Samsung Canada held a unique event to showcase its new TV line-up to members of the media in Toronto this week: on the second floor of its Experience Store in the Toronto Eaton Centre, guests were welcomed to indulge in a delicious meal. But to accompany the dinner, we were able to watch video footage of the prep in full 4K (and 8K!) glory on the new TVs.
Chef Dustin Gallagher, Executive Chef at Noble House and 416 Snack Bar in Toronto and runner up on Top Chef Canada All Stars, was on hand to provide a three-course meal showcasing his culinary skills. As each dish was being prepared and presented, we were able to get a sense of what was coming by watching stunning, pre-recorded footage of the prep process on 85-inch Samsung New QLED TVs.
Full of vibrant colour and intricate details, guests feasted both their eyes and sense of taste on the delectable eats. From truffle gnocchi to a high-end take on surf and turf with smoked short ribs and poached scallop followed by a refreshing fruit sorbet, each course was paired with a fitting drink. Before each was served, Samsung Canada’s National Training Manager Jeff Ingram walked guests through features of the new Samsung TV line-up, including the QN90, QN800, and QN900.
Samsung’s 2023 TV Line-up
Officially unveiled at Samsung’s Unbox & Discover 2023 event, the top-line model is the Neo QLED 8K QN900C, which boasts features like Auto HDR Remastering and 8K AI upscaling. Samsung also confirmed the addition of a new 98-inch model in the Neo QLED 8K line, which will offer upgraded sound via Dolby Atmos and Q-Symphony 3.0.
The OLED line features a Neural Quantum Processor with perceptional colour mapping that Samsung says makes it the “world’s first” Pantone-validated HDR OLED. “This talks to the colour accuracy of what our TVs can do,” says Ingram. “We want to create images that are as close to the real thing.” Within the line is the S95C, which features Samsung’s Infinity One design, and the LaserSlim design S90C model with a metal finish.
The new Neo QLED 8K TV is now available in Canada in two models, QN800C and QN900C, which are both offered in 65”, 75” and 85” sizes. The new 2023 OLED 4K Smart TV S95C is also now available in 77”, 55” and 65” sizes.
“Quantum Dot is all about delivering the purest colour possible,” said Ingram at the event, which ties perfectly into the reason the evening was set up the way it was. He calls Quantum Dot the backbone of Samsung’s latest televisions, offering “the ability to increase brightness and still maintain that colour and detail.”
The Demo
If you love cooking shows, you can imagine the experience watching a chef prepare a dish on screen, salivating over it. That experience is enhanced when the picture is so true-to-life with accurate colours and impeccable detail that the food almost pops out from the screen. Now, imagine being able to taste said dish at the commercial break.
This was the experience at the event. Ingram encouraged us to pay attention to the detail in the pictures as we watched Gallagher prepare the dishes before devouring them.
“It’s about the sharpness,” he said. “With 8K, a lot of people talk about just the resolution, but it’s also about the emotional attachment to the content. 8K can deliver things that may not be tangible to what you’re seeing visually. Things look juicier, look more real – you can almost smell the meal. Pay attention to the emotions you can actually feel with more pixels.”
That relates to not only when watching your favourite cooking shows, but everything from action movies to video gaming, sports, and more. Sparking all your senses is truly what the TV experience comes down to, It isn’t just about the speeds and feeds of a television, but how the picture on screen (and audio to complement it) can truly draw you in. You might not be able to eat the meal you’re watching being prepared on TV at home. But the sign of a lifelike picture is when you almost feel like, and really wish, you could.