It's nearly that time of year again: TV Shootout time, that is! For 18 years, independent Audio Video retailer Value Electronics has pitted the latest top-of-the-line TVs against each other in a battle (to the death!) to see which display reigns supreme. Flagship 8K TVs and 4K TVs from LG, Sony and Samsung will compete against each other for the top prize, and only one will be crowned the King of TVs for 2022. Well, OK, actually there will be two kings this year - an 8K King and a 4K King - but I digress...
All of the latest cutting edge TV technologies will be on display (pun intended). We'll see 8K OLED, 4K OLED, Quantum Dot OLED, QLED, MiniLED, Quantum Dot MiniLED -- a veritable cornucopia of tech jargon and acronyms. All sets under evaluation will undergo full calibration by a team of professional calibrators before being judged by a panel of experts. The judges include professional colorists, film finishers, TV reviewers, and video scientists, each highly regarded within their respective fields.
Test content will include test patterns, movies and video clips, each selected to highlight the most challenging aspects of video reproduction. The judges will look at each display's contrast, color fidelity, color saturation, absolute brightness, motion resolution and shadow detail. Performance in both dark and bright rooms will be reviewed so that real world viewing conditions are considered.
The 2022 Shootout event will be co-hosted by Consumer Electronics publication Dealerscope and it will be MCed by our friend Caleb Denison, Editor at Large of Digital Trends. In addition to providing an overview of each TV model and the underlying technologies, Caleb will explain the purpose of each test and clip so that attendees know what to look for. Engineering experts and executives from LG, Sony and Samsung will be available at the event to drill down on the specifics of each of their TVs.
This year, the event organizers have decided to separate the event into two separate competitions: the 4K TVs will compete on day one, while the 8K TVs will compete on day two. This allows each display to compete on a level playing field.
4K TVs competing in day 1 of the 2022 TV Shootout:
8K TVs competing in day 2 the 2022 TV Shootout:
The TV Shootout event was originally conceived by Robert Zohn, president of Value Electronics, and he has been hosting it every year since. "This is a must-see event for all who are interested in the best video displays" said Zohn. "We are excited to have two separate categories, 4K and 8K TVs, so the public can see how each display compares in these competitive classes. At the conclusion of the second day we will put the winners of the 4K and 8K TV Shootout next to each other to demonstrate the visual perception of the differences we can all see between these two top of class 2022 TVs."
The 2022 TV Shootout will be held at The Company Building in New York City on July 30th and 31st. The 4K TV competition will take place on Saturday (9:00 AM to 6:00 PM) and the 8K TV Shootout will follow on Sunday (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM). Out of an abundance of caution for COVID19 and its variations, event organizers are limiting in-person attendance. But don't let that stop you from joining in: the entire event will be streamed live on YouTube. Also, remote attendees will be able to ask questions of the experts via the YouTube comment section.
The TV Shootout live stream will be available here: http://www.YouTube.com/SpareChange
Having attended and covered the TV Shootout in the past (from the 2011 TV Shootout to the 2019 TV Shootout), I can honestly say that the event presents us with a unique opportunity. We get to see the highest performing TVs, reproducing the most challenging video content side by side, so we can really see how each of them performs against the competition. So be sure to tune in on YouTube on July 30-31 so you can follow along.
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