CEDIA 2023

Samsung today expanded its ultra-big-screen offerings with its first 98-inch 8K TV — a move timed to woo custom installers/integrators attending CEDIA Expo 2023, which opens tomorrow morning.

The new QN990C sports the brand’s upgraded Neo QLED display panel featuring mini-LED backlighting and follows the now-discontinued 98-inch QN100B Neo QLED 4K TV we reviewed in 2022. It also joins the 98-inch Q80C QLED 4K TV announced in June. But unlike the Q80C, which lacks a Neo QLED panel and sells for $8,000, the new 8K model carries a hefty $40,000 price tag (same as the QN100B).

With a massive 98-inch screen boasting a native resolution of 8K, the QN990C gives video projectors — the display category long favored by custom installers — a run for their money, at least in terms of screen size. The TV is one of many 4K and 8K models Samsung will showcase at this year’s expo, including the new 85-inch QN85LST9 4K TV built for use outdoors.

At the core of the QN990 is Samsung’s top artificial-intelligence (AI)-powered 8K Neural Quantum Processor, which upscales 4K (and lower) resolution content to 8K resolution. The TV also features an 8K AI depth enhancer that “enables the TV to precisely boost lighting around the objects that viewers’ eyes gravitate toward, while dimming lighting elsewhere” in addition to Samsung’s mini-LED-based Quantum Matrix Pro backlight, which is said to provide 1.5 times more lighting zones than its standard Quantum Matrix backlight for enhanced color and contrast.

Samsung’s Motion Xcelerator Turbo + is said to keep images smooth without lag or motion blur at up to 120 Hz and the TV is designed for anti-glare viewing to produce a “consistent and detailed 8K picture at any angle, in any light.”

The QN990C features a slim, all-metal frame designed for wall mounting (mount included) and is equipped with the Samsung Gaming Hub for streaming games right from the TV and Dolby Atmos surround decoding with Object Tracking Sound, which tracks the movement of sound for a more cinematic experience with the set’s onboard sound system. For more information, visit Samsung.com.