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Samsung reveals pricing, release dates for its 'seductive' SUHD TVs

Samsung reveals pricing, release dates for its 'seductive' SUHD TVs

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Samsung's "seductive" SUHD 4K TVs are about to hit the market, but you won't get them cheap. The company has spent months talking up the plethora of colors and class-leading brightness that can be produced by the nano-cystal semiconductors in these sets, claiming that the output is far superior to anything consumers will see from the competition. Soon enough, you'll get to take a look for yourself. And remember that Samsung has switched up the software on its TVs this year; these are all running Tizen and powered by an octacore processor. Is that overkill for a TV? Perhaps, but hopefully it means you won't see lag when flipping through your picture settings or accessing Samsung's "smart" features. And Samsung is once again trying to future proof the higher-end, curved models with what it calls the One Connect box, which stores the TV's "brains" and can be swapped out in future years for more powerful chips and new technology standards.

None of these are what you'd call inexpensive

But again, these aren't inexpensive TVs. The top of the line JS9500 Curved SUHD line starts at $6,499.99 and is set to arrive this month. Samsung's not trying to compete with Vizio's cutthroat 4K pricing, though. The company is betting that consumers will pay more for the picture quality advancements and features like "Auto Depth Enhancer," which Samsung claims "analyzes images across the display and automatically adjusts contrast for a greater sense of depth." But across the line, thing never really get much cheaper. The J9100 series only comes in a 78-inch model that's priced at $9,999.99. It's only when you go flat that things get more affordable; the JS8500 series runs $2,999.99 for a 55-inch TV and $3,999.99 for 65 inches of SUHD glory. Those are available right now.

Once you get below that, you hit Samsung's "regular" UHD 4K curved sets. The most inexpensive of the bunch is the JU6700 series, which starts at $949.99 (40-inch), with bigger models — which you'd want for 4K content — priced at $1,499.99 (55-inch) and $2,699.99 (65-inch), respectively. Samsung's being vague about a release date on those, only saying "this spring." Keep in mine the farther down you drop in Samsung's new TV family, the more fancy picture enhancements you lose out on. Whether or not your eyes will notice any difference is for you to decide.

Samsung is also rolling out curved soundbars to go along with its curved TVs. These are basically paired according to screen size. Opt for Samsung's largest sets, and the company suggests the HW-J8500 — capable of 350 watt output — for $1,299.99. (That's a whole lot to pay for a soundbar, though Sony's proven that the investment can be worth it.) From there, others in the soundbar range from $799.99 down to $499.99.