Currently buying a new television can be a daunting task. Brands fill their advertising brochures with denominations and names that many times we do not know what they are. Surely if you are in the process of buying a new television you have seen terms such as QLED, OLED, Dolby Atmos or HDR. Not to mention artificial intelligence, which makes an appearance in the 2018 models. As it is not always easy to know what each of these terms means, we are going to explain 5 current technologies explained from the 2018 TVs .
QLED
Samsung is one of the manufacturers that sells the most televisions, so it is normal that when we look for a new equipment we look at its catalog. If you have done it, you have surely seen the QLED models .
But what is QLED? Although the name can be misleading , we should know that QLED televisions still use LCD technology . That is, they still need an external light source, generally located at the back or on the sides.
Despite this, today's televisions have nothing to do with old LCDs. QLED televisions use metallic-coated quantum dots to achieve great picture quality .
Among its most notable features are:
- A very high level of brightness , up to 2,500 nits in the new generation
- Ability to display 100% of the DCI-P3 color space without sacrificing light
- Better viewing angles compared to a conventional LED TV
- Long life with no-marking screen guarantee
Ultimately, QLED TVs are the highest range of LCD TVs on the market . Although not the only ones, because other brands such as LG use the term Nano Cell. However, these are still LCD TVs with quantum dots.
OLED
OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. These diodes are made up of small molecules or polymers that, when electrically stimulated, emit light by themselves. That is, it is a diode with an electroluminescent layer made up of organic components .
This means that each pixel lights up or shines on its own, it doesn't need external lighting . This allows OLED TVs to have some clear advantages over LCD TVs:
- Unbeatable black levels
- Almost infinite contrast
- Panels a few millimeters thick
- Faster response speed
- Better viewing angles
However, they also have some drawbacks. For example, the maximum brightness is more limited than on QLED TVs. Also its useful life is shorter , when using organic components. In addition, they may suffer retentions on the screen if we make an incorrect use of it.
Still in 2018, OLED TVs are considered high-end . They are expensive to manufacture and although they are down a lot from 2-3 years ago, they are still expensive compared to a normal LED TV.
HDR
The acronym HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, or high dynamic range . Although it is a well-known concept in photography, until now on televisions it was not common.
HDR images have a greater difference between the brightest and darkest points (luminance dynamic range). On the other hand, they have an expanded color palette. All of this translates into more detailed images.
There are 4 main standards for HDR technologies:
- HDR10
- HDR10 +
- Dolby Vision
- HLG
However, each manufacturer implements the standards it wants . For example, LG supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. However, Samsung bets on the HDR10 +, HDR10 and HLG. The only format present in all 2018 TVs is HDR10.
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos is a sound technology that mixes the usual surround sound channels with dynamic sound objects . That is, it is an object-based sound system.
With this system, sound engineers can position up to 128 objects throughout the room . In other words, they achieve a much more real sound experience, since the sounds can be located anywhere in the room.
To enjoy Dolby Atmos sound we need:
- A receiver compatible with this technology
- A speaker system with height units (or a compatible soundbar)
- Content recorded in Dolby Atmos (unfortunately, in Spain it is very rare)
If you are interested in knowing more about this technology, you can take a look at the special article on Dolby Atmos that we published a little over a month ago.
As with HDR, not all manufacturers include Dolby Atmos sound in their 2018 TVs . In fact, the only one that does it is LG, which has been associated with Dolby laboratories for some years.
Artificial intelligence
One of the star features of the 2018 TVs is artificial intelligence . There are several manufacturers that have implemented it this year in their televisions.
Samsung, for example, has placed the SmartThings system in its new QLEDs . With it we can turn the TV into the center of the connected home, since it allows controlling all smart devices and appliances. All this perfectly integrated into the company's Smart TV system.
On the other hand, LG has launched its latest OLED TVs (and some SUPER UHD) with the ThinQ system. It is a powerful artificial intelligence system that will allow us to "talk" to the television to ask for information or give orders.
With ThinQ we can activate external inputs, change channels or increase the volume; Until we ask him to show us information about the weather, about the actor who is appearing on TV and even our favorite photos and videos.
Of course, it will also help us control the rest of the ThinQ devices that we have at home . In other words, the televisions of 2018 become the best control center in our home.
There are many more terms that can be confusing when reading or hearing about televisions. But these 5 concepts are the ones that are currently on all the web pages and advertising brochures about 2018 TVs. We do not forget 4K, but this has been on the market for longer and most users know that it corresponds to an increase in resolution .