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I Saw the Sony QD-OLED TV in Person, and It May Be the Best TV Ever

Sony’s 2022 television lineup has a lot of new high-end features and picture quality extras, from a remote finder to mini-LED backlights, but the most anticipated hands-down is its QD-OLED TV, the A95K series. Using this new screen technology, Sony promises improved color and viewing angle compared to current, conventional OLED TVs — which already deliver the best picture quality on the market. I finally got the chance to see QD-OLED in person and from what I saw, it delivers on that promise.

At a private demo in New York this week, Sony engineers showed me a 65-inch A95K set up next to an A90J, the company’s best 2021 OLED TV, as well as Sony’s professional-grade OLED reference monitor. They played a series of the same test patterns and video on all three displays simultaneously, similar to how I review TVs. The most remarkable difference I saw was deeper, more saturated color of red, for example a woman’s dress and buildings at night, on the QD-OLED. Differences in other colors were less obvious, but my overall impression was that QD-OLED did indeed have better color.

I saw slightly better fidelity from extreme off-angle on the A95K — the A90J showed more color shift as I moved to the extreme edges, away from dead center — but you’d have to have a really crappy seat on the couch to notice. The QD-OLED also showed slightly smoother treatment of film grain, which Sony’s engineers claimed was a benefit of the way QD-OLED creates light. Based on Sony’s demo, I’d say QD-OLED TVs like the A95K have the potential to outperform “regular” OLED models from Sony as well as from other TV makers like LG.

But I’m not ready to declare QD-OLED the best TV… yet. First off, Sony says the A95K it used in the demo isn’t a production version. It’s an “early prototype,” so the final shipping version could be different. Second, Sony’s demos highlighted the A95K’s strengths, but I still caught a couple of weaknesses where the older, non QD-OLED actually looked better. The skin tone in one scene was a bit closer to the reference on the A90J, and the screen of the A90J rejected more ambient light than that of the A95K, which had a grayer, not-exactly-black finish. The latter difference impaired the QD-OLED’s contrast under bright lights but wasn’t an issue under dark, home theater-style lighting.

It’s worth mentioning that highlights didn’t look appreciably better on the QD-OLED, and shadow detail between the two was also similar. Sony’s engineers claimed the QD-OLED does a better job in near-black shadows, but none of their demos showed it as far as I noticed.

I’m looking forward to checking out QD-OLED TVs like the A95K and Samsung’s S95B in my lab, with my own material, and the opportunity to measure and compare them against LG’s latest 2022 OLED TVs. Until then, I’m not ready to declare a winner.

Sony didn’t specify when I could get a review sample, although it did say the A95K and its other 2022 TVs would ship in spring. It also has yet to officially announce pricing, but indications peg the 55-inch at $3,000 and the 65-inch at $4,000, more than double the price of my current favorite 2021 OLED TV, the LG C1. If those indications prove correct, the Sony A95K will also be significantly more expensive than Samsung’s S95B QD-OLED TV, which costs $2,200 for the 55-inch size and $3,000 for the 65-incher.

What’s so special about QD-OLED?

The myriad types of similar-sounding TV terms can get confusing, so bear with me. OLED technology delivers the best TV picture quality available today. Every OLED TV you can buy right now, and most upcoming 2022 models including 2022 Sonys in the A80K and A90K series, use the conventional OLED display panels, not QD-OLED. They rely on yellow and blue OLED materials to create “white” light and filters to mix in other colors, a technology known as WRGB OLED.

The new panels in the A95K series use a different manufacturing method that combines a blue OLED base layer with red and blue quantum dots, hence the “QD.” The A95K is one of two QD-OLED TVs announced for 2022. The other is the Samsung S95B, which I have yet to see in person.

The introduction of QD-OLED brings competition to the big-screen OLED TV market. A company called LG Display currently manufactures all of the OLED TV panels available today and supplies them not only to LG Electronics but also to Sony, Vizio, Philips, Panasonic and others worldwide.

Sony said it was unable to disclose information about the panel vendor for the A95K, but rumors point to Samsung Display, which first announced its QD-OLED ambitions in 2019 with an $11 billion investment in a new factory in Korea.

As befits a flagship model the A95K also offers the full monty of Sony’s 2022 TV features, including a bundled webcam, a remote finder feature, improved gaming featuring HDMI 2.1 inputs, VRR and auto HDR tone mapping for PlayStation 5 and the Google TV operating system with a hands-free mic.

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New Lineup Offers Best-In-Class Picture Quality with OLED evo, Large Range of Screen Sizes, Customizable Viewing Experience ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics USA announced pricing and availability of its highly anticipated 2022 OLED TV lineup. Widely praised for their outstanding picture quality, enhanced performance and sleek designs, LG's latest OLED TVs – the LG OLED evo G2 Gallery Edition, and LG OLED evo C2 Series are available now at LG.com and at LG-authorized retailers nationwide in April. A pioneer and global leader in OLED technology, LG has been constantly perfecting and elevating the technology, securing its position as the world's #1 OLED TV brand for nine consecutive years.1 Featuring the company's critically-acclaimed self-lit OLED technology, LG 2022 OLED TVs leverage precise pixel-level control to deliver the deepest blacks, incredibly realistic colors, and an infinite contrast ratio. Moreover, the new models have even more smart features for a personalized viewing experience. LG OLED evo Featuring LG's most advanced OLED panel and the new α (Alpha) 9 Gen 5 intelligent processor, including brightness booster technology, LG's evo technology is built into the 2022 G2 series (LG OLED evo Gallery Edition) and C2 series, taking the home entertainment experience to new heights. Models from both series have been recognized with CES 2022 Innovation Awards for raising the bar with their excellent performance.2 LG OLED evo technology, offers higher brightness, clarity and detail, for lifelike images that almost jump off the screen. Brightness is enhanced even further by the new Brightness Booster Max (G2 series) and Brightness Booster (C2 series) features, which are enabled by the increased processing power of the α9 Gen 5.3 Widest Range of Screen Sizes Ever LG's 2022 OLED TV lineup also welcomes new screen sizes and stylish designs to give consumers more choice. In addition to the world's first 97-inch OLED TV and a new 83-inch model, the G2 series provides 77-, 65- and 55-inch options, ensuring the right size for practically any space in the home. The G2 series' refined Gallery Design lets users mount the TVs flush to the wall for a seamless, sophisticated look and better spatial integration in the viewing environment. LG's C2 series offers the most screen sizes of the 2022 lineup with a total of six. Ideal as a smaller room TV or for those who enjoy console and PC gaming, the first-ever 42-inch OLED TV adds to the C2 series' broad range of 83-, 77-, 65-, 55- and 48-inch models. New for this year, the upgraded C2 series features thinner bezels that help deliver more immersive viewing experiences and an elegantly slender design. LG α9 Gen 5 Intelligent Processor The new and improved LG α9 Gen 5 intelligent processor employs a deep-learning algorithm to enhance the upscaling performance of the latest OLEDs, giving images a more three-dimensional quality by making onscreen elements more distinct from one another. Equipped in G2, C2 and Z2 (8K) series models, the α9 Gen 5 also boasts the new Dynamic Tone-mapping Pro Algorithm, which individually processes over 5,000 areas on the screen, enhancing each to produce a more vivid and detailed image, in both brighter and darker parts of the picture. LG's latest processor also boosts audio quality via the AI Sound Pro feature, enabling the TVs' built-in speakers to produce virtual 7.1.2 surround. Completing the 2022 OLED TV U.S. line-up are B2 OLED TV series in three screen sizes (77-inch, 65-inch, 55-inch) and A2 series in two screen sizes 65-inch, 55-inch), both powered by the company's self-lit technology, α7 Gen 5 processor with Dynamic Tone-mapping, AI Sound Pro and virtual 5.1.2 surround sound. Upgraded UX LG's 2022 OLED TVs come with webOS 22, the newest version of LG's innovative Smart TV platform. webOS 22 offers a number of new personalization options, including customizable user profiles that allow each member of the household to tailor their viewing experience and enjoy easier access to their preferred channels, apps and content services. webOS22 also provides exceptional convenience with features such as NFC Magic Tap which allows for a simple way to mirror screen from mobile to TV,4 Room To Room Share, which allows for cable or satellite content mirroring via Wi-Fi from one TV to another in the home, so there's no need for an additional set-top-box on the second TV,5 and Always Ready which turns an LG TV into a media display when not in use. LG's webOS22 platform will also feature an updated LG Channels experience with over 350 FREE ad-supported channels including the NCAA Channel, exclusive to LG Channels featuring up to 50 NCAA Fall, Winter and Spring championships, both live and on-demand. Acclaimed Picture Quality LG OLED TVs continue to set the standard for picture quality. The panels used in this year's lineup have again been certified by Intertek for providing 100 percent color fidelity and 100 percent color volume – indicating that 2022 LG OLED TVs deliver accurate color reproduction, and can express every single tone and hue of the original source no matter how bright or dark the onscreen action.6 Additionally, all 2022 models are certified flicker-free by UL. Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail LG's latest OLEDs are the first TVs to adopt Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail.7 This new technology unlocks even more from Dolby Vision content, revealing detail in both bright and dark areas that were not perceivable before. And for equally immersive audio, LG's new OLED TVs deliver Dolby Atmos® spatial sound through their speaker system. Optimized for Gaming In a class of their own where PC and console gaming are concerned, LG OLED TVs offer a 0.1 millisecond response time (GtG), low input lag and up to four HDMI ports supporting multiple HDMI 2.1 features. Seamless cloud gaming is also available on LG OLED via built-in support for Google Stadia and GeForce NOW. With the Game Optimizer menu on LG OLED, users will enjoy being able to quickly select or switch between specialized gaming features and presets. The new Dark Room Mode, which adjusts screen brightness for a better gaming experience with the lights off, can also be selected via Game Optimizer, as can settings for G-SYNC® Compatible, FreeSync™ Premium and variable refresh rate (VRR). New for 2022, LG's display presets for various game genres adds a sports mode, joining the previously available options of first-person shooter, role-playing, and real-time strategy. For more information on LG's 2022 OLED TVs, visit LG.com. 1 Units shipped in the 9-year period, 2013-2021 (Source: Omdia). 2 2022 CES Innovation Awards Honorees include models 97-inch G2, 83-inch G2, 42-inch C2, 48-inch C2 and 83-inch C2. 3 Brightness Booster applies for large sized models 83-inch C2, 77-inch C2, 65-inch C2 and 55-inch C2. 4 NFT Screen mirroring supported in Z2, G2 and C2 series, on compatible Android and iOS devices. Functionality varies per country. 5 Room To Room Share supports content from set-top boxes and terrestrial broadcasts only. Main TV (Content Sender): Z2, G2, C2 series. Receiver TV (Content Receiver): all 2022 new models. 6 LG OLED panel certified by Intertek for 100 percent color fidelity measured to CIE DE2000 with 125 color patterns. Certified by Intertek, LG's OLED TVs can express 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum across a 3D color space that covers the TVs' full luminance range, according to IDMS 1.1 (cl. 5.32). 7Available with Z2, G2, C2 series. About LG Electronics USA LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $63 billion global innovator in technology and manufacturing. In the United States, LG sells a wide range of innovative home appliances, home entertainment products, commercial displays, air conditioning systems, solar energy solutions and vehicle components. LG is a seven-time ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year. The company's commitment to environmental sustainability and its "Life's Good" marketing theme encompass how LG is dedicated to people's happiness by exceeding expectations today and tomorrow. www.LG.com.

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