IFA 2020 hasn't been the seismic tech event it usually is, likely down to the fact that it's been closed to the public this year, with most of its conferences and showrooms moving online. Some big-name brands have just been opting out of the event altogether – and there's been a paucity of stories from it compared to previous years.
That said, for the AV enthusiast, there have been a few flagship announcements in the past week from the likes of Samsung, Philips, and Optoma – with new TVs and projectors that look set to shake up the market, and certainly prove heady competition for each other.
From new projector ranges to unexpected 8K TVs, here's the AV news from this week worth remembering when these models launch in the months ahead.
It's worth noting that we didn't hear anything about the LG BX OLED, but we expect release info to be announced relatively shortly.
1. Philips OLED+935 TV
While the existence of the Philips OLED+935 TV was leaked back in July, it's only now Philips is proudly showing off its flagship 2020 OLED. With four-sided Ambilight, a fourth-gen P5 processor, and a built-in 70W 3.1.2 channel speaker from audio specialists Bowers & Wilkins – who Philips has collaborated with on a number of high-spec TVs – it's a bonafide home cinema in itself.
Most notably, it's also coming in a 48-inch size, along with more standard 55-inch and 65-inch models. That makes it the third 48-inch OLED, after the LG CX and Sony A9G. Stay tuned on TechRadar for our incoming review, too...
2. Philips Hue Play gradient light strip
Despite the news above, Philips seems to have given itself some Ambilight competition, after showing off a new Philips Hue Play gradient light strip that essentially lets you turn any TV (from 55-85 inches) into an Ambilight set.
You simply mount the light strip to the back and sides of the television, and – provided you've hooked it up with the Philips Hue HDMI Sync Box and Hue Bridge – watch it do everything we've come to love about Ambilight.
Pricing starts at £159 / $199 for the 55-60 inch size, going up to £179 / $219 for the 65-70 inch and £199 / $240 for the 75-85 inch respectively – and is available from October 6.
3. Samsung Q700T 8K TV
A surprise announcement from the surrounding IFA showcases, the Samsung Q700T 8K QLED is an entry-level 8K TV undercutting the price of the Q800T QLED we reviewed earlier in the year. It starts at just £1,999 (around $2,700 / AU$3,600) for its smallest 55-inch model – a size not seen on higher-spec QLEDs this year.
The announcement mirrors IFA 2019, though, when Samsung unveiled the first-ever 55-inch 8K TV – and it means viewers after an 8K television they can afford and reasonably fit in their homes have an option to go for.
While processing doesn't take a hit, the Q700T makes do with half the dimming zones of the Q800T, with a lower HDR rating, meaning both brightness and brightness control are likely to be less impressive. You're still getting premium features such as OTS+ (Object Tracking Sound) for three-dimensional audio, too.
4. Samsung Premiere projector
Samsung has announced the launch of its Premiere range of home cinema projectors, featuring two projector models that are coming this year – including a triple-laser 4K projector that brings HDR10+ to home projection for the first time.
The flagship LSP9 projector – compared to the cheaper LSP7 model – will also feature a 4.2 channel speaker system (“two woofers, two tweeters”) with a 40W output, as well as the Acoustic Beam technology Samsung uses in its best soundbars for surround sound directed around the room. The LSP9 will also have a slightly larger 130-inch projection, with the LSP7 maxing out at 120 inches.
5. Optoma CinemaX P2 projector
Ok, so this technically wasn't an IFA announcement, but it did land in the first week of September, so it's worth collating here amongst its IFA-announced competition.
Optoma unveiled the successor to the CinemaX P1 projector – which is a US only model, though has a UK/Europe equivalent in the UHZ65UST, meaning the latter is likely to get an upgrade in the coming months too.
The P2 is set to be an ultra-bright 4K projector, with 3,000 lumens brightness as well as 40K speaker. There's also an Enhanced Gaming Mode, designed to appeal to console gamers. It's worth noting, though, that the 67.1ms input lag (for HD sources) can't compete with the sub-10ms gaming TVs and gaming monitors built for this very purpose.
6. LG CineBeam HU810P projector
The one new thing we heard from LG this week was the latest model in its excellent CineBeam range, the HU810P.
LG's new CineBeam model comes with 2,700 lumens of brightness, and could be poised to take the top spot in our best projector guide – unless Samsung or Optoma overtake it, that is.
The biggest draw, though, is the incredible projection sizing – with the HU810P able to project images as small as 40 inches, and as large as 300 inches.
