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AI processing is all over 2024 TVs, but I’m

not convinced
Opinion
By James Davidson published about 17 hours ago

Is AI really the future we need?

The LG G4 (pictured) at CES2024 will feature the Alpha 11 AI processor, which brings even more AI picture
processing with it. (Image credit: Future)

CES 2024 is over, but there were plenty of exciting announcements in the
world of TV, including LG’s wireless, transparent OLED and Samsung’s
transparent mini-LED display. Alongside this, major brands including LG,
Samsung and more showed that OLED and mini-LED screens were the
primary focus going forward (for now at least).

One word that dominated CES 2024 was AI. In whatever sector it was, be it
computing, phones, entertainment and even electric vehicles, AI was
everywhere and companies couldn’t get enough of it. Evidently we've
learned nothing from HAL 9000 or the new Mission: Impossible, and now
every company seems to be trying to embrace it in different ways to take
products in a new direction.

With this in mind, it was only a matter of time before AI was more heavily
integrated into TV pictures (machine-learning 'AI' tech has been used in TV Advertisement

processing for a while). On most TVs, there are already a myriad of settings
and preset picture modes built-in for users to adjust the picture as to how
they see fit. However, TV companies have been using AI to adapt pictures in
recent years and 2024 seems to be the year where everyone wants you to
know it.

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1/16/24, 8:48 PM AI processing is all over 2024 TVs, but I’m not convinced | TechRadar
I’m not on board, at least not yet. I’m all for new technology to improve TV
screens, such as QD-OLED and micro lens array (MLA) tech that can be
found on some of the best TVs on the market, but the use of AI to
intelligently adapt a picture just doesn’t sit right or look right to me, and
here’s why.

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AI picture processing, such as the AI Picture Pro featured on LG’s TVs, new starting to sound like Windows
AI picture features on Samsung's 8K model (more on that below) and other 12 won’t happen
AI upscaling or picture adjustment features were common announcements
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I first came across AI picture options when working in AV retail, mainly with Advertisement
LG’s AI Picture Pro feature (this happened to be because LG is very popular
and touted the AI Picture and Sound Pro modes proudly) and even at the
time, I had reservations with AI Picture Pro. Comparing pictures with AI
Picture Pro mode turned on vs off and using more neutral presets such as
Filmmaker or Movie mode as an alternative, movies just looked more
natural on the usual movie presets rather than the AI Picture mode.

This is the main problem I have with AI picture processing – it looks too
artificial. Quite often AI processing will ‘sharpen’ an image to give it the
impression of a more refined and detailed picture or upscale if it’s lower-
res, but quite often it looks unnatural and too sharp, with edges and
textures sticking out like a sore thumb, giving that fake-looking
appearance, and when you’ve splashed out on one of the best OLED TVs,
that’s not what you want.

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I always found the LG G3 (pictured) to look best on Filmmaker or Movie mode rather than AI Picture Pro.
(Image credit: Future)

LG has announced it’s adding more features to its AI Picture Pro for 2024,
especially on its new Alpha 11 AI processor which is featured in its LG M4
and LG G4 OLED TVs, such as ‘Director Tone’, where AI will analyze the
picture on screen to match to what the ‘director intended’, according to LG,
down to the intended emotional response. This sounds dangerously open
to AI's interpretation of 'as the director intended' and could end up looking
artificial or overly saturated. We'll have to test this feature when we can get
our hands on it, but I'm really not sure that the director's intention needs
any more emphasizing than the version you get in Filmmaker Mode (which,
lest we forget, was supposed to give you the movies as the director
intended).

There’s also features like object detection and ‘AI Super Upscaling’, which
again could lead into dangerous territory. What if you’re watching
something older or intentionally grainy and AI deems it as noise and cleans
it up, removing the more authentic image and giving it that artificial look
again.

LG is far from alone in this. Samsung also unveiled its 2024 mini-LED TV
lineup and featured in this was the NQ8 AI Gen3 chip, which is in the
Samsung QN900D, its flagship 8K mini-LED TV. The new chip gives AI 8K
Upscaling Pro, which upscales 4K and lower-res images to 8K, and AI
Motion Enhancer Pro to smooth images such as sports by using AI to
analyze what sport is being played. The problem is, as you’ll hear from
TechRadar’s Matt Bolton below via TikTok, "it doesn’t look good" and gives
off "uncanny valley" vibes (giving a sense of artificial/robot-like quality to
the image). He compares it to motion smoothing, as something you'll
probably want to turn off.

@techradar
♬ drowning (slowed + reverb) - Vague003
To be honest, this is unsurprising. Although it's great that Samsung is trying
to make 8K TVs exciting again by suggesting its 8K upscaling will do an even
better job of making low-res images appear in ultra hi-resolution, it's not a
massive shock that for it to achieve this, it tweaks the image to the point
that it gives off that robotic and unnatural appearance when it's turned on,
something that seems to be a trend with these AI picture settings. They're
starting to look to close to AI art, which often comes close to being photo-
realistic, but looks wrong in motion.

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1/16/24, 8:48 PM AI processing is all over 2024 TVs, but I’m not convinced | TechRadar

OLED TVs such as the Panasonic MZ2000 (pictured) don't need such a high level of AI processing to give
fantastic picture quality. (Image credit: Future)

Final thoughts
It sounds like I have a downer on AI in TVs and I’d like to make it clear, I
don’t. Some of the touted AI features, such as tweaking the game
optimizer/game mode settings based on the genre sounds like an
extremely useful features on the best gaming TVs. I’m happy to be proven
wrong if these AI features can make strides to improve the picture without
interfering with it.

Panasonic has announced that for 2024, its elite new OLED TVs too will be
using new AI processors and tech to improve the picture in its TVs, such as
the 4K Remaster Engine which is introduced in its new HCX AI Mk II
processor will aim to reduce noise when using the best streaming services.

Panasonic has always offered a more natural image to me, especially last
year’s Panasonic MZ2000, and that certainly isn't because of AI. It's because
Panasonic provides tons of picture settings and picture modes for people
to play with to get the picture to what they want.

Thankfully, in a lot of cases, you can ignore these AI enhancements and

modes. If you opt for one of LG’s OLEDs, such as last year’s brilliant LG G3
or C3, you still get a beautiful picture without touching AI Picture Pro. The
same goes for Samsung, Sony and any other brands out there. If you like
the AI features in your TV, then by all means use them – and as I said
above, I’m happy to be proven wrong when we get the 2024 TVs in our
testing labs. But, from what I’ve heard and experienced so far, AI
processing on TVs still won't excited me in 2024.

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James Davidson
TV Hardware Staff Writer, Home Entertainment

James is the TV Hardware Staff Writer at TechRadar. Before joining the

team, he worked at a major UK based AV retailer selling TV and audio
equipment, where he was either telling customers the difference
between OLED and QLED or being wowed by watching a PS5 run on the
LG 65G2. When not writing about the latest TV tech, James can be
found gaming, reading, watching rugby or coming up with another idea
for a novel.

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