Samsung Electronics has promised to bring bonus content to its TV customers, including exclusive scenes from Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, in native 8K resolution.
The announcement is part of Samsung’s plan to kick-start sales of it 8K TVs, which have barely gotten off the ground more than four years after they were first launched. The idea is to partner with content creators to create exclusive 8K footage for 8K TVs owners. Having previously debuted Das Boot in 8K format, it’s now doing the same for The Rings of Power premiere on Amazon Prime.
The company said it will be the first TV manufacturer to provide series content in 8K via a “custom sneak peak with exclusive scenes”. Apparently, viewers with 8K TVs will have the chance to “experience the epic journey in unimaginable depth and detail” on Samsung’s Neo QLED 8K TVs and “The Wall”, which is an 8K resolution MicroLED display.
So in other words, it won’t be the entire series that’s shown in 8K. It’s also not clear which generations of Samsung’s 8K TVs will be compatible. With Das Boot, the 8K footage was only available on models from 2020 and onwards. That’s because Samsung’s first 8K TV was introduced in 2018, before the required standards for video interfaces and video decoding, such as HDMI 2.1, were available.
As for what this “bonus content” actually is, we’ll have to wait and see. All Samsung would say is that it will include “exclusive scenes”, and it did not mention if they will be available in HDR format or not. The good news is that Samsung will provide more details “soon”, which could be at the IFA 2022 show that takes place next month.
"Collaborations such as this mark a major milestone in bringing 8K – the most premium display technology – to the forefront for viewers," said Simon Sung, EVP and Head of the Sales & Marketing Team, Samsung Electronics VDB. "For the first time, fans can experience the stunning imagery of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Samsung Neo QLED 8K TVs."
For those who want an early look, it's possible to watch 25 minutes’ worth of highlights from the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, on Samsung’s public LED video walls in New York City’s Times Square, London’s Piccadilly Circus and Milan’s Piazza del Duomo.
“When considering how to immerse our global fans in the world of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Samsung’s exceptional technology and screens felt like a natural fit," said Andrew Bennett, VP of Global Device Partnerships at Prime Video. "Samsung’s depth, detail, and incredible passion for the series has started us on an amazing journey together – one we can’t wait for audiences to experience."
