Top TV brands and their standout technologies

You know their names all too well: Samsung, Sony, and LG. Each of them have made their marks on home theatre by introducing different technologies to the market and creating demand and desire for the newest gadgets and components. That’s why when many consumers start their search for a new TV, sound bar or other home theatre component, they start by evaluating what’s on offer from these three companies.

We’ll look into what each of them has to offer when it comes to big, new technology and why it might be a great choice for your next home theatre purchase.

What’s LG’s new technology?

Technology/innovation: OLED

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. Light Emitting Diodes are actually tiny electrically-conductive bits made up of crystals suspended in liquid between two two sheets of material; often glass or plastic.

An electric current passes through the liquid crystals, and that gets the crystals to line up so light either does or does not filter through. With OLED TVs, the materials used in the screen are organic; often carbon. OLED TVs give manufacturers more precise control over how the TV can replicate things like colour and light accurately. The result for you at home is a sharper, more defined, more colourful and realistic video image, in a much thinner package.

Read more about OLED TV technology in this in-depth blog.

Standout product: W-series Wallpaper TVs

LG has used this technology to create ever thinner TVs, and none has stood out more than the LG W7 TV also know as the Wallpaper TV. Why Wallpaper? Simply put, this TV is only a few millimetres thin so it practically disappears on the wall. This is the TV design buffs and early adopters have been coveting.

What’s Samsung’s new technology?

Samsung has deep roots. First established under the name Samsung-Sanyo Electronics in 1969 the company is a global powerhouse, making everything from headphones, to TVs to smartphones.

Technology/innovation: QLED

Samsung has invested heavily in QLED technology. QLED is the technology that makes the TV look as good as it does. It’s an enhancement to LED TV technology, using another Samsung innovation, Quantum Dots. The Quantum Dots are microscopic semiconductors within the video screen and they allow light to better penetrate the LED screen, creating a more vibrant and realistic image.

Other notable Samsung TV innovations? The invisible connection and One Connect box, which allows just a single cable to connect to your TV, allowing you to plug in your components elsewhere, keeping a clean look to your set up. Samsung also

Standout product: The Frame TV

The Frame TV from Samsung is perhaps the cherry on top of an already lusty-worthy sundae. When you consider all the outstanding, high quality QLED TVs Samsung makes, like the Q6F (read the review here) and the Q7 lineup of 4K TVs, the one just takes the designwork a step further.

The Frame TV hangs on your wall like a painting and boasts an artwork-laden Ambient Mode to turn your TV into a high end gallery when it’s not playing video or TV shows. I had a chance to have one in my home for a few weeks; see what I though in the Best Buy blog review.

What’s Sony new technology?

Technology/innovation: Acoustic Surface TV

Leave it to Sony to come up with a whole new kind of sound engineering. Some Sony Bravia OLED Smart TVs now have the option of something called Acoustic Surface. Essentially these are TVs with a speaker built into the TV screen itself. In essence the video screen is also a giant speaker. What does that mean? If you’re watching a video where someone is singing, the audio actually sounds like it’s coming from her lips, not a tinny speaker under or behind the set.

Sony’s Acoustic Surface has the ability to project sound across the full surface of the TV screen and from various locations across the image. It provides a really interesting effect that makes your TV sound ultra realistic.

Standout product: Sony 4K HDR OLED TV with Acoustic Surface

Having had the opportunity to experience one of these Acoustic Surface TVs myself, I can say the effect is amazing. This TV, like the Sony A8F Bravia is also perfect for the person who doesn’t want the fuss or the clutter of a separate sound bar or speakers, but still demands high quality audio. Not only are your getting ultra sharp 4K resolution, you’re also getting home theatre-worthy audio that more closely matches the video; much like some movie theatres can do (think IMAX). It’s TV the way it’s always been meant to be.

What standout home theatre technology are you lusting after? We’d love to feature more so send us your suggestions in comments below.