It’s clear, we’ll all be moving to 8K TVs at some stage, the question is when. To date, the price of an 8K TV has been at such a premium, unless you’re an overpaid footballer, it is unlikely you’ve seriously considered one.
Hisense Australia has announced its 2021 ULED TV range, which includes a February launch of the Hisense ULED 8K TV. Available for sale in 65, 75 and 85″ models, perhaps the most important will be their first model to arrive in market, the 75″ costing just A$6,999.00 RRP.
Sure, this won’t meet everyone’s budget and is certainly not cheap, but it is approaching affordability for a lot more people. The price of a decent 75″ 8K TV just a couple of years ago was in excess of A$20,000. If the 75″ is still out of your budget, it is great to see Hisense will over a 65″ version as well, if money (and space) is no object, then go for the 85″, something we don’t currently have a price for.
In 2019, 65″ 4K TVs became affordable, in 2020, 75″ 4K TVs became affordable (I added one to our rumpus) and it looks like in 2021, 75″ 8K TVs are becoming affordable.
Hisense’s first ever 8K TV to hit the Australian market, the U80G is 8K Ultra HD Certified and is packed with leading sound and image technologies, including Quantum Dot Colour, Full Array Local Dimming Pro, Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos Audio.
Interestingly, the 8K TVs from Hisense will run Google’s Android TV OS, rather than their own VIDDA U5. This is related to the chipset required to decode 8K content.
8K content sources are still sparse, which means our content in 4K, 1080, or even less, needs to be stretched to fill the 7680 × 4320 pixels. Until more 8K movies and TV shows arrive, the quality of the image, relies heavily on how good your upscaling technology is.
AI-powered upscaling
For unparalleled image clarity, the TV is armed with Hisense’s proprietary Hi-View Engine Pro, which leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to recognise and upscale low-resolution content to impeccable 8K quality from a variety of content sources. This means users can watch live TV, enjoy the best streaming platforms and even play video games upscaled to 8K resolution, providing the highest quality viewing experience at all times.
“8K is an incredibly exciting innovation and we are very proud to introduce the new Hisense ULED 8K TV, which uses sophisticated, AI-powered upscaling technology to elevate and optimise image quality no matter the source, be that free-to-air TV, streaming or gaming.
With its optimised upscaling capabilities, the TV generates images with impeccable, true-to-life detail, and together with its advanced audio features, creates an at-home viewing experience that is truly spectacular. We look forward to seeing it in Australian homes this February.”
Andre Iannuzzi, Head of Marketing at Hisense Australia
Joining the Hisense ULED 8K TV is a variety of ULED 4K TVs that are equipped with Quantum Dot Colour, Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos Audio, including a number that are IMAX Enhanced. In addition to the 2021 ULED TV range, a UHD TV will also be available in an array of sizes, such as a big screen 98″ offering.
In order to receive IMAX Enhanced certification, displays must meet additional requirements over and above what most 4K UHD TVs deliver today. In line with this, Hisense’s new ULED 8K TVs meet carefully prescribed performance standards across viewing mode, resolution, colour, brightness, contrast, and sound capabilities.
These stringent audio and video specifications have been defined by a certification committee of IMAX, DTS and Hollywood’s leading technical specialists to ensure all IMAX Enhanced devices deliver the highest-quality playback of picture and sound.
“Our 2021 ULED TV range is all about giving Australians access to some of the highest quality TV technologies and features available. We’re not just talking about those at the top of the range – from our ULED 8K TV offering through to our ULED 4K models, Australians can enjoy the likes of Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos Audio, eARC, VRR, HDMI 2.1 and far-field voice control,” said Iannuzzi.
Andre Iannuzzi, Head of Marketing at Hisense Australia
Serious about gaming
If you’ve got a next-gen console and are looking for a TV that is optimised for gaming, then you’ll be happy with the 2021 ULED TV range, with all TVs featuring Hisense’s new Game Mode Pro.
Equipped with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and AMD FreeSync technologies to reduce lag and shuttering during gameplay, HDMI 2.1 to enable 8K passthrough and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) for a smooth and responsive gaming experience, Game Mode Pro provides the very best gaming experience.
The units also feature eARC which allows for the transmission of the highest quality audio by offering increased bandwidth and speed.
Improved cable management across the ULED TV range is also good news for gamers, enabling them to better organise cords and connections to various consoles and third-party devices.
Hands-free control
Hisense 2021 4K ULED TVs will be powered by the latest iteration of Hisense’s proprietary Operating System (OS), VIDAA U5, and will have Google Assistant built-in* in addition to Amazon Alexa, eliminating the need for a third-party device to enable voice control. Providing Australians with a range of Smart TV options, Hisense’s 8K ULED TV offering will be an Android TV.
The new range will help Australians realise the full potential of voice control, with all of the 2021 Hisense ULED TVs integrating far-field microphones with sophisticated voice recognition technology that picks up commands from across the room. Far-field allows users to make completely ‘hands-free’ voice commands, eliminating the need to hold down a microphone button on a remote.
More information about these TVs and others in the 2021 Hisense range will be shared in the lead up to and during the Consumer Electronics Show, which is being held virtually from January 11 – 14, 2021.
To keep across the latest CES news from Hisense Australia, visit: https://ces2021.hisense.com.au/
