An 8K TV beat all the 4K TVs in the race to become the first to support 4K at 240Hz, specifically the Samsung QN900D.

Last year, FlatpanelsHD reported that 240Hz 4K TVs are waiting in the wings.

Since then, we have seen a handful of TVs, including models from Vizio and TCL, that can receive and operate at 240Hz, but they are all limited to 240Hz at 1080p resolution. These models rely on a concept called Dual Line Gate (DLG) to achieve 240Hz at half the panel's vertical resolution, meaning 1080p on a 4K panel.


First TV capable of 4K 240Hz
So when Samsung told us during CES 2024 in January that its new 8K flagship, QN900D, would support 240Hz, we did not think much of it.

However, what Samsung did not mention at the time was that QN900D, powered by the upgraded NQ8 AI Gen3 video processor, supports 240Hz not only at 1080p but also at 4K, making it the first TV capable of 4K at 240Hz. No other 2024 Samsung TVs feature the NQ8 AI Gen3 processor.

In its review last week, Rtings confirmed that 4K 240Hz works as intended on QN900D.


 Samsung QN900D has very fast video processing, but the LCD panel's motion blur remains.

You need DSC
To handle the bandwidth required for 4K 240Hz over HDMI, the signal must be compressed using visually lossless Display Stream Compression (DSC). This means that the source device must also support DSC.

The first source devices to support 4K 240Hz via DSC over HDMI 2.1a include Nvidia's RTX 4080 and 4090 graphics cards as well as Apple's M2 Pro, M2 Max, M2 Ultra, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, as reported here.

While 240Hz is usually associated with gaming, it can also provide benefits for user interfaces, video and professional workflows, and help reduce eye strain. In gaming, Nvidia's RTX 4090 struggles to hit 4K 240Hz in graphically intense games but it is achievable in less demanding games such as Diablo 4.

 Also read: Samsung QD-OLED TVs now support HDMI 2.1 QMS


Prelude to 240Hz OLED TVs?
The question now becomes whether 4K 240Hz on QN900D – an LCD panel with slow response time – outperforms 4K 144Hz on an OLED TV. Our bet is on the latter, so we are more interested to learn if this might serve a teaser for 240Hz OLED TVs in 2025.

Current 4K TVs max out at 4K 144Hz. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X top out at 4K 120Hz.

Samsung QN900D – specifications
 FlatpanelsHD