@CaptnSpauldingwrote: Well, here we go guys. Official confirmation from Samsung that they will never support HLG on iPlayer -    https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2018/02/23/samsung-confirms-no-bbc-iplayer-hdr-support-for-its-2016-tvs-and-explains-why/#31fe1df82e4b Well, if true then that shows a spectacular disconnect from the rest of the industry.   DVB-DASH was standardised back in 2014, and at the time IBC and NAB (the two trade fairs) were full of the convergence of IP and broadcast services via various standards initiatives. The BBC's R&D efforts in this space have all been well publicised, and the early BBC UHD technology trials even used DVB-DASH to run the Brazil World Cup to selected DTT transmitters in the UK in 2014. It's not as though someone suddenly sprang this on Samsung.   Bottom line for me: Samsung are clearly not prepared to rectify whatever the problem is (they've already got our money) and so we'll never see 4K or HDR capable iplayer on these TVs. They clearly don't believe any advserse publicity from this will materially affect them, and are now focused on selling their 2018 TV's to anyone they can. That's their choice, and mine will be to never buy from or recommend Samsung again in the future. Their hardware may be good, but their software and respect for their customers is not.   Now I need to work out how to attach the right smart devices to my KS to get the content I want.    ... View more

I'm a bit late to the party, but thought you'd be interested in the result of my pursuing the BBC to understand what are the options for streaming devices that I can attach to my UE55KS7000, that will provide support for 4K HLG HDR iPlayer. They were initially rather evasive, but the ultimate response was:   Thanks for contacting BBC iPlayer Support. I understand that you're unable to access Blue Planet II UHD on 2016 Samsung TV. Unfortunately no connected devices are compatible. This is a second UHD trial, following our earlier Planet Earth II clip, to help make sure all audiences can enjoy the next generation of high quality TV in future. It’s still a work in progress for Ultra HD and HDR content and we’re working closely with the industry to make sure our content is as widely available as possible. If we are able to add any new devices to this trial we’ll update the list of devices on the BBC iPlayer FAQ page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/latest-news/blue-planet-II-uhd. That said, the trial will end on 16 January so no UHD content will be avialable after this date. Once again, thanks for taking the time to contact us. Kind regards Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx BBC iPlayer Support Team So sounds like the BBC don't know of any way to get the full iPlayer HLG HDR 4k experience with a 2016 Samsung TV either. ... View more

I suspect Samsung have discovered that most people don't buy very expensive TV's particularly often, which is presumably hitting their profitability. The addition of the advertising into the smart hub taskbar to try to create a new revenue stream is another clue to that.   Their hope is presumably that in exchange for a 30% discount, you'll keep buying Samsung every two years, funded by a credit agreement with them. Apple are doing the same thing with iPhones, as do most car manufacturers. They may make less outright profit on each device, but it keeps you (locked) within their brand and keeps their revenues flowing, which helps to keep them in the game.   I'm not a fan of the approach, as I suspect it drives unecessary consumption that results in yet more environmental impact. ... View more

I'm another very annoyed Samsung owner that registered just to post this comment.   I bought a 2016 UE55KS7000 just over 12 months ago on strength of the many positive reviews, and the fact that it was certified as an Ultra HD Premium device. Like many people in the UK, I tend to get a lot of my content from the iPlayer, so it's presence on the device was a key part of my purchasing decision. The upgradable nature of the KS7000 firmware and apps, and comments from Samsung about adding HLG support that were widely reported by What HiFi & TV and others reassured me that although I was spending a lot of money, I was buying something futureproof.    And, apart from a simply horrible HDMI-CEC implementation and the embedded taskbar adverts, my experience of the TV has been great.  But now it seems that after only 12 months I won't be able to access what is likely to be the primary source for 4K media in the UK. And having had a quick look at the BBC R&D webpages, I can see no obvious technical reason why most "smart" devices (including those from 2014/15/16) that have upgradable firmware and apps cannot be made to support this.   Which leaves me with the feeling that Samsung just don't want to spend the money to support their existing customers once they have newer devices on the market.  So count me as another technology recommender that will never buy nor recommend anything from Samsung again. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." ... View more