CES 2023 – TV industry around LG and Co. presents this year’s highlights 

This year, the © CES is also presented again completely in physical form

Last year, the event was still planned as a hybrid event, but from January 5 to 8, 2023, visitors will once again be able to get their hands dirty with the latest technical trendsetters. Of course, we are particularly interested in the upcoming highlights from the TV segment. You can find out what you can look forward to and whether the manufacturers will come up with one or two surprises in a compact way in our trade show article.

LG Electronics @ CES 2023

LG

New model series from LG presented

As expected, the South Korean electronics manufacturer has unveiled the TV models of the 2023 lineup. The 4K fleet is still led by the G3 and complemented by the Z3 in the 8K range. Both TVs will come to you with a novel zero-gap design and are thus supposed to be flush with the surface of the wall.

Compared to the B2, the successor of the G2 can increase its brightness by up to 70 percent, according to LG. A new light control hardware based on a micro lens array is supposed to ensure this. In combination with a sharper control algorithm, a peak luminance of 1800 nits will be possible on the panel. The permanent brightness in full-screen mode is 235 nits and thus about 60 nits higher than last year’s model.

G3 - Zero-Gap-Design
The new G3 comes with zero-gap design.

Top sizes and 8K device a little “darker”

The 83- and 97-inch variants, however, will not quite achieve this increase. LG indicates a somewhat lower increase of 30 to 40 percent here. Besides the named sizes, you can still fall back on a 55″, 65″ and 77-inch version. According to the manufacturer, the 8K Premium TV achieves up to 1350 nits.

We will probably see comparatively small jumps of about 10% in the A3, B3 and C3. However, this information is based on our experience and has not been officially confirmed by LG. In contrast to its two big brothers, the entry-level OLED from the A series will also use a 60 hertz panel in 2023. The sizes already known from 2022 will remain. An additional format has not been announced.

More precise tone mapping only with C3, G3 and Z3

Starting with the C series, the current 6th generation Alpha9 processor with the so-called “OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro” is also used. This feature ensures an even more precise brightness and color adjustment per scene based on up to 20,000 blocks. Previously, LG TVs could use a maximum of 5,000 for this. Thanks to a fiber composite material, the two 4K top models also lose about half of their weight. You also get a binding 5-year warranty on the OLED panel for the G3 and Z3.

When can I buy the new models and at what price? We expect the devices to be available in the spring. We can only speculate about the exact prices at this point. Presumably, the called costs for the G3 will range between 3,500 euros and 4,000 euros for the 65-inch variant. You will certainly have to pay more than 3,000 Euros for the C3 with the same screen size at the beginning.

TVs get HDMI 2.1 QMS

While the top models all come with quad HDMI 2.1, the B3 remains with two interfaces this year. On the other hand, QMS, short for Quick Media Switching, is a new feature that makes its debut on LG TVs. This is by no means a new transmission standard, but simply the function to eliminate the black screen between switching. However, you have to have a compatible playback device for this. At the time of this article, only the 4K version of Apple TV from 2022 has this feature.

LG Zero Connect Box
The Zero Connect Box is the wireless answer to Samsung’s popular connectivity solution.

Zero Connect technology

LG Electronics introduces the LG SIGNATURE OLED TV M3, the first consumer TV with Zero Connect technology.

Revolutionary One Wall Design

The LG OLED TV M3 offers picture and sound quality at a high level and more flexibility in terms of installation and connection. The slim and minimalistic One Wall design of the 97-inch TV can unfold its full effect without annoying cable clutter thanks to the Zero Connect Box – only one power cable is required for the large OLED display. This ensures maximum freedom in room design and at the same time simplifies the installation of the OLED TV.

Real-time wireless video and audio transmission

LG’s wireless solution uses advanced technologies to deliver reliable video and audio to the LG OLED TV M3 screen. So you can enjoy 4K resolution content at 120 Hz and uninterrupted sound.

Optimized transmission algorithm with Zero Connect Box

To ensure wireless transmission of data from the Zero Connect Box to the TV, LG has developed an algorithm to identify the optimal transmission path.

The algorithm also helps minimize transmission errors or interruptions, as it can detect changes in the immediate environment – for example, movements of people or animals – and adjust the transmission path accordingly. For maximum signal strength, the Zero Connect Box’s antenna can also be easily rotated and tilted to align with the TV’s location.

Smooth sound transmission

The Zero Connect Box integrates LG Sound Sync, a technology that allows the sound from the LG OLED TV M3 to be sent wirelessly to compatible LG soundbars. This allows you to enjoy a home theater experience without having to deal with cable clutter.

LG webOS23
webOS 23 is supposed to be clearer and faster.

LG adapts webOS again

The 2023 version’s own control center has also been redecorated a bit and the home screen has been slimmed down in the process. According to LG, fewer categories on just two pages improve the loading performance of the interface.

Favorite apps or streaming providers can be organized individually and saved according to profile. The search history is now based on a keyword recommendation that is automatically created by the system based on speech recognition. You can quickly select the most frequently used picture and sound settings via the fresh “Quick Settings” menu.

The picture-in-picture feature now also allows parallel tapping of two HDMI output sources. Additionally, you can now control the volume of your Bluetooth headset separately from the noise level of the TV speakers. Although the DTS audio format is still not supported, the upcoming models will at least be able to pass the audio signal of an IMAX Enhanced stream to a compatible soundbar.

Panasonic @ CES 2023

MZ2000: The OLED flagship with Micro Lens Technology

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Japanese company has once again brought a breath of fresh air to the house and especially to its TV portfolio. As expected, the company continues with the previous model designation.

Thus, the LZ2000 or LZW2004, the German model name, is now followed by the MZ2000 or MZW2004. While LG’s rivals did not officially reveal much about the installed technology in their G3, Panasonic plays with open cards and calls a spade a spade.

The magic word here is also: Micro Lens Array and, together with a new cooling system that is responsible for dissipating heat, forms the basis for a significantly higher peak brightness. Compared to the 2022 model, which is capable of about 1000 nits at peak with a screen area limited to 10 percent, the panel of the MZ2000 can maintain almost 1500 nits. This so-called Master OLED Ultimate Panel makes the device one of the brightest OLED TVs on the market so far. The technology is available in the 55- and 65-inch models. The 77-inch version does not benefit from the brightness subsidy.

MZW2004 Game Control Board
The True Game Mode can even be calibrated via Calman.

Advanced gaming features

In addition to HDR10 as the current standard format, devices in the 2023 lineup will continue to feature HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision IQ. HDMI 2.1, a refresh rate of 120 hertz with VRR, AMD FreeSync Premium and low latency will also be available in the future.

In addition, the corresponding models get Nvidia G-Sync compatibility to independently optimize input lag and VRR settings when connected to a compatible NVIDIA graphics card.

An additional feature is the so-called True Game Mode. Among them is an improved HDR tone mapping for gaming content. Those who hoped that Dolby Vision would now be available with up to 120 hertz in 4K will be disappointed. Only 60 frames are still available this year. HDMI QMS is also not supported.

MZW2004 My Home Screen 8.0
The current OS version has received a few updates.

My Home Screen 8.0: Adjusted sound and more accessible

The update to version 8 of the company’s own operating system adds one or two improvements to the equipment case. The native Dolby Atmos speakers below the screen get a powerful upgrade in the form of a revised algorithm that is supposed to provide a better bass boost especially in lower frequencies.

The sound image is supported by three variable sound modes that optionally direct the sound to a specified location, move it to a group of people, or increase the levels at a specific location in the room.

In addition to an improved myScenery function that allows you to use the TV as a picture frame, additional features have been implemented to make using the TV more accessible for the visually and hearing impaired. If necessary, they can use voice-assisted menus and acoustic feedback to learn the key assignments on the remote control.

When will I be able to purchase the MWZ2004 and what will the price be? Panasonic has not yet given any information about the prices. However, the OLED TV is expected to find its way onto the TV market starting this fall.

Samsung Logo

Samsung @ CES 2023

Fresh QD line-up announced

After the South Korean electronics company finally jumped on the QD bandwagon last year after a long phase of hesitation, the lineup for this year will be expanded by two new models in this field. Last year’s S95B model will be joined by the S95C as the immediate successor and its smaller brother, the S90C.

The QD OLED has more than a good chance of defending its place on the luminous throne. Samsung Display claims a peak luminance of up to 2000 nits in this regard and does not have to hide from the competition at all. Both devices are now also equipped with AMD FreeSync Pro certification, but you will still have to accept Dolby Vision in 2023.

Samsung
The new QD OLEDs promise even more peak brightness.

As with the predecessor, the TV manufacturer continues to rely on a frame rate of up to 144 hertz and also offers an extremely low response time of 0.1 milliseconds. These two values could be interesting purchase arguments for gamers in particular.

The TVs are powered by the so-called Neural Quantum Processor 4K with a new SDR to HDR upscaling feature called Auto HDR Remastering. As usual, Tizen is used as the operating system, which is now also available in version 7. The already known Gaming Hub completes the offer and brings game streaming without a console into your room. Besides GeForce Now and Microsoft’s xCloud, Utomik and Amazon Luna will also be available.

The 2.2.2 channel system has been expanded by two tweeters and fires in a 4.2.2 compound from its 70 watt speaker system. The Smarthome standards Zigbee and Matter have also been integrated and now make an additional dongle unnecessary.

These will be the Neo QLED models for the coming year.

The upcoming LCD TVs from Samsung’s Neo QLED division will be available in 8K and 4K resolution. In this regard, the product line for 2023 consists of the 8K models QN900C, QN800C, QN700C and the 4K TVs QN95C, QN90C, QN85C. High-end models will have more dimming zones than their predecessors, further reducing the blooming effect. In particular, the 8K series are to use 12K mini-LEDs in the backlight with control of up to 1300 zones. In 2022, 700 lighting zones were still at work here.

Samsung also emphasized the TVs’ “14-bit processing and AI upscaling,” though this refers to the backlight controller and not the LCD panel, which still supports 10-bit. As with the QD range, the “Neural Quantum Videoprocessor” also does the computing work here and supports up to 144 Hz. Whether the TVs support HDMI 2.1 QMS has not been announced yet.

One Connect Box: Product range is being expanded

An additional innovation: In contrast to the S95B, the C model now also includes the useful One Connect Box, which is also part of the QN95B and QN900B from last year, for example, and simplifies cable management considerably. However, Samsung will not deliver the S90C with the One Connect Box.

Samsung Philips Hue
With the Philips Hue app, you can bring the right color mood into your room.

A 77-inch version is also added to the portfolio. Overall, the QD lineup is broader, but cannot yet keep up with the competition in terms of variety and flexibility. The new model series should find its way onto store shelves within the first half of the year.

Exclusive: Philips Hue makes its debut

At CES 2023, lighting technology specialist Signify – formerly Philips Lighting – has announced the Philips Hue Sync TV app exclusively for Samsung TVs, expanding the scope of Philips’ popular room lights.

In doing so, the software will support Samsung’s upcoming generation of TVs as well as be compatible with all previous year’s models starting with the Q60B – including the 8K range.

Image content is synchronized with the LEDs in matching colors by the paid program. For this, the picture signal is tapped on the cell phone and the control of the lights is derived from it. An external HDMI sync box is no longer necessary. However, you will have to pay 130 Euros to use the interface.

TCL @ CES 2023

TCL

Two new miniLED series coming

This year, TCL is adding two new product families to its portfolio. While the new S-Series comprises entry-level models, the manufacturer wants to bring TVs from the mid- and high-end class to consumers with the Q-Series.

The new spearhead is the QM8. Compared to the 2022 version, this model has five times the number of dimming zones and should have twice the peak brightness according to the manufacturer. TCL also wants to launch an additional screen with up to 3000 nits and 5000 dimming zones.

More affordable are the Q7 with 120 hertz panel and 240 hertz in VRR mode at half vertical resolution and without miniLED backlight. This model is available in sizes from 55- to 85-inches. An additional floor lower is the Q6 QLED with its 60 Hertz screen without local dimming. If you halve the resolution here as well, twice the screen frequency is possible. In terms of screen sizes, you can choose from 50 to 75 inches. However, it is not yet clear at the time of this writing whether the two model series will come to Europe unchanged.

TCL QM850G
The QM850G is the flagship of the freshly created series.

First QD OLED later this year

TCL is now the third player – besides Samsung and Sony – to announce a QD Premium TV. The TV is supposed to be available at retailers in the second half of the year and could have the current QD panel from Samsung Display in its casing.

The Chinese manufacturer still sees the focus of its portfolio in miniLEDs with particularly large screens, but also attributes a position in the premium segment to its future QD OLED.

TCL Q750G
The Q7 has a Game Accelerator with 240 Hertz Boost.

If this assumption proves to be true, an upcoming model in 55″, 65″ and the newly added 77-inch size could supplement the range. However, it is not clear whether this plan also includes the European market or only refers to the North American region.

Update 18.01.2023: The company has retracted this announcement and explains that the related phrase about a possible QD-TV was mistakenly included in the press release. Instead, TCL continues to focus fully on TV devices with mini-LED technology.

No additional 8K devices planned for 2023 at the moment

The electronics group is pursuing a completely different path in the 8K sector, which has not been well accepted among consumers so far. Due to sluggish sales, the company does not plan to release any new 8K TVs this year and to focus on the development in the UHD sector for the time being. In our country, this sector was already officially idle last year, since TCL Europe already announced that it would no longer manufacture corresponding models at that time.

Sony @ CES 2023

Sony

No TV news, but with new VR gaming hardware for PS5

Sony is staying away from CES this year in terms of TV news and would rather wait for the hype about the upcoming technical highlights. Instead, the Japanese company presented news about the upcoming second generation of PlayStation VR. Since our gaming section also covers this topic among others, we take the opportunity to hack in here, digress a bit from the TV industry and briefly dive into virtual reality.

Designed specifically to work with the PlayStation 5, Sony announced the new add-on hardware during its CES 2023 press conference. Named the PlayStation VR2, the long-awaited virtual reality headset brings features like eye-tracking, a feedback function, three-dimensional surround sound, and the VR2 Sense controller with haptic trigger feedback.

PlayStation VR 2 Headset
VR2 is supposed to provide even more immersion.

Virtual Reality: Big line-up for the launch

Buyers will have to dig deep into their pockets to enjoy the immersive experience. Sony quotes a price of around 600 Euros at launch. You can get the VR glasses in a bundle with the third part of the Horizon series Call of the Mountain for 50 Euros more. A charging station for the included controllers costs another 50 Euros.

At launch, the plan is to offer An additional 30 compatible game titles. Among them are No Man’s Sky and Resident Evil Village. The release of the additional peripherals is already planned for February 23rd and can be pre-ordered now.

Sources:

  1. https://presse.lg.de/2023/01/04/ces-2023-lg-oled-tv-mit-zero-connect-technologie-definiert-raumgestaltung-neu/
  2. https://presse.lg.de/2023/01/02/ces-lg-oled-tvs-heben-immersives-seherlebnis-und-benutzererfahrung-auf-neues-level/
  3. https://www.panasonic.com/de/corporate/presse/alle-meldungen/031-fy2022-panasonic-praesentiert-oled-tv-serie-mzw2004.html
  4. https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-advances-new-era-of-screens-with-its-new-2023-neo-qled-micro-led-and-samsung-oled-lineup-boasting-powerful-performance-secure-connectivity-and-personalized-experiences
  5. https://www.tcl.com/us/en/press-releases/tcl-home-theater-ces-2023
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVMcjxW68Bc&t=1472s&ab_channel=Sony-Global

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