If you're a TV buyer with a budget as enormous as your dreams, we have a set for you: the new Samsung UN105S9W, a 105-inch UHD TV with a curved, 21:9 screen and a $120,000 price tag. And it's now available for pre-order this week.
The TV, which we saw at CES, is a follow-up to the company's $40,000 85-inch set introduced last year. That means that for the price of the 105-incher, you could buy two of the 85-inch UHD sets, plus a regular 65-inch 1080p TV, and still have enough money left over for a decent car and gas money—which you'll probably need when you get kicked out of the house for spending so much money on TVs.
If you do buy this set, you'll get the white-glove treatment from a Samsung field engineer, who'll come to your home, explain the TV's features, help you optimize it for your viewing environment, and, presumably, whip up the first batch of popcorn.
Other than its ginormous size, the TV has a few unique features, including a curved screen with a 21x9 aspect ratio and 5120x2160 resolution to accommodate the extra screen width. These 21:9 TVs are likely to appeal to movie buffs, as they let you watch the many Blu-ray movies that are shot in the wider 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 aspect ratios without "letterboxing"—having black bars appear above and below the image.
That also means that regular 16:9 high-def programs, such as those from cable or satellite TV service providers, appear as "pillar boxed" images, with black bars appearing on either side. But thanks to Samsung’s Quad Screen Multi-Link feature, you can divide the screen into four quadrants so you can watch live TV, stream video and access the Web, all at once.
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As you'd expect, given its price, the TV is loaded with features, including a quad-core processor, Samsung's smart TV platform with access to lots of online content and apps, and Samsung’s UHD Dimming and Precision Black technology, which claims to deliver deeper blacks and brighter whites. Like other UHD models, the UN105S9W has a separate One Connect Box that houses the TV's brains and connection; the box can be replaced to upgrade the set to newer features and technologies.
Despite its size, the TV is quite attractive, with a metallic frame and super narrow bezel, and a sparse curved back panel that sports a wood finish. The TV can be removed from the stand and wall mounted, but you'll have to spring extra for the special mount.
At CES, LG Electronics also showed a 105-inch UHD TV, but we haven't yet heard any details about price or availability. We'll let you know when we do.
—James K. Willcox
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