Samsung has added a flat edition of its Q8 model of QLED LCD TV to its European catalogue, meaning that its entire high-end product range now comes in flat and curved options.
The Q8F will be available in 55″ and 65″ sizes. It features a Quantum Dot display and LED edge-lighting, with support for UHD resolution and HDR.
The new release comes in direct response to European consumer feedback that flat TVs are still very much the preference over the curved displays that Samsung has championed in recent years.
Analyst Comment
Samsung had a strong advantage, because of its vertical integration, in making curved LCDs, which is simple from a physics point of view, but tricky from the production engineering perspective. However, consumers seem to have finally worked out that the curves are not much of an advantage. Personally, I dislike curved TVs, because I believe that TV is usually a shared experience and curved sets have a clear ‘sweet spot’ for one viewer. On the other hand, monitors are generally single viewer devices, and so a sweet spot is not a problem. Further, as displays get wider, the short viewing distance of desktop monitors means more difference between the middle and the edges of the display, so again a curve may be an advantage. So, I like curved monitors! On the few occasions that I have tried them, I also think curved monitors are more immersive for gaming. (BR)
