New TVs, weird home gadgets — Samsung CES

Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs feature the world’s only cadmium-free, 10-bit Quantum dot display, offering true-to-life picture quality, with stunning brightness, exceptional contrast and the most lifelike colors offered by Samsung to date. LG, for instance, has three levels of HDR: “HDR Pro” for its top-of-the-line OLED sets, “HDR Plus” for high-end 4K TVs with contrast-limited LCD screens, and then a lower level simply called “HDR” that still promises better color display than vanilla high-def sets – for instance, by displaying less “banding” on a sky with complex shades of blue.

The South Korean technology giant showed off a variety of interesting wearable technology at CES 2016, all stemming from its Creative Lab division.

Monitors: New for 2016, LG is debuting the Curved UC98 21:9 UltraWide® Monitor series, which provides extra screen real estate created to ensure maximum productivity and entertainment for today’s demanding power users. These combine 4K resolution with richer images.

Things start off quite well, thanks to a design that returns to using a slim screen frame in place of the slightly chunky look of Samsung’s 2015 TVs.

To highlight the transformability of this technology, the transformable TV can change its shape based on the content it’s displaying. “All that means is that the picture will show on your TV … but it’s not HDR”. Available for pre-order now is the 34-inch class (32.7 inches measured diagonally) LG UltraWide Monitor. They will be available from March. Depending on the size, comparable UHD TV models can be thousands of dollars cheaper than LG’s OLED displays. Sony also introduced an Ultra 4K streaming service that taps into the company’s film and television library and is optimized for Bravia models. We barely have any HDR content yet. The UH9500 is boosted with Harman Kardon speakers. The UH7700 will come in 49 to 65-inch sizes, with a slightly different design. The device also has SmartThings integration, allowing you the same control as from your television.

Samsung does have a flagship direct LED model lined up in its 2016 plans: the 65KS9800 series. Added to the mixture in 2016 is Amazon Instant Video in Ultra HD, as well as an enhanced range of gaming options.

Samsung might be one of the many big names at CES 2016, but it wasn’t so much the large announcements on stage that wowed attendees.

Set manufacturers aren’t making it any easier on us.

LG’s new G6 and E6 models, which range from 55 inches to 77 inches, are part of a new “premium” product line which it’s calling Signature. Samsung has also partnered with MasterCard to offer a seamless online shopping experience through the Family Hub Refrigerator.

Samsung Smart Control remote – The new Samsung Smart TV eliminates the need to juggle multiple remote controls. Live TV, over the top (OTT), games and even the menu that appears on the home screen of the Samsung Smart TV allows users to access their favourite programs as soon as they turn on the TV. Pricing has yet to be announced but it will vary across the range, with the KS9500 being the most expensive. This year, Twentieth Century Fox is slated to release more than 30 4K Ultra HD discs with HDR including films like The Martian, Peanuts, and others. Is 1000 nits twice as good as 540 nits when it comes to HDR?