What we needed was a TV big enough for 120 people. It had to be smart so we could stream finales of the dramas “Melting Me Softly” and “Vagabond.” We got a Samsung 82” Q90R QLED 4K TV.
It was the centerpiece of the Super K Viewing Party for Lee Seung-gi Philippines and Ji Chang-wook Philippines in November. It came with an HW-Q70R Soundbar with Dolby Atmos. It looked bad ass.
The challenge of using it came early. The Inquirer Read-Along was holding a festival the day before in the same venue. We thought we could not set up the television early. Until we were told we can use it as a replacement for the projector and white screen.
We did not expect the convenience it would bring for the annual reading festival. Because it can connect to another device via Bluetooth, we were able to run the visual presentations without the limitations of having to connect the laptop to the projector with a wire. It meant that no one had to sit with the children and block their views to project scanned images of the books on the white screen.The images were far superior than the projector’s, too. The letters were clearer and more readable. Not one parent had to squint. Like most smart TVs, Netflix was already installed in the Q90R. We only had to connect to Wi-Fi, input our account details and we were ready to stream “Vagabond.”
The drama “Melting Me Softly” was streamed on Viu and we had to download it first from Samsung Apps Store. Viu had a QR code that we had to scan with our premium account from our phone. One click and we were connected to its Korean entertainment library. We moved the two apps in a place of prominence in favorite apps for easy access. We also tried mirror casting just in case we will have problems with the connection. It worked but we never had the need for it. That is not the only means of connection that we tested. We did not find any issues running in-house videos from USB. It’s very comfortable to move from one app to another with a touch of the remote control. The highlight, of course, was when we started watching the dramas. A person did not have to sit front and center to experience the clear images the television had to offer. Whatever the angle, wherever a person was seated, the video quality remained the same. The audience fully enjoyed the HD quality of the videos that the streaming apps were sharing.
The same goes for the sound bar. The quality was consistent wherever a person was seated inside the Multipurpose Room of Inquirer. Explosions in “Vagabond” felt like it was happening in front of us.
It was a first for us to watch 4K videos with a 4K TV and seeing the realistic details on the screen was truly amazing. But what was truly fun to watch with it were K-Pop videos. We played BTS, EXO, Pentagon, iKon, Twice and BlackPink. We fell in love with the Q90R during the weekend we spent time with it.
Perhaps, the only thing to consider if you decide to get television this size is if you have the space for it.