series OLED TVs are available for preorder: 77- ($4,499), 65- ($2,799) and 55-inch ($2,299). The premium XR X95J 4K LED TV series, all for summer preorder, includes the 85-inch ($4,499), 75-inch ($2,999) and 65-inch (price to be announced). The largest TV in the Sony line, the $19,999 XR X92 100-incher, will be on summer preorder, it said. In the X90J series, the 75-inch X90J ($2,599) is available for preorder, and the 65-inch model ($1,799) and 55-inch ($1,499) models are available now; the series’ 50-inch model ($1,299) is available for preorder. All sets in the X85J 4K series of Google TVs will be available for May preorder: 85- ($3,199), 75- ($2,199), 65- ($1,599), 55- ($1,199), 50- ($999) and 43-inch ($899). X80J 4K LED TVs with Google TV are available now: 65-inch ($1,149), 55- ($949), 50- ($849) and 43-inch ($749); the 75-inch $1,699 model goes on preorder April 26.
After a “slower than expected 2020,” shipping fewer than 350,000 units, the global 8K TV market is expected to “begin to build momentum over the next few years,” reported Strategy Analytics Wednesday. “8K TV sales did not reach the level that TV vendors may have hoped for in 2020, following a challenging year for the global TV displays market,” said analyst Edouard Bouffenie, citing postponement of the Olympics due to the pandemic as a lost opportunity for TV marketers. Prices are “still very high, making many consumers think twice about whether now is the right time to upgrade, or hold off until prices inevitably fall over the next few years,” he said. SA projects some 72 million households will have an 8K set by 2025. Screen sizes will be a key determining factor in consumer uptake, with the U.S. and China having the fastest rates of adoption, said the report. “Long term 8K TV adoption will ultimately be driven by panel supply and the ongoing shift to ever larger screen sizes,” said analyst David Watkins. TV panel makers will likely switch production lines over to 8K “as soon as it makes financial sense to do so." The transition will begin with over-70-inch models, followed by the 60- to 69-inch range and into some sub-60-inch sizes. “By the end of the forecast period anyone looking to buy an ultra-large screen TV will have an increasingly hard time finding one that is not 8K,” Watkins said.
Samsung introduced its flagship TV, the Wi-Fi-6E-enabled 8K QLED Y21, using MediaTek’s MT7921AU SoC, said the companies Tuesday. In addition to Wi-Fi 6E, the MT7921AU platform supports Bluetooth 5.2 and has a 1.2 Gbps data speed, they said. Wi-Fi 6E is said to offer faster data throughput for streaming, lower latency and advanced security and connection features. Further details weren't available.
LG announced initial pricing for its 12-model 2021 OLED TV lineup Wednesday, including the G1 Gallery and C1 series announced at CES, which are available at lg.com now and due at authorized retailers starting next month. New for 2021 is the 83-inch screen size; the OLED83C1PUA is slated for May delivery at $5,999, said LG. The Gallery series includes the 77-inch OLED77G1PUA ($4,499, March), 65-inch OLED65G1PUA ($2,999, March) and 55-inch OLED55G1PUA ($2,199, April). In addition to the 83-incher, the C1 series includes the 77-inch OLED77C1PUB ($3,799, March), 65-inch OLED65C1PUB ($2,499, March), 55-inch OLED55C1PUB ($1,799, March) and 48-inch OLED48C1PUB ($1,499, April). The four-model A1 series starts at $1,299 for the 48-inch OLED48A1PUA (June) and tops out at 77 inches ($3,199, June). Available now are the ZX series 8K TVs: the 88-inch OLED88ZXPUA ($29,999) and the 77-inch OLED77ZXPUA ($19,999). The G1 and ZX series are “ushering in the NEXTGEN TV era,” said LG, of the ATSC 3.0 standard. All 2021 LG OLED TVs are webOS 6.0 models, and they support Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Atmos, HDR10 Pro and Filmmaker Mode, said the company. The 8K models are certified WiSA Ready, allowing wireless operation with WiSA speakers. Game Optimizer mode allows users to place all game-related controls in one interface and can automatically apply the best picture settings according to the type of game the user is playing: first-person shooter, role-playing or real-time strategy, said LG. The company's OLED TVs are the first certified as G-Sync-compatible by Nvidia, LG said, and they support FreeSync Premium for smooth gaming experiences. Intertek certified LG’s 2021 OLED TVs as having 100% color fidelity, it said.