{"id":14019,"date":"2017-03-15T08:39:07","date_gmt":"2017-03-15T06:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pricecheck.co.za\/?p=14019"},"modified":"2017-05-16T13:27:10","modified_gmt":"2017-05-16T11:27:10","slug":"technological-artwork-pioneered-by-samsung","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/technological-artwork-pioneered-by-samsung\/","title":{"rendered":"“Technological Artwork” pioneered by Samsung"},"content":{"rendered":"

A \u201cregression into childhood\u201d is the best way that I can articulate my excitement when this TV \u2013 or should I say the Samsung 55\u201d Series 9500 SUHD Curved TV \u2013 came through the door.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been drawn to technology. At 2 years of age, I can remember being mesmerised by a \u201cnew\u201d device called a Cassette Player; needless to say, within no time, Bruce Springsteen was bellowing throughout the house and 28 years later, it was time to relive that joy; only this time, I streamed \u201cThe River\u201d music video in 4K through YouTube; my, how technology has evolved.<\/p>\n

As the TV was being installed, I had a big ol\u2019 smile on my face \u2013 I probably looked like the Joker; <\/em>but, enough about that. Here are my opinions and experiences with this beautiful, boundless-designed beast.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a stunner \u2013 to say the least! In my opinion, Samsung has outdone itself, creating what I would like to coin, Technological Art<\/em>. They\u2019ve been able to marry the concepts of brute power under the hood with a modern, sturdy \u2013 yet delicate chassis. Let\u2019s take it for a test drive.<\/p>\n

Screen curvature<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are differing opinions about screen curvature. It\u2019s touted to reduce eye-strain and give you a far more immersive entertainment experience. Many believe it\u2019s purely aesthetic. I don\u2019t share this opinion. When I sat down and watched a video on YouTube, in 4K, I was completely drawn in; in my eyes, it makes a difference.<\/p>\n

UI<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right from when you turn on the TV, you are greeted with an easily-navigable UI. Being someone who had never explored the functionality of a Smart TV (if you can imagine such a thing); I was able to find my way around the various apps, sources and settings with no issues at all.<\/p>\n

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Smart Hub<\/p><\/div>\n

The ease of this is due to the Smart Hub: a tray running along the bottom of the screen on which you can add your favourite app.<\/p>\n

Display: SUHD (4K) with Quantum Dot Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d seen the ads on my dismal FHD TV professing the marvel of Quantum Dot Technology and all I can say is that it honestly does live up to the hype.<\/p>\n

The rundown on Quantum Dot Technology as stated by Samsung:<\/p>\n

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“Quantum dots are nano-sized particles that express different colours depending on their size. And by combining them with 10-bit panels, SUHD TV is able to express an impressively wide range of colour shades that come together to create the most realistic and accurate colour.”<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The High Dynamic Range (HDR) plays a big role in the true-to-life picture quality that is experienced. HDR increases luminance; in the case of the 9500 series, it reaches a peak of up to 1000 nits, essentially bright parts of image are brighter, dark parts of the image, darker, giving a highly-detailed picture.<\/p>\n

The TV also employs Ultra Black<\/em> technology. This means that there is a large reduction in glare; so, even if your TV is situated in a sunlit room, there will be minimal reflection of the surroundings.<\/p>\n

Build and design<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before I even flipped the switch, I was taken aback by the design, which is very modern – it’s minimalism taken to the max! Samsung has created it to feature a 360-degree \u201cboundless design\u201d; this means that the bezels are paper thin, giving you an edge-to-edge screen \u2013 there are no limitations.<\/p>\n

Downloading apps<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are lots of different options to suit your taste! They are very easy to download automatically and install within seconds. All you need to do is access the “Apps” button on the Smart Hub.<\/p>\n

YouTube<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was my first test and actual experience of 4K! I immediately scrolled the app and searched for \u201cthe best 4K videos\u201d and I was greeted with a plethora of amazing destinations that are all on my bucket list.<\/p>\n

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YouTube<\/p><\/div>\n

The detail of the videos is awe-inspiring; whether it was terrain or sea everything was sharper and more lifelike than I\u2019d ever seen before. Anyone walking past would never have known that I was streaming YouTube content.<\/p>\n

VoD streaming: Showmax<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The video-on-demand streaming service, Showmax, was pre-installed on the TV and so it only made sense for me to give it a test drive.<\/p>\n

I have an account already and so logging in was easy \u2013 the only frustration is the time that it takes to select the letters on the digital QWERTY keyboard and so I decided to pair a Bluetooth-enabled wireless keyboard to the TV. There was no lag and I was able to select my show without any hitches.<\/p>\n

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ShowMax<\/p><\/div>\n

According to ShowMax, they stream their content at 720p, but there is a massive difference between watching on a laptop and the TV \u2013 the picture quality seems far more detailed and this wasn\u2019t just my imagination.<\/p>\n

The intelligent picture engine is able to remaster non-SUHD content through analysing the brightness of the content and remastering it to the peak contrast. In short, I am very impressed with ShowMax\u2019s functionality on the TV.<\/p>\n

Audio<\/strong><\/p>\n

The TV boasts 4.1 CH down-firing speakers with a 60W sound output. This is the only instance throughout the whole experience where I was disappointed. The TV was placed in a spacious corner where, in our open-plan office, I hoped the sound wouldn’t be overpowered; this didn’t happen. I had to turn the volume to over 50% in order to hear clearly. My suggestion is that you invest in the Samsung R7 360-degree wireless speaker<\/a> – it drowns out the office chatter.<\/p>\n

One Connect Box<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I absolutely love this: a separate box with an array of different ports for all of your gadgets. It includes<\/p>\n