Pawel Achtel doesn't film with any ordinary camera.
The Sydney-based cinematographer has invented his own; something smaller than an IMAX camera that packs an even greater punch.
"The camera films in over 18K," Achtel told 9news.com.au.
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"It's not designed to replace a standard cinema camera, it's there to replace an array of 10 of them... specifically for giant screens, immersive cinema and visual effects."
Achtel calls his creation the 9x7 Digital Cinema Camera.
Its small size - and the ability to use it underwater - caught the eye of James Cameron during the creation of the box office blockbuster Avatar 2.
Achtel has since used it to film everything from nature documentaries to VFX plates for the upcoming Equaliser 3.
Shots that piqued Samsung's interest as it was pressure-testing its line-up of 8K TVs for 2024.
"They actually needed some footage from my camera because existing 8K cameras didn't quite discern that detail with sufficient contrast for people to be able to see," Achtel said.
"(My camera) has a specialised sensor technology and records in an order of magnitude more data than a regular cinema camera... more so than 15x70mm film which used to be a benchmark."
"And you can actually see that detail with contrast that pops up on the screen."
Samsung, like Sony and LG, has launched a range of 8K or 4K models for 2024.
And like almost everything in consumer technology, this year's big selling point is AI.
For a long time, the technology in TVs has outstripped the quality of the content we've been watching. Unless you have a ridiculous internet connection, it's almost impossible to find top quality 8K content to download or stream.
But thanks to a new processor, Samsung's Simon Howe says they're getting closer to closing that gap for good.
"We can use AI to upscale the resolution of whatever content you're watching to get it as close to 8K as possible," explained the company's Australian director of Audio Visual.
"It's able to analyse the picture that's on the screen, whether it be textures, grass, etc and be able to optimise and enhance that quality all of the way up to 8K using AI and the processor we built in this year."
The processor is also designed to enhance sound and gaming, with all three AI enhancements being leveraged in Samsung's flagship TV for 2024.
Starting at $7530 AUD, Samsung's Neo QLED 8K Smart TV (QN900D) features the best of its AI enhancements and boasts a 240Hz refresh rate (as opposed to 120Hz on the cheaper QN800D).
The largest version of the QN900D measures 85-inches and costs $13,900
And yet, Samsung's most expensive TV in 2024 is a 4K model.
The company is offering three, 98-inch screens in Australia this year at its "most affordable" price point yet.
The cheapest, at $6755 AUD, is Samsung's 98" Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV.
On the other end of the scale, Samung's Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN90D) will set you back $15,172 AUD.
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"We're seeing such a big shift in the 85"+ segment of the market," said Howe.
"And 98" is definitely a size that Australians are adopting at a much faster rate."
Cinematographer Pawel Achtel reviews his footage on one of Samung's 85" displays.
"I bought it in the shop, I wasn't given one," he jokes during our interview.
"It's still a fraction of what the camera can do but it gives me a pretty good indication of quality assessment; any faults and vibration."
"It is a very good screen - it can be calibrated to give colours close to my reference monitor and that allows me to review the footage in maximum sharpness."
Even Achtel, whose own footage doesn't need any help from AI, says the technology will be critical in giving people a true cinema experience at home.
"Previously we'd have to go to IMAX for that experience.
"It's generative AI which means it puts in the detail that's not there originally.
"If you try to sharpen an image that doesn't have that detail it looks artificial - in film circles, we call it the cookie cutter effect - where it's sharpened but it's got artificial edges and it looks ugly to most cinematographers.
"AI can do better than that. AI can make the detail look natural, for the detail to actually be there in the first place.
"Here you can get a large screen, get very close to it and all of our peripheral vision is taken.
"So as a cinematographer I'm very excited and I am pursuing a couple of films that will definitely benefit from that technology."
See the full list of Samsung's 2024 TV line-up and its Australian pricing:
Neo QLED 8K Smart TV (QN900D):
- 85-inches RRP: $13,900
- 75-inches RRP: $10,427
- 65-inches RRP: $7530
Neo QLED 8K Smart TV (QN800D):
- 85-inches RRP: $10,444
- 75-inches RRP: $7541
- 65-inches RRP: $5569
Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN90D)
- 98-inches RRP: $15,172
- 85-inches RRP: $7585
- 75-inches RRP: $5835
- 65-inches RRP: $4668
OLED 4K Smart TV (S95D)
- 77-inches RRP: $9281
- 65-inches RRP: $5800
- 55-inches RRP: $4640
OLED 4K Smart TV (S90D)
- 77-inches RRP: $6976
- 65-inches RRP: $4999
- 55-inches RRP: $3837
The Samsung 98-inch TV range is available in Crystal UHD, Neo QLED and QLED.
- 98-inch Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN90D), RRP: $15172
- 98-inch QLED 4K Smart TV (Q80C), RRP: $11649
- 98-inch Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV (DU7700), RRP: $6755
Music Frame and soundbars
- Music Frame (LS60D), RRP: $749
- HW-Q990D Q-Series Soundbar, RRP: $2099
- HW-S800D S-Series Soundbar, RRP: $999
