Why choosing a TV shouldn't just be about evaluating the screen?

Most consumers when choosing to buy a TV are most concerned about the picture quality, but more precisely the type of screen used. Many people think that a better quality screen will have a better image display and many units also launch advertising programs based on this slogan.

However, after purchasing the product and experiencing it, many users shared that they did not notice any obvious difference between the old TV and the product using new technology.

According toZOL,In fact, a good screen gives a better picture effect, but the quality of a TV does not depend only on the screen. For example, Sony, a major TV brand, is quite famous for its picture quality. Although it has its own screen manufacturing department, not all products use screens from the same department.

Sony's LCD TVs also use LCD panels from Chinese manufacturers such as ChiMei, AU Optronics and China Star Optoelectronics. However, if you compare two TVs, one from Sony and one from another brand, which also import panels from the same manufacturer, there is still a significant difference in the displayed image quality. The key lies in the product's image processing chip.

In fact, not all TV manufacturers have the ability to research and produce high-quality image processing chips. Therefore, many companies have turned to focus on developing technology on the screen. However, if we consider the core graphic quality of a TV, the role of the image processing chip is even more important than the screen itself. Because a good TV does not necessarily need a good screen, but it cannot lack a good image processing chip.

These image processing chips can be considered as "video cards", which help the device to process and repair the received image signals. This helps to bring clear images, reduce noise, enhance color and contrast, increase the smoothness of motion details as well as other important aspects. At the same time, the video signals received in real time of live broadcast programs will also be processed, converted into appropriate signals, bringing about significant image improvement effects.

For some small manufacturers, instead of researching and developing their own image processing chips, they replace them with ARM chips on some Android TV models. Of course, there are many ARM chips that have been integrated with high technology in image processing, but they are still basically "bulky" when compared to traditional image processing chips. They can be integrated with all interfaces, they have the effect of enhancing and processing simple images, instead of significantly improving like the original processing chip.

Because image processing requires processing equipment with a large amount of database, as well as finding suitable algorithms to calculate the types of light colors, contrast before and after to match. This requires the manufacturer to have a full understanding of the hardware as well as the system to collect huge information base, a problem that not every company is capable of solving.

Currently, there are only a few large companies on the market capable of producing image processing chips: Sony (Japan), Samsung and LG (Korea) and Hisense (China).

Sony's top TVs today are equipped with the 4K HDR X1 Extreme processor, such as the KD-55X9000F. This chip includes three core technologies: HDR, a dual image data system (one used to make the image clearer, reduce maximum noise, the other to upgrade the signal and improve clarity), and finally the ability to manage the 14-bit intelligent color range for smoother tonal transitions between shades.

Meanwhile, Samsung's recently introduced image processing chip uses AI technology to support 8K images. With analysis based on a huge database system, the machine learning system and artificial intelligence will filter and give the best image results from brightness, dimness, and darkness perfectly. Not only that, it also has the effect of improving sound quality to match image content such as action movies or a musical performance. The company's 8K AI TV chip is expected to be applied to QLED TVs in the second half of 2018.

For LG, it is the Alpha9 chip line. It allows the TV to display content in HFR standard 120 frames per second, higher than the current standard 24 frames per second. In addition, it effectively eliminates noise, bringing clearer and brighter images thanks to reduced image lag, enhanced contrast and stereoscopic images. Along with that is the presence of the ThinQ artificial intelligence platform developed by LG based on Google Assistant.

Finally, there is the Hi-View Pro image processing chip of Hisense TV. This is a product that the company has developed since the end of 2015, recently introduced and is being applied on high-end TV lines such as the LED65EC880UCQ model. It has the effect of significantly improving the performance of LCD screens, increasing contrast ratio, color gamut, making images clearer and smoother.

However, despite its importance, the image processing chip cannot overshadow the significant role of the display as well as the quality of the panels used. If the assembly process is not good enough, even a top-notch chip cannot solve problems such as light leakage or dead pixels. Both need to work well to complement and compensate for each other to bring the most perfect image quality to the device.