Samsung and LG go head to head with brighter, bigger and boldly priced new TVs

BIGGER and brighter TVs are coming to Australian lounge rooms this month, but consumers will have to pick a side in a fierce television technology war.

Big bright future for the small screen

SAMSUNG fired new shots in the fierce TV technology war tonight, revealing new nanotechnology-powered screens twice as bright as a conventional TV, and $25,000 televisions over two metres in size.

The brighter televisions will go head-to-head with fresh releases from its South Korean rival, LG, after that company revealed its new TV range two weeks ago.

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Australian viewers will be able to pick a winner shortly, with all but two new Samsung TV screens launched this month.

The company revealed its SUHD televisions in Sydney this evening, after they were previewed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

Samsung Electronics Australia corporate vice-president Phil Newton said SUHD televisions were the new heroes of the company’s TV range.

He said the ultra high-definition screens achieved “nearly twice the brightness” of other televisions by adding a layer of nanocrystals over the top of existing LED-backlit LCD panels.

But Mr Newton said Samsung would focus less on the science behind technology as much as the resulting colours on the screen.

“Explaining Quantum Dot, or nanocrystal technology as we call it, I don’t think is paramount to the average Joe. I think the average Joe just need to see what it looks like. The proof is in the pudding. At the end of the day it’s just what the picture looks like,” Mr Newton said.

“We’ll be doing Pepsi challenges in stores alongside our own products.”

The SUHD television screens will sit at the top of Samsung’s 2015 TV range, available from 55 inches in size (1.39m) at $4999 to 88 inches (2.23m) at $24,999.

The bright new models will attract a price premium over their UHD equivalents, with a gap of more than $4000 between the top two 65-inch TVs of either type.

Despite the high price for its top 88-inch model, and a $19,999 price tag on the 78-inch SUHD television, Mr Newton said Australia consumers had proven they were willing to spend big dollars to secure large screens with the latest TV technology.

“You’d be surprised how big that market is,” he said. “There are plenty of very wealthy individuals in Australia who want something that they cannot always get their hands on. Our 105-inch TV never hit a retail floor and we sold 20 of them.”

Samsung will compete with LG for new TV business in Australia, with the company this month launching a ColourPrime model also offering a brightness boost, though using a different technology, and promising a later launch of 4K-capable OLED television screens in Australia.

In an apparent dig at Samsung, the company surveyed more than 1000 Australian consumers and found 74 per cent preferred more natural colours rather than brighter colours, at 26 per cent.

Both companies agree on the growing popularity of ultra high-definition screen technology, however, with 70 per cent of Samsung’s new range capable of screening 4K content.

Panasonic and Sony are also expected to weigh in with new TV launches in the coming weeks.