Hands-on: Samsung 2018 QLED TV and Harman Kardon Atmos Soundbar
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5/10Hands-on: Samsung 2018 QLED TV and Harman Kardon Atmos Soundbar
At a Samsung Centre in Damansara, we were invited to try out some of the best home entertainment gear that Samsung has to offer today in a private demo session. It is for the Samsung 2018 QLED TV and the Harman Kardon Atmos Soundbar.
This is the same QLED TV which we reported about when it first launched right here.
For the first part of the session, we were told about the many benefits of their QLED TV powered by Quantum Dot technology, which helped produce colours that were far more vibrant than before as well as adjusted lighting so viewers can see more details without any loss in quality via HDR10+. It was also mentioned that Samsung is the proprietor of HDR10+ and they licensed it out to others free-of-charge.
There were even comparisons drawn from last year’s model, where the new one was noticeably brighter, capable of showing more details, and was a lot less prone to reflection. This made viewing more enjoyable even with bright lights around, whereas the older model suffered quite a bit.
Interestingly, the 2018 QLED TV only has a single cable connecting it. To connect devices to the TV as well as power the TV, everything will be connected to a One Connect box, which is separate from the TV itself. This allows for a more flexible and cleaner wiring situation as only a singular “invisible” wire connects directly to the TV.
With many people looking at OLED as the future of TV, Samsung has a different viewpoint and believe QLED is the way to go. The reason for this is that the QLED TV’s Quantum dots are inorganic. This means the display doesn’t burn out with time, and the amazing colours and details you see today will stay the same time even over time. OLED TVs are prone to burn-ins, and this is especially more apparent for gamers or people who tend to leave static images on display.
Personally, I love how much detail and colour I got to see on it, and it wasn’t just the demo content. We were playing a demo of Forza Horizon 4 on the Xbox One X, and it was definitely unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. The details were crisp, the colours were livelier than anything I’ve seen in a game, it made me feel disappointed to game at home. Would have loved to see how viewing certain 4K Netflix content would be like on the TV but we weren’t able to try that out.
Aside from the TV, we also tried out the Harman Kardon Atmos Soundbar. It is said to be the result of the first collaboration between two brands since Samsung acquired Harman.
Typically, soundbars work well in a more closed off space as it relies on sound bouncing off the walls and ceiling. While the demo area was only about 8 or 9 feet in height, it was a wide open space so it wasn’t the best environment for the best possible experience. Despite that, it did perform very well.
They played a couple of demos, including a 360 degree Dolby Atmos sound test, the sound of an airplane taking off, as well as a small bit from the hit movie “The Greatest Showman”. While the sound quality is definitely more than enough to pass to make you feel immersed in what you’re watching, it is interesting as you can really tell where the sound direction is coming from. The best one is the airplane taking off demo as not only can you feel as if an airplane is in front of you and slowly making its way behind you, the detail was so clear that I can get a feel of the plane gaining altitude as it moves further away above me.
Both the Samsung 2018 QLED TV and the Harman Kardon Atmos soundbar are certainly a technological marvel that will easily satisfy anyone looking for the best, most immersive cinematic experience. However, it will certainly cost quite a bit of money.
The 2018 Samsung QLED TV is retailing from RM9,799 and goes all the to RM94,999 for the best, biggest variant. If you have some money to throw, you’re going to be in for arguably the best home cinema experience available today.
There are two Harman Kardon Atmos Soundbars available for purchase; the HW-N950 and the HW-N850. They are currently retailing for RM6,499 and RM4,999 respectively.
If you’re interested to know more about these or are interested to purchase them, click right here.
