Samsung is doubling down on quantum-dot technology - that it dubs Qled (Quantum Light-Emitting Diode) - to produce bright and vibrant-looking television sets.

Not to be confused with the latest Oled TV sets by rivals LG, Panasonic and Sony at CES, Samsung's Qled versions are basically conventional LCD-based sets enhanced by quantum dots, which are nano-sized particles that can produce highly saturated blues and reds.

This technology enables the development of high dynamic range (HDR) TV sets, because, according to DisplayMate president Raymond Soneira, quantum dots are "precisely tunable during manufacture, which means they can produce the exact colours needed for high image and picture-colour accuracy".

Samsung and other manufacturers already have TV sets using quantum-dot technology, such as last year's SUHD sets from Samsung.

In other words, Qled is a marketing term coined by Samsung for its 2017 crop of high-end TV sets. While Qled may be more snappy than the previous SUHD branding, it can easily be confused with Oled.

To improve on last year's TV sets, Samsung says it has introduced a new metallic alloy component to its quantum-dot technology, leading to deeper blacks and wider viewing angles. The new Qled sets are also much brighter than before with a peak brightness of 1,500 to 2,000 nits, and have a wide colour gamut with up to 100 per cent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space.

Qled sets are likely to be more cost effective to produce than Oled ones. Samsung is probably betting that consumers will go for the less expensive option.

Vincent Chang