Do Curved HD TVs Really Provide More Immersion? (Video)

Last night, we attended Samsung’s 2014 TV launch where the company unveiled its latest 4K television range: the bizarrely curved HU9000 series. According to Samsung, the curvature of its new panels draws the viewer into the image in a way flatscreens don’t. But how do they stack up in reality? Watch our side-by-side video and decide for yourself.

The key driver behind Samsung’s new curved TV range is its ‘Image Depth Enhancer’ software. This identifies the background, middle-ground and foreground of an image, splits them, and then dynamically adjusts contrast, brightness and colour for the optimal viewing experience. When combined with the curved screen, this provides a moving image that’s superior to any flatscreen panel on the market. At least, that’s the story according to Samsung.

To put its money where it’s mouth is, Samsung set up a viewing booth at last night’s event pitching the curved HU9000 against a regular OLED TV. You can check out the demonstration for yourself below:

A few points of note: while the HU9000 panel certainly did draw the eye more readily than its flat sibling, you need to be fairly close to the screen to appreciate the difference. We also noticed that our camera’s auto focus had a hard time locking onto the curved screen (although we can’t imagine why anyone would want to record something in this manner.) All in all, we were quite impressed which came as a surprise.

The new Curved UHD TVs also come with codec support for 4K content, including HEVC, HDMI 2.0, HDCP 2.2 and MHL 3.0. They also have the potential to support new, unreleased standards via the removable Samsung Evolution Kit which effectively future-proofs your panel’s connectivity.

The HU9000 line-up is available now, with the exception of the mammoth 78-inch model which is scheduled to arrive in June. Prices range from between $4999 and $16,999. For more information, check out Gizmodo’s complete coverag.