4K battlelines drawn: Samsung SUHD v LG OLED

Samsung has become the second major vendor to release its 2015 smart TV range in Australia.

Samsung JS9500 ultrahigh definition TV

Samsung last night became the second major vendor to release its 2015 smart TV range in Australia, joining LG in offering users a perplexing choice between two hard-to-grasp technologies: SUHD and OLED.

One thing is certain: fine resolution ultra HD TV, otherwise known as 4K TV, is now the norm for premium and upper-range TVs selling in Australia, and prices have dropped considerably. Two years ago you’d pay well over $10,000 for a 4K set.

Given 4K already is in market, Samsung and LG have upped the ante with technologies that aim to improve colour, brightness and clarity. Samsung explains SUHD as using “nanocrystal technology” to improve colour and its accuracy, contrast and brightness, with darker blacks.

Samsung and LG also are promoting their in-house TV operating systems.

Samsung uses the Tizen OS which is also available on some of its handsets while LG is utilising webOS, a niche operating system developed originally for Palm PDAs. WebOS was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard before being on-passed to LG.

WebOS also will power LG’s upcoming LG Watch Urbane smart watch, in what appears a snub of Google’s Android Wear OS.

Samsung says it will offer 6-month Netflix subscriptions to initial buyers. Netflix, Stan and Presto will be among the apps on its new sets. Samsung corporate vice president Philip Newton said its research showed that curved sets in particular were popular with consumers.

This year Samsung will offer three series of SUHD TVs: JS9500, JS9000 and JS8000 — in seven screen sizes between the models, from 55-inches to 88-inches.

Samsung SUHD smart TVs 2015

Samsung Series 9 JS9500

88-inch curved SUHD TV — RRP $24,999, available June 2015
78-inch curved SUHD TV — RRP $19,999, available April 2015
65-inch curved SUHD TV — RRP $9,999, available April 2015

Samsung Series 9 JS9000

65-inch curved SUHD TV — RRP $7,999, available April 2015
55-inch curved SUHD TV — RRP $5,999, available April 2015

Samsung Series 8 JS8000

65-inch SUHD TV — RRP $6,999, available April 2015
55-inch SUHD TV — RRP $4,999, available April 2015

LG has already announced its 4K range for 2015. One model features OLED, or organic light-emitting diode technology. It was developed by Kodak in the 1980s.

LG says its 4K Ultra HD TV products now make up 66 per cent of its 2015 TV range — an indicator of how 4K is slowly becoming ubiquitous despite the lack of available 4K content.

One effect of the 4K revolution is that consumers are now opting for larger TVs with 38 per cent of LG’s range now 65-inches or more.

Its 2015 range offers smart TVs from 65 to 98-inches and a 105-inch model to be released later this year. LG, like Samsung, is offering “Netflix certified” smart TVs.

LG Smart TVs 2015 — premium models

OLED TV

* 55-inch OLEDTV, -RRP $3,9999 available now.

4K, UHD TVs

* 98-inch UHD TV — RRP $39,999, available now
* 84-inch UHD TV — RRP $13,999, available now
* 79-inch UHD TV — RRP $12,999 available May 2015
* 65-inch UHD TV — RRP $6,499, available now
* 55-inch UHD TV — RRP $4,699, available now

Curved 4K TVs

* 79-inch curved UHD TV, $11,999 available now
* 65-inch curved UHD TV, $5,799, available late April 2015
* 55-inch curved UHD TV, $3,999 available May