Get the Samsung experience in-store – hands on with new technology

To adequately experience and understand new TV technology, you really need to see it in person.

From 4K resolution, to HDR and Quantum Dot colour, it’s hard to comprehend how different all that new TV technology looks just by reading words on a page.

In several newly renovated Best Buy stores, it’s now possible to get that better understanding thanks to a new layout that makes comparing TV and home theatre equipment easier. The new stores now offer grouping by brand, so you can see all a particular brand’s TVs in one spot, right alongside their Blu-ray players and home audio equipment.

Let’s use Samsung as an example of what’s possible to see and learn.

See Samsung 4K and SUHD TVs for yourself

4K TV is the best possible video picture you can get.  With four times the resolution of full HD, the picture is much sharper, crisper and more realistic overall than any TVs before, and that’s something you can best experience by standing in front of one.

Samsung’s line of 4K TVs is on display and some are even side by side with HD sets to give you a stark and visual comparison of what the upgrade looks like. You can get hands on with TVs like the Samsung 55″ 4K Ultra HD LED Smart TV, but you can also experience the TVs Samsung touts as even better than 4K….

Check out Samsung SUHD

Samsung’s newest TVs are known as SUHD (Super Ultra HD? Samsung Ultra HD? No one knows for sure, and Samsung isn’t saying) but what is clear is that Samsung is marketing these TVs as a super-premium television. Is there a major difference you can discern? See for yourself by cruising the Samsung section in Best Buy stores.

See what a Samsung curved screen feels like

Also on display in store are several models of Samsung’s curved TVs. They’re striking in terms of looks but they’re also insanely thin and standing in front of one it’s possible to see what all the fuss is about.  Curved screens are said to be more immersive and provide a better viewing angle. (Read up on the technology behind curved TVs here on the blog.) In store you can get up close with TVs like the Samsung KU6500, a High Dynamic Range Smart TV  that lets you access your favourite content easily and quickly with the new enhanced Smart Remote Control.

Quantum Dot colour technology

Also featured in the Samsung brand area is another technological innovation; Samsung’s Quantum Dot  televisions.

Quantum dots are nano-sized particles that show different colours depending on their size, according to Samsung. This makes for a viewing experience that is brighter, richer and more realistic than TVs without Quantum dots, because instead of pixels, the focus is on colour, contrast and brightness.

Samsung says Quantum Dot can display up to one billion different shades, and that creates a picture quality that is true to life.

Quantum dot technology works in concert with High Dynamic Range which itself increases the range of luminance levels, exposing the whitest whites and the blackest blacks when compared with conventional TVs. Standing in front of one of these screens is mesmerizing. It’s possible to think you’ve never seen so many colours and hues in a lifetime. The overall effect will have you reaching out to touch the screen to make sure it’s video, and not some kind of freaky hologram.

New Samsung Series 8 TVs

Samsung recently released its new Series 8 TVs, and Best Buy blogger David Manuntag recently had a chance to review one of these new sets in his home.

“This Samsung SUHD TV is packed with so many features from both a technical and physical standpoint. It can be easy to get lost in all of the innovation,” he writes in his review. “After spending considerable time exploring and experiencing this television, I have come to realize that it’s the combination of all of these features makes this a considerable upgrade over the traditional 1080p display.  Sure, Quantum Dot, HDR, the curved display and 4K, can stand alone as substantial features. When they are combined however, they deliver a next level of entertaining immersion.

While you can’t get that kind of test access, you can see the TVs in store for your own first-hand look.

Shop 4K ready Blu-ray players

While you’re shopping for a SUHD TV it’s a good time to look at the peripherals you’ll need to get the most of your TV and its technology. Take a look at the Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray player; it has a thin profile and a nice curved shape (matches the profile of those curved TVs!) and take note of its built-in streaming capabilities. (Until you can see it for yourself, read my review.)

Experience Samsung Home Audio

There’s a substantial display of Samsung home audio components in the Samsung section. Check out the futuristic football-shaped Radiant 360 R7 speaker or its cylindrical cousins the R1 and R3. Standing in the store it’s easy to get a sense of the speakers’ room-filling 360 degree sound that seems to come from all directions. It’s also helpful to get a sense of their seize, as these aren’t compact; they’re serious speakers. I really enjoyed the R7 speaker when I had a chance to review it last year. Read my review.

The Samsung Experience

You can have different home theatre brand experiences inside the newly renovated Best Buy stores, but be sure to stop by the Samsung area for a first hand look at their new technology.