Samsung made a surprise announcement today with the unveiling of a new outdoor TV line, called The Terrace. The outdoor TV brings Samsung's QLED display quality and full-featured smart TV platform to the great outdoors with a sleek looking weather-proof design and optional outdoor soundbar. The Terrace is the first outdoor 4K TV we've seen from a major TV manufacturer, and positions Samsung to compete against specialty manufacturers like SunBriteTV and Evervue.
The Terrace will be available in three sizes, ranging from 55 inches up to 75 inches, and starting at $3,499 for the smallest model. The new outdoor TV is available for preorder today, with Amazon listing the 65-inch model for $4,949 and the 75-inch set for $6,740. BestBuy is also listing the 75-inch model for $4,999, a steep discount from the $6,499 suggested retail price.
| Model number | Screen size | MSRP |
| QN55LST7TAFXZA | 55-inch | $3,499 |
| QN65LST7TAFXZA | 65-inch | $4,999 |
| QN75LST7TAFXZA | 75-inch | $6,499 |
Samsung also will offer an accessory all-weather soundbar for use with the TVs, though pricing has not been announced at the time of this writing.
Premium TV comes outside
Each set boasts the 4K resolution and quantum-dot enhancements seen on Samsung's flagship 4K QLED TVs, as well as Samsung's Quantum Processor. However, features like adaptive brightness and full array backlight with local dimming take on a special importance here, since viewing on a patio or deck will mean compensating for sunlight, as well as ambient light.
Made for outdoor viewing, the Terrace ramps up the brightness of Samsung's QLED panels to 2,000 nits, and utilizes anti-reflection technology that the company claims will cut reflectivity down to a 2% reflection rate for clear viewing even in bright sunlight. The adaptive display technology will also sense the light levels around the TV, adjusting for either daylight or nighttime conditions as appropriate.
The Terrace is made to handle the dust and water that normally kills traditional TVs when placed outdoors, and the set has an IP55 rating, so even a spray from a hose shouldn't be a problem for this outdoor set. The remote control is actually slightly more waterproof than that, with an IP56 rating that should handle everything but a dunk in the pool.
Unlike many of the outdoor TVs we've reviewed in years past, the Terrace should look pretty svelte and polished. The display will be framed with a slim 10-millimeter (0.39-inch) bezel, and will measure just 59-millimeters (2.32 inches) deep. The finish is a matte black that Samsung calls Titan Black, and if press photos are any indication, it should be a lot more stylish than the ruggedized paints and liner coatings used by other outdoor manufacturers.
Innovative features
Samsung is also adding some smart new features to the outdoor TV to make setup and use as simple as possible.
The biggest addition is HDBaseT, a newer connectivity standard that allows a TV's power cable to also transmit ultra-high-definition video, audio and Ethernet alongside 100 watts of power. Think of it as powerline networking applied to home theater, letting you connect all of the devices in your living room to the outdoor TV without having to run a bundle of separate cables. All of the data and power is sent along one cable, and this one-cable solution should greatly simplify the cabling requirements of your outdoor TV.
The set also supports RS232 and IP control support, though those are features that will be more useful to professional installers than the average end-user.
The Terrace is also a fully-equipped QLED TV, on par with Samsung's Q-Series TVs in many respects. This means that each TV features Samsung's Tizen smart TV software, including Ambient Mode+, a robust ecosystem of apps and content, and compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart speakers along with Samsung's own Bixby voice assistant.
Outdoor sound
While each TV boasts 20-watt stereo speakers, the Terrace TVs also can be used with an accessory soundbar, the Terrace HW-LST70T All-Weather Soundbar.
Built to complement the outdoor set with similarly stylish and IP-55 rugged design, the soundbar includes a mounting kit for attaching to the TV and a wall-kit for traditional mounting. The Terrace soundbar connects over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to simplify setup and installation, and has a distortion-cancelling design that's optimized for outdoor use.
Inside is a wide-range tweeter, used to provide a wider sweet spot for listening, and a 210-watt woofer provides deep, rich bass. The soundbar also has a dedicated center channel speaker to deliver clearer dialogue than standard stereo soundbars can offer.
