Samsung Announces Exciting New SUHD TVs. Wait, What Does That Mean?

Get ready for a new buzzy phrase to use when you brag about your new TV to all your friends. It’s called quantum-dot technology, and Samsung is pushing it hard with its new line of SUHD TVs.

The tech giant showed off a host of sets using the technology at a special preview event here in Las Vegas that strangely included women draped in LED lights floating around an in-ground pool.

So what is quantum-dot technology, why should you care, and does its sci-fi name mean your TV will suck you into an alternate reality? In the simplest terms, quantum-dot technology is a way for TV makers to create displays that produce more colors than standard LCD TVs, for a lower price. You should care because it potentially means better TVs for less money. Finally, it will not suck you into an alternate reality.

You see, your average LCD TV creates images by blending colors from thousands of red, blue, and green pixels. To create those colors, white light is generated by blue LEDS coated in yellow phosphorus. That light is then passed through a filter that takes out any extraneous colors, like pink or orange, for instance, to create pure reds, greens, and blues.

The problem is, when those unwanted colors are filtered out, the overall brightness of the picture is reduced.

To fix that, TV makers, in this case Samsung, add special nanocrystals that create pure reds, blues, and greens without having to filter out other colors. The result is a brighter image with a wider array of colors.

The technology is being implemented in Samsung’s SUHD 4K TVs alongside a slew of other proprietary features, including a new smart TV operating system and bendable screens.

But the quantum-dot technology is really what Samsung cares about. That’s because the tech lets TV makers produce systems that can generate similar colors to those found on more expensive OLED TVs.

So, basically, Samsung is selling you something that works like a high-end OLED TV for a relatively lower cost.

All that being said, should you ditch that massive 97-inch 4K super-TV you bought last year for a Samsung SUHD TV with quantum-dot technology? No, no, you shouldn’t.

Quantum-dot technology is impressive, but it’s really a stopgap until OLED TVs become less expensive to produce. So hold onto that brand-new TV.

If, however, you’re in the market for a new TV, and don’t want to mortgage the farm, Samsung’s SUHD TV sets might be a good option when they hit the market later this year.