OnePlus TV: OnePlus has plans to build its first smart TV in 2019Sep 17 (AZINS) While everyone is eagerly waiting for the upcoming OnePlus 6T, the company has announced that it has plans to enter the smart TV market.

CEO Pete Lau mentioned on a blog post, “We want to bring the home environment to the next level of intelligent connectivity. To do this, we are building a new product of OnePlus’ premium flagship design, image quality and audio experience to more seamlessly connect the home. We call it: OnePlus TV. We believe your TV has the potential to be so much more than where you watch your favorite shows.”

At the moment, there is no timeline provided to when exactly, the smart TV will launch. The OnePlus TV will also come with an AI-based assistant but, OnePlus did not mention whether this assistant will be developed in-house or by third-party assistants such as Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.

For most of us, there are four major environments we experience each day: the home, the workplace, the commute, and being on-the-move. The home - perhaps the most important environment experience - is just starting to enjoy the benefits of intelligent connectivity, Lau added.

At IFA 2018 this year, Samsung and LG unveiled their next generation of brighter televisions -- giant 8K sets. Anyone who likes to enjoy watching in high resolution has probably invested in a 4K set and is working their way through the Netflix and Amazon 4K shows that show off the television's capabilities. While many consider this the latest thing, South Korean tech rivals Samsung and LG have each showed off screen technology at the IFA tech event with even more pixels, brighter colors and unmatched contrasts.

Samsung unveiled the Q900R 8K QLED complete with 8K AI Upscaling, a television that will be available as soon as October in four giant sizes -- 65, 75, 82 and 85 inches. As for LG, it introduced an 8K OLED television that's even bigger -- a whopping 88 inches.

In short, QLED -- quantum dot technology on an LED panel -- is a layer of special particles, sitting in front of the backlight, which can emit their own individual colors. Samsung claims its quantum dot technology can bring over a billion shades to the screen.

OLED on the other hand doesn't require a backlight as the pixels themselves produce the light, hence the name, 'organic light emitting diode technology.' This generally allows screens to be thinner and flexible, attributes that LG have been making the most of, as the company revealed a 77-inch flexible screen earlier this year, as well as demonstrating a rollable 18-inch screen back in 2016.

It's all very well running to the shop and spending over $10,000 on the latest 80-something inch television, but if there isn't any 8K content to watch is it really worth it? For Samsung “8K AI Upscaling” seems to be the brand's solution to somewhat bridging the gap between the television and non-8K compatible content “regardless of the original source quality or format,” notes the firm. Therefore, as with 4K, those with the means to buy the latest hardware, won't have the television shows to match -- for now.

The Q900R 8K QLED will also feature a Real 8K Resolution capable of 4,000 nit peak brightness – a standard generally met by film studios. And like with all its premium models, there will be just one discrete cable for both the optical cable and power cord, as well as “One Remote” for a clutter-free way to control other connected devices.