LET'S call it bragging rights. That's what shelling out $40,000 gets you when you buy Samsung's slick new S9 85-inch television.
It's the latest set on the Australian market to offer so-called "ultra-high definition" picture quality, which is four times the resolution of high-definition TV and something akin to cinema quality.
But, with little fine-resolution UHD-quality content available for domestic use, the S9 initially will be offering an ability to turn your neighbours' faces green.
Samsung Australia's vice-president, consumer electronics, Philip Newton last week said the Korean manufacturer would provide buyers with enough UHD content to impress the neighbours, so green faces are 100 per cent assured.
That's if you manage to get the TV with its easel-frame through the door or into a lift if you live in a high rise .
Even if you live in a house, the 200.4cm wide by 162.4cm high TV could look too intimidating and dominant in a small lounge room.
What's more, its 85-inch screen is likely this year to be outsized by 95-inch and 110-inch-screen models that Samsung may bring to market.
As for paying $40,000, a big price tag always goes with being an early adopter, but it is hardly outrageous when compared to some enormous TV price tags, such as the 2010, 55-inch Supreme Rose Edition Prestige HD TV that was priced at $US2 million ($1.95m). It is framed in alligator skin, gold and diamonds. The comparison might sooth some hip-pocket worries.
There are cheaper options. Last year, Sony launched its 84-inch Bravia, KD-84X9000, with a price tag of $24,999, while rival Korean manufacturer LG Electronics' 84-inch 3D TV costs $15,999. Both are UHD TVs.
There are reports of dirt-cheap ultra-high definition sets, such as Seiki's 50-inch UHD TV, for just $1300. But it is much smaller and reports suggest picture quality is not so fantastic.
For the moment, production and distribution of UHD content is a headache. Sony, through subsidiary Sony Pictures Entertainment, is best placed to offer content because the resolution of cinema-quality movies is similar, but not identical, to UHD.
It intends to release some motion pictures as UHD to US customers. Samsung hopes to provide UHD content through agreements with other movie production companies. Creating UHD content is one problem; getting it to viewers is another.
Manufacturers plan to ship hard-disk drives with UHD content, which sounds cumbersome. But the longer-term distribution mode will be Australia's fibre network and NBN Co is confident it can deliver UHD content to local viewers under the National Broadband Network models of both Labor and the Coalition.
Next year's soccer World Cup in Brazil looms as a headline UHD event.
SAMSUNG S9 ULTRA-HD TV
• A huge 200.4cm x 162.4cm television with an 85-inch display offering four times the resolution of high-definition TV.
• The $40,000 price tag includes a premium package: delivery and installation, a half-day tutorial and a dedicated phone number for support.
• For the next five years, a special circuit board called a smart evolution kit can be plugged into the set to fully update it to a current model.
