MediaTek MT9638 is a new chipset for TVs with 4K support

MediaTek is well known due to its smartphone chipsets. It lost relevance some years ago but is reconquering it with style thanks to its Helio G-series and 5G enabled Dimensity lineup. While the company is on the headlines due to its new competitive Dimensity chips, the brand also has a wide array of other products. Today, the Taiwanese-based chipmaker is taking the wraps off from its MT9638 chipset meant for 4K smart TVs.

Although 4K capabilities are pretty much outstanding, the chipset has a set of other interesting features. It brings a bunch of AI-powered features such as Super Resolution, Picture Quality, and Voice Assistant. The infamous MEMC (Motion Estimation Motion Compensation) is also on board. Another interesting feature for gamers is the variable refresh rate support, which allows this chip to be present on gaming-oriented smart TVs.

MediaTek MT9638 specifications

So what about the technical specifications of the new chipset? The MediaTek MT9638 packs a Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU running up to 1.5GHz. It’s great to see that MediaTek is not using the old Cortex-A53 standard in favor of the newer power-efficient Cortex-A55. Apart from the CPU, there is also a dedicated APU. For those unaware, it is an AI Processing Unit that will ensure all the AI capabilities of this chipset. It gets aid from a Mali-G52 MC1 GPU and can do real-time content and scene recognition. As a result, the APU can automatically adjust the saturation, brightness, sharpness, and noise reduction on the fly.

The AI super-resolution feature, on the other hand, upscale the resolution of a video to the native 4K and in combination with the MEMC will reproduce high-resolution videos. Other important features include 4K@60fps video playback. The TV-centric chip supports HEVC, VP9, and AVI1. It also includes HDR10+ support with up to 2,304 backlight dimming sones. When it comes to audio, the chipset offers support for Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X.

When it comes to connectivity, the chipset comes with support for HDMI 2.1a, meaning that TVs with the MediaTek MT9638 will be a great choice for the new consoles. It also comes with Wi-Fi 6 support and a faster USB 3.0.

Although the chipset is promising, it may take a while to show up in the shelves. MediaTek states that the first products featuring the new chip will be available in Q2 2021. It means anytime between April and June 2021.