Samsung TVs could ditch the bezel for an 'infinite' display – just like its smartphones

[Karlston]

Samsung TVs could ditch the bezel for an 'infinite' display – just like its smartphones

Samsung ditches the frame

(Image credit: 4Kfilme)

 

Samsung is looking to shake up its TV range with an outside-the-box design philosophy that could see the manufacturer use a practically-invisible TV frame to maximize the impact of its QLED displays.

 

The casing around the edge of the screen, or just the section of the screen that can't display images, is referred to as the 'bezel'; hence why the rumored set is being called a Zero Bezel TV. The leaked image was spotted by German tech outlet 4Kfilme.

 

We've seen this before, of course – notably with Samsung's range of Galaxy Edge smartphones, which made use of an 'infinite' display that curved over the edge of the casing for an expansive (if fragile) screen.

 

The TV display likely won't have a curved edge to the screen, though; we expect it will simply be a bezel so thin that a regular four or five feet viewing distance renders it invisible. We expect the name to something closer to 'Glass', 'Infinite' or 'Zero', rather than citing the bezel in the branding too – though the formal model numbers are said to be Q900T and Q950T.

 

The reports come via Sammobile, which cites South Korean sources saying that the TV has been internally approved for manufacture, and will enter mass production in February 2020, in a 65-inch size and possibly larger.

 

A Samsung employee reportedly told the site that, “Unlike other so-called ‘zero-bezel’ products that actually still had bezels, this product really doesn’t have a bezel. Samsung has become the first in the world to realize such an extreme design.” This is apparently down to Samsung managing to fuse the panel and casing of the television together.

Zero confirmation

Rumors are rumors, of course, but it would fit with what we've seen from Samsung before. LG, too, has experimented with the casing and form of its premium TVs, with an LG E9 OLED set that features an all-glass display, and really does help to make the pictures onscreen seem bigger and more impactful, without a firm edge hemming the images in – even if it can't get rid of the bezel entirely.

 

A bezel-less set would also be a neat counterpoint to the Samsung Frame TV, which features a hugely thick bezel for a premium picture-frame design – and varying the scale and visibility of the bezel across Samsung's 2020 range will continue to cater to different tastes.

 

CES 2020 is imminent, kicking off January 7, and there'll no doubt be some notable sets from all the major TV brands competing for our attention. Make sure you check back with TechRadar to see what Samsung does – and doesn't – end up showing off at the event.

 

 

Source: Samsung TVs could ditch the bezel for an 'infinite' display – just like its smartphones

[Karlston]

Samsung details its stunning bezel-less 8K TV

99 percent of the front is all display

 

The bezel-less TV from Samsung is indeed a real product being announced here at CES 2020. However, it’s only available in an 8K set that’s guaranteed to be very expensive. I would’ve loved to see a step-down 4K model to make this gorgeous design attainable for more people, but it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that getting the “infinity display” means you’ll have to opt for the nicest TV in Samsung’s entire 2020 lineup. Pricing isn’t yet being disclosed, nor is a release date; Samsung’s new TVs usually ship by spring, however.

 

Samsung Korea spilled the details a little prematurely with a press release; Samsung is holding its TV-focused First Look event on Sunday evening in Las Vegas.

 

The new QLED 8K uses 99 percent of its front surface for the display. There is a bezel, but it’s hard to perceive at just 2.3 millimeters. The TV itself is incredibly thin at 15 millimeters.

 

Samsung has on-device, AI-powered upscaling for making content appear closer to native 8K resolution. There was a dearth of 8K content at last year’s CES, and absolutely nothing about that situation has changed for 2020. That’s what makes the idea of buying this TV so hard to recommend. Samsung is also attempting to make video streaming content look as good as it can, with new “AI ScaleNet” technology that prevents data loss in the journey from a streaming company’s server to your TV. The first partner for this will be Amazon Prime Video.

 

 

Samsung says the TV includes an adaptive picture setting that adjusts brightness and contrast based on the TV’s surroundings. As with the company’s other TVs, the 8K QLED features quantum dot color and full-array local dimming. And Samsung is also attempting to preserve quality of video streaming content

 

You might expect a TV with no noticeable bezels to be lousy in the audio department, but according to Samsung, this thing packs a punch. A feature called OTS+ (object tracking sound plus) recognizes when moving objects are on the screen and tries to move sound along the TV’s speakers in a realistic fashion, producing an end result that the company says resembles 5.1 surround sound. And there’s also a “Q-Symphony” function that optimizes audio performance by utilizing both the TV’s speakers and a connected soundbar simultaneously.

 

As for its smarts, the QLED 8K has support for Bixby, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. It can quickly pair with Android smartphones for mirroring when they’re tapped against / near the screen. And Samsung says it’s including what it refers to as a Digital Butler, which can control Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-compatible gadgets, but also those devices that lack an internet connection. There are obviously questions around how all of that works, but we should get a better idea after we see the bezel-less QLED 8K firsthand later tonight — along with the other TVs Samsung has planned for this year.

 

 

Source: Samsung details its stunning bezel-less 8K TV (The Verge)