Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JUNE 2021 52 R emember that scene in "A Christmas Story" (replayed around the clock on TBS starting the day after Thanksgiving) when Ralphie and his brother race down the stairs on Christmas morning to rip open their presents? That's what this time of year is like for the TV industry – new toys have arrived, but thankfully without the Pink Bunny suit. Both Samsung and LG Electronics, two of the Big Three in tier-one television brands these days (the other being Sony), are available now at Expert Warehouse. The 2021 models have arrived, and there is a lot to like this year. From entry level to ultra-premium, there is something for every customer budget and every room of the house. Let's start with Samsung, the world's de facto market leader in the TV space. What they bring to the table this model year is threefold: Lifestyle/Frame TV, QLED/Neo QLED TV, and the new MicroLED. The Frame TV is perhaps their most popular item here at Expert Warehouse, the tech distribution arm of the BrandSource buying group, what with its customizable magnetic frame options and changeable artwork to make the set meld into any room like a framed painting. QLED (or Quantum Light Emitting Diode) display technology was patented and has been a staple of Samsung's lineup over the past few years. This current iteration boasts a turbo processor and better brightness levels, from the Q70 model on up. On the NEO side, denoted by a second QN in the model number, e.g., QN65, the vendor is employing its new MicroLED color processing tech, called Quantum Matrix Technology Pro. In conjunction with their Neo Quantum processor, Samsung can push a full 100 percent of color volume all the way to true 8K resolutions. The sets also use an attachable Slim One Connect Box that hides wires and cables and allows close-to-the-wall mounting for a great visual presentation in any home. The MicroLED models remain a bit of an enigma as they will not be released until after this issue is out. MicroLED technology was first announced a few years ago as a modular commercial solution where you could construct a custom-sized panel out of individual modules to fit business uses of all sorts. For consumer use, Samsung is releasing two huge, fixed sizes: 99- and 110-inches to start, at a heart-stopping $150,000 price tag for the larger size. MicroLED is exactly what it sounds like: its cells are 1/40 the height of a regular LED cell, and are also covered in a micro layer. This allows tight beaming of color without traditional LED light spillage, or "bloom," as it is called in the industry, which has always been a weakness of traditional LEDs vs. OLED or plasma technology. This also produces higher contrast levels compared to LED cells, and lastly, allows for an extremely thin panel overall. LG is not to be outdone, however. Its OLED, or Organic Light Emitting Diode technology, remains the best TV display format out there – even earning LG an Emmy Award in 2020 for TV production quality! OLED boasts perfect black levels, better than anything on the market today. The company perhaps made the best progression possible this year by introducing what they call their "evo" panel in the G1 series, offering improved clarity and much greater brightness levels than ever before. Brightness had really been the only weak spot in OLED technology until now. While QLED remains brighter, this advancement finally puts OLED on a somewhat equal footing, especially in direct lighting. Along with LG's newest A9 Gen 4 processor, this year's Gallery series looks like an industry leader and performs like its awards say it should: flawlessly and without peer. Even brands that share LG's OLED tech, like Sony, will not feature the evo panel this year, making the LG G1 the top of the TV heap. LG also is coming out with a new Mini LED line this year, called QNED. Though not as small as MicroLEDs, the company is employing the same concept of very tiny cells projecting tight light emissions for little color bleed. And, unlike Samsung, LG is also going with smaller 65-, 75- and 86-inch sizes, so consumers will be able to fit Mini LED TVs into virtually any space this year. See what I mean by shiny new toys? Stephen Paczkowski Consumer Electronic Trends SHINY NEW TOYS: THE 2021 TVS HAVE ARRIVED! Stephen Paczkowski is a Buyer/Channel Manager at Expert Warehouse, the tech distribution arm of BrandSource AVB/BrandSource. RO Samsung brings its commercial MicroLED display technology to consumers in 99- and 110-inch sizes, starting at a heart-stopping $150,000

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