CES 2023: The most important TV news summarised

At CES in Las Vegas, the TV industry presents itself as innovative. Even when there are no ground-breaking innovations. The main thing is that words like "Brightness Booster Max" and "Real Depth Enhancer Pro" are used. Marketing blah-bingo is in full swing.

So that you don't have to fight your way through the verbiage, I'll break down what's really been announced.

LG continues to focus on OLED - really bright OLED

LG will continue to rely on its innovative OLED Evo panels in 2023. Innovative because they are more heat-resistant than conventional OLED panels thanks to improved algorithms and a new chemical composition. Hence the "Evo" like "Evolution" in the name. Specifically, LG promises 70 per cent more peak brightness for its third generation of Evo panels - namely 2100 nit. That's a lot. In my tests, LG's best TV from last year achieved a peak brightness of 958 Nit.

This primarily affects the picture in the form of improved contrasts. The picture then appears stronger to you. In the press release, LG claims to have achieved this enormous increase thanks to a new layer of convex microlenses. These are intended to prevent some of the OLED light from being reflected back into the TV from the display glass, as was previously the case. This improves the light emission of the panel. Sounds plausible.

As before, the Evo panel can only be found in the Z, G or C series. The new sixth generation of the upgraded Alpha 9 or Alpha 7 processor, on the other hand, can be found in all model series. It can do everything that the old processors can do, but a little better - to spare you phrases like "a lifelike, three-dimensional image thanks to object-based sharpening". Here is an overview of the upcoming line-up:

• Z3: a9 AI-Processor 8K Gen6
• G3 & C3: a9 AI-Processor 4K Gen6
• B3: a7 AI-Processor 4K Gen6

The Z3, G3 and C3 televisions each have four HDMI 2.1 connections. The B3 series makes do with just two. All televisions are also certified for QMS-VRR. QMS stands for "Quick Media Switching" and is designed to allow seamless switching of HDMI sources without the screen briefly going black. Nothing new for gamers: the TVs in the Z, G and C series have a refresh rate of 120 Hz and support VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), Freesync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. The B-series does too, but only at 60 Hz.

In general, LG wants to make itself popular with gamers again this year. The new, streamlined user interface of webOS 23 also includes a new gaming hub. Various cloud gaming services can be accessed directly from there. These include Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Blacknut, Utomik and Boosteroid. GeForce Now is set to receive an update on 2023 models later this year that will enable gameplay at UHD resolution and 60 frames per second - previously, the resolution was only Full HD.

Last but not least: the new "WOW Orchestra" and "WOW Cast" technologies. Thanks to the latter, LG televisions communicate wirelessly and via Wi-Fi with compatible LG soundbars - i.e. the LG SC9 and SE6. "WOW Orchestra", on the other hand, ensures that TV speakers and LG soundbars sing as a duet. However, Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced or DTS:X are still only available via an HDMI eARC cable connection.

Exact prices or dates for the announced televisions and wireless soundbars were not mentioned. Energy efficiency classes still pending.

Samsung pushes ahead with QD-OLED, Neo-QLED and MicroLED

Samsung has also been involved on the OLED front since 2022. Namely with QD-OLED. The South Korean tech giant is using the same quantum dots that the company already uses in its LCD televisions to ensure particularly pure light. Combined with OLED, this results in TVs with unprecedented colour fidelity that are even brighter than the competition. At the same time, they are less susceptible to burn-in - unsightly, ghostly image residue. If you want to know exactly how QD-OLED works, I recommend this article:

In my test, Samsung's first QD-OLED model achieved a peak brightness of 1011 nit. Thanks to new material and improved algorithms, Samsung promises 2000 nit for the second generation - 100 less than LG with its new OLED Evo panels. Of course, I will measure for myself which TV is brighter in practice. However, Samsung still lacks the HDR format Dolby Vision. In addition to last year's 55- and 65-inch models, the new QD-OLED is now also available as a 77-inch model.

The Neo QLED division remains important. This is Samsung's QLED picture technology with mini-LED backlight, which makes LCD TVs a valid OLED alternative. LCD TVs are brighter due to the technology. They are therefore better suited to rooms flooded with light than OLED televisions. On the other hand, the latter have a deeper black colour. There is not much news to report on the 2023 generation of Neo QLED televisions. Apart from the fact that an AI-supported auto-HDR feature should ensure that SDR content is just as powerful and rich as HDR content. But I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes.

A word about Micro LED is a must for Samsung. The technology has been announced every year since 2018 and is said to be something like the return of TV Jesus. However, it has not yet penetrated the mass market. Specifically, Micro LED is supposed to enable televisions with a bright picture, rich colours, perfect black levels and - above all - without burn-in. Don't get me wrong: nobody doubts that Micro LED is coming. The only question is: when?

Samsung now wants to move forward and is launching "small" 50-inch sizes on the market for the first time. This is a big step: for a long time, the Koreans were unable to build micro LEDs smaller than 110 inches. Such a TV cost 140,000 francs. A bargain. The 50-inch version will be slightly cheaper. But it will probably still be a few years before the average consumer can afford the egg-laying TV wool-milk sow.

Gaming: Samsung also offers a game hub from which cloud gaming services such as Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce Now and Utomik can be accessed. There are also two new features: "MiniMap Sharing" and "Virtual Aim Point". With MiniMap Sharing, gamers can see the minimap of their game at a glance. With Virtual Aim Point, it is possible to see a clearly recognisable crosshair in the game - according to the press release.

Exact prices or dates for the announced televisions were not mentioned. Energy efficiency classes still pending.

TCL bets on Mini LED

TCL may not be well known in this country. Nevertheless, I am following the activities of the Chinese tech company closely. It already dominates China. TCL is also one of the largest manufacturers in North America. These two markets have made the company one of the largest TV manufacturers in the world. At the same time, it is one of the biggest drivers of innovation when it comes to researching new production processes. This makes TCL an exciting player in the TV game.

In recent years, TCL has built up a respectable reputation as a manufacturer of televisions with a very good price-performance ratio. I have already said this in my test of the C93. In 2023, TCL will split its TVs into two series for the first time:

1. The Q series
2. The S series

The former represents the technological spearhead and utilises the most advanced mini LED displays from our own company. The S models, on the other hand, serve the usual TCL territory - i.e. the smaller budget range.

The flagship will be the QM8, which, like Samsung's Neo QLEDs, relies on a mini LED panel with a quantum dot layer. Up to a very good 2,300 dimming zones should ensure OLED-like, perfect blacks. The 144 Hz panel with VRR and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) should be of interest to gamers. In my test, TCL's game mode from last year's model achieved a reference-worthy picture. Only the image processor was weak - hence perhaps the favourable price.

Sony... yes, what about Sony?

Sony's TVs are staying away from the big show in Las Vegas. There are already rumours in specialist circles about the reason: Sony is said to be planning its own event for next spring. Only then will the Japanese company allegedly unveil its new Bravia televisions.