Samsung surprised scores of journalists at CES 2018 when it showed up with an 8K TV, the Samsung Q9S, that used artificial intelligence to transform HD and SD content into brilliant, 7,680 x 4,320 video.
Turns out, those same journalists might get an encore performance at IFA 2018.
Earlier this month, Twitter user @LeogringoD posted a picture of a new billboard Samsung erected in Berlin – which, as you can see in the photo above, boasts about the company’s new 8K QLED TVs.
"prepare to be amazed at IFA ... par les centaines de vidéos que @ppgarcia75 va nous concocter" 😊👌 pic.twitter.com/5JT73dNpszAugust 10, 2018
It’s hard to tell from the image if the TV on the billboard is the Q9S, The Wall or a different TV, but Samsung told journalists at the Advanced Display Summit in Hollywood that it has plans to debut more than one 8K TV in 2018, including one that will be available in the standard 65-, 75- and 82-inch sizes.
Can we call it Ultra-Ultra HD?
When we spoke with Samsung during CES 2018, many of the senior executives understood the issues facing Ultra HD – among them, the fact that consumers and broadcasters are still adopting 4K technology. And that means, for 8K TVs to succeed, 8K UHD TV manufacturers like Samsung and Sharp will need to convince us that the upgrade is worthwhile – even in screen sizes in the 60- and 70-inch range.
Samsung did a decent job laying that groundwork with the Q9S, a TV that can upscale content from significantly lower resolutions – at least it could in the pristine environment of the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor.
IFA will be Samsung's second chance to impress audiences with the power of 8K, whether that's with the Q9S (which has still yet to receive a final price or release date) or a smaller, more affordable 8K QLED TV set.
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