Samsung's new QLEDs have built-in audio, and other TV brands should take note

Samsung's new QLEDs have built-in audio, and other TV brands should take note
There's a lot of noise at conferences, and CES 2020 is no different. There are hordes of assistants, roaring gadgets, screeching exoskeletons (yes, really), exploding speakers everywhere, and (of course) plenty of TVs showing off what they can do. The problem is that built-in audio, that is, the ability to sound from speakers built right into the TV, is often missing. On cheaper sets you're often stuck with a small 10W output, while more expensive sets will be designed to be used in conjunction with a soundbar or external setup. If you're spending a fortune on a TV, after all, you can probably afford a proper audio system. Listening to the built-in speakers in Samsung's new QLED 8K flagship, the Q950TS, I know how often TV manufacturers use half measures to improve their audio, or just leave it to buyers Look elsewhere for an audio solution . What is the problem? There are some (quite large) brands of TVs that currently use "actuators" in their TV panels - coneless audio drivers that vibrate the panel to emit sound through the panel. While this prevents the sound from being isolated in one place, it also confuses the source of the sound, with the effect of even small or inconsequential sounds filling the room, like a resounding footstep in a cave. Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology is guilty of this, even though it's trying to use panel shake technology to differentiate its sound solutions from other TV competitors. This sounds like a great idea in theory, which in practice loses audio detail rather than adds it, but it's widely implemented across Sony's premium line of TVs (including the new 8K Z8H and A8H OLED).

The Sony A8H OLED uses Acoustic Surface Audio +, but do you want it?

The Sony A8H OLED uses Acoustic Surface Audio +, but do you want it? (Image credit: TechRadar) Hisense was also on hand at the show with panels that vibrate with sound to a similar effect, using the term "incentives" instead of "actuators", and it's a bit devastating to hear the distorted sound in name of technological progress. It's fine if you're routing sound through a soundbar or surround sound system, and thus bypassing the built-in speakers, but you shouldn't have to rely on that either.

No good vibes

Samsung's response has been with a technology called OTS+ (Object Tracking Sound+), which has been implemented in its 2020 range of QLED 8K TVs, with a slightly simpler version in its 4K QLED range called OTS (without the "+" ). Sound + object tracking and Acoustic Surface Audio + are pieces of jargon by the same token (why does everyone add buff to things these days?), but worlds apart in their final effect. the entire screen vibrates and therefore "separate" channels (ie left, right, surround) are lost. Therefore, it is better to use real speakers. Allan Devantier, Samsung Samsung Vice President of Audio R&D Allan Devantier notes that with increasingly large TV panels, "the speakers on the top, side and bottom are all far enough apart to be perceived as sources For example, if the sound is properly output from the side or top speakers, it does not "color" the sound from the main speakers at the bottom. So, we exploit this property with OTS and OTS+." In this situation, you can convert the panel into a single source, but it basically vibrates a piece of glass and blurs the sources from each other: "By placing actuators that control the screen, everything vibrates the screen and therefore "separates" & # 39; (it is say, left, right, surround) are lost. So it's better to use real speakers." Other than some "electrostatic" speakers (which are nothing like the actuators some TV companies try to make sound with) Most audiophile loudspeakers still use good old woofers and tweeters, and for good reason."

Samsung Q950TS AI 8K QLED

Samsung Q950TS AI 8K QLED (Image credit: Samsung) The QLED 8K flagship for 2020, the Samsung Q950TS, uses a set of audio drivers located around the panel casing, found on the bottom, sides and top of the TV. With this OTS+ matrix, the device is capable of filming audio from multiple locations, giving a true idea of ​​where sound is moving across the screen, raining down from above or leaking away. Whether listening to war scenes or the rich beats of Billie Eilish's pop song Bury A Friend, the depth achieved through multi-channel audio that varied in pitch, didn't just veer in one direction — take Down, pull back or pull up, for example — it was incredible. Obviously this isn't a solution for cheaper sets (the best features are rarely found), but OTS+ is an example of audio given the room to breathe, with the precision that ; it deserves it, and other TV brands should take note.

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