Skyworth unveils its new 86-inch SUC9500 Android TV in South Africa as 'the biggest Android TV set that South Africa has ever seen'.

by Thinus Ferreira

Skyworth has unveiled its new 86-inch SUC9500 Android TV in South Africa that the company says is the biggest Android TV boundless screen set that South Africa has ever seen.

The 86-inch Skyworth SUC9500 has a recommended retail price of R34 999 and has hands-free voice control. 

It comes with unlimited Google Play Store access, the latest Android 10 operating system, super hardware configuration, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, Two-Way Bluetooth Transmission and Cast Play, with picture quality provided by a AIPQ engine.

The Skyworth 86-inch SUC9500 has 2GB RAM and 32GB flash memory, a quad-core processor, 3 HDMI ports, a LAN port, a DVB-T2 receiver and 2 USB ports.

"Over the last year and a half it’s become clear that home is not only where the heart is but where the entertainment is," says Jaco Joubert, Skyworth brand manager.

"We’re not just living at home, we’re working from home, exercising at home and connecting to the outside world from our homes. It was the logical next step for the brand to launch a product that could rival any entertainment centre out there, a product to make you feel as if you’re part of something bigger and something ground-breaking."

Bridget Meyer, Skyworth senior marketing manager, says "Our new 86-inch Skyworth SUC9500 comes with a narrow body, a metal stand, and a minimal surrounding bezel, making it the biggest infinity-screen Android TV in South Africa".

"The latest Android 10 operating system comes with over a 1 000 content streaming providers like YouTube, Netflix, Showmax, DStv Now, Amazon Prime Video and more, as well as over 5 000 Android TV apps available on the Google Play store."

Bridget Meyer says that the hands-free voice control allows a customer to communicate with the TV even when it's on standby mode from up to 5 metres away

LG's 2021 TV set line-up will be available in South Africa from Q2: This will go on sale including first-ever QNED Mini LED TVs and upgraded NanoCell TVs.

by Thinus Ferreira

LG will rollout their 2021 line-up of TV sets from the second quarter of this year in South Africa, that includes OLED TVs and LG's expanded range of first-ever QNED Mini LED TVs and upgraded NanoCell TVs.

LG says that its comprehensive 2021 collection will offer a wider range of screen sizes from the most compact 43-inches, to a new-to-market 83-inches, including a mesmerising 88-inches.

LG's new OLEDs will include the Z1, G1, C1, B1 and A1 series.

The Z1 series is LG's large-display, premium OLED range, while LG's A1 series offers a cheaper OLED option to consumers. 

LG's C1 range that it says is its most popular, offers the widest range in size, from 48-inch to 83-inch screens. 

LG's G1 forms part of LG's Gallery OLED TV designs, created to fit walls perfectly with an ultra-slim design. All models in the G1 series also feature the new OLED evo-technology, the next step in the evolution of OLED TVs that delivers better luminosity for higher brightness and punchy images with amazing clarity, detail and realism.

The Z1, G1, C1, B1, A1 all have self-lit panels that produce ultra-sharp, ultra-realistic picture quality and smooth, natural motion, as well as slim designs.

An exciting addition for 2021 is LG's new QNED Mini LED TVs that the company says take LCD TV picture quality to the next level. 

Available in an array of 8K (models QNED99, QNED95) and 4K (models QNED90, QNED85), these models employ LG’s Quantum Dot NanoCell technology and Mini LED backlighting to achieve deeper blacks, more vibrant, accurate colours and greater contrast than conventional LCD televisions.

"LG QNED Mini LED TV sets a new standard for the LCD TV category, enabling users to enjoy excellent HDR image quality and a far more immersive viewing experience, thanks to the combined power of the new NanoCell Plus technology and quantum dot to deliver improved red and green while the blue wavelength is emitted from the LED," says LG.

Of the entire LG 2021 TV lineup, the new NanoCell 8K and 4K TV offerings provide the greatest number of options with a large selection of 8K (models NANO99, NANO 95) and 4K range (models NANO90, NANO85, NANO80, NANO77, NANO75) units to choose from. 

All models feature LG NanoCell display technology, employing nanoparticles to filter out colour impurities, resulting in lifelike images that draw the viewer deeper into their favourite movies, sports and shows.

"Beyond superb picture quality, all of LG's premium 2021 TVs offer an immersive home entertainment experience through compatibility with the latest standards and content formats, and brand-new features and functions that add differentiated value," says LG.

"With support for Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Atmos, HDR10 PRO and Filmmaker Mode, this year’s TVs make the latest movies, TV series and documentaries come to life through picture and sound of the highest quality."

LG says that its new Game Optimizer automatically applies the best picture settings according to the type of game the user is playing: first-person shooter, role-playing or real-time strategy. 

Sports fans will also find it easier to keep up with their favourite leagues and teams on LG TV with Sports Alert, while OLED Motion Pro displays every moment and key play in incredible clarity. 

With Bluetooth Surround Ready, LG TVs can wirelessly connect to multiple Bluetooth speakers to deliver powerful, nuanced audio that faithfully recreates every sound on the field to recreate the feeling of being at the stadium.

LG says that a selection of the 2021 LG TV lineup will also support the advanced HDMI 2.1 feature, enhanced audio return channel (eARC), which simplifies the process of connecting the TV to a sound system while also optimizing the audio. 

Also supported is automatic low latency mode (ALLM), which delivers seamless gaming and lag-free viewing. Select LG TV models support a variety of other HDMI 2.1 features as well.

Featured in the majority of this year’s TVs is LG's latest intelligent processor, α (Alpha) 9 Gen 4 AI.² 

Integrating improved deep learning, the upgraded processor boosts upscaling performance to make content of any quality look sharp and detailed on the new TVs’ high-resolution screens. 

The α9 Gen 4 further optimizes visual output, making precise adjustments in accordance with the amount of light in each scene, the genre of content playing and ambient conditions in the viewing environment.

Picture quality is further improved with LG AI Picture Pro which recognizes the objects onscreen and processes them independently to bring three-dimensionality and depth to every scene. Additionally, AI Sound Pro up-mixes two-channel audio to virtual 5.1.2 surround while Auto Volume Leveling ensures a consistent volume when switching between channels or streaming apps.

LG also revamped and refined its intuitive smart TV platform to webOS 6.0.

The new webOS user interface provides faster access to apps as well as simpler content discovery with finely-tuned personalized recommendations. 

A redesigned Magic Remote has dedicated hot keys for popular content providers, allowing users to jump to their favourite services with just a quick push of a button.

LG says that select TV series, models and sizes will begin rolling out to participating retailers in the second quarter of 2021 in South Africa, continuing throughout the year with specific dates and lineups announced locally.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 5 January 2019.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ Turkey bans the comedy series Modern Family.
Pay-TV operator beIN is fined, censored and Modern Family ordered off of the beIN Series channel because Modern Family ... features a child born out of wedlock - something not allowed on Turkish television.


■ A clueless Ellen DeGeneres getting backlash for begging Kevin Hart to host the 2019 Academy Awards after he was dumped as Oscars host for homophobic comments.
■ In emotional criticism, Don Lemon on CNN says Kevin Hart on Ellen "turns himself into a victim instead of acknowledging the real victims of violent and sometimes deadly homophobia".
■ Ellen DeGeneres and Kevin Hart's conspiracy theories only make things worse.
■ Ellen DeGeneres' interview with Kevin Hart was an insult and clueless celebrity overreach that sends a toxic message.
■ Where are Kevin Hart's past apologies? An investigation.
■ Shock seeing Ellen DeGeneres throwing her weight behind Kevin Hart's self-victimisation.
■ Why is Ellen DeGeneres trying to rehabilitate Kevin Hart as Oscars host?
■ Who died and made Ellen DeGeneres the gay pope?
■ Ellen DeGeneres is getting blasted for calling Kevin Hart's critics "trolls" and "haters".
■ What Ellen DeGeneres and Kevin Hart are missing by calling critics "haters".
■ Ellen DeGeneres: Girl, what?



■ Huge problems on the "chaotic and troubled" set of the drama series SMILF seen on Showmax amidst allegations of abusive behaviour, race separation of writers, and violations of industry rules.
And some important questions as to why ABC Studios, the Walt Disney Company, producers and agents are apparently doing little or nothing about it.


■  Content discovery on TV remains terrible with little help from pay-TV operators giving viewers a wasteland of irrelevant recommendations and outdated menus. Can adding hyper-detailed metadata about TV shows and episodes, including descriptors about a show's mood, theme, characters, and scenarios help?

■ Palestine Television's offices in Gaza ransacked, equipment destroyed.

■ 8 tricks to improve the image on your new TV set.
Tips include choosing your TV set's settings in darkness, and of course it's important to switch off "motion smoothing"switch off "motion smoothing" (also referred to as "motion control", "TruMotion" and the "soap opera effect".

■ Pay-TV operator Sky in the United Kingdom is working on some updates for 2019 that MultiChoice in South Africa should be considering.
A guide for individual users of the same decoder for better personal recommendations, a safe Kids Mode and others.

■ Insider claims that E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic at E! Entertainment (DStv 124) has become a diva.
Giuliana who is not an E! favourite under staffers, behind-the-scenes apparently "only talks to people she thinks are important" and has become notorious for tantrums over her wardrobe and styling when doing award show red carpet coverage.

■ Sky News (DStv 402) campaign to force televised debates between political candidates moves forward.
Sky News' Make Debates Happen petition finally gets 133 000 signatures from the public in the United Kingdom to force the British parliament and MPs to consider a motion for a debate to set up a commission to make televised debates with UK political party leaders a permanent TV fixture.

■ 15 TV shows that are still worth watching in 2019.

■ MultiChoice Zimbabwe having problems with their payment system for DStv subscribers in Zimbabwe.

■ The truth about TV sex scenes.

■ The trends that could shape TV viewing in 2019 from NPR's TV critic.

■ Cameroon censors and bans TV channel Vision 4 for a month.

■ Free TV sets! Hundreds of cargo ships containers that have flatscreen TV sets wash ashore on the Dutch islands bringing a windfall for treasure seekers.