Samsung Shows New LED LCD TVs

[Scooby Blu]

Samsung demonstrated at its Holidays in July product show this week a new two-model flagship LED LCD TV series. As Samsung’s second-generation with LED backlighting and local dimming, the product now uses 120Hz technology and also effectively doubles its predecessors’ dynamic contrast ratio.

The Series 9, slated to ship in August and sell through limited distribution including PRO Group members, Magnolia AV and other select A/V specialists, according to Samsung’s Dave Das, senior manager for visual display product marketing, will come in 46- and 55-inch sizes at $3,199 and $4,199, respectively. Added to the sets’ features roster is a highly marketable 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio specification. Their 120Hz technology is enhanced by black-bar scrolling, and the sets can now achieve a four-millisecond panel response time, he said.

The models also carry another incarnation of Samsung’s cosmetically distinctive Touch of Color; their bezels are tinged with a charcoal grey that serves to differentiate them on the sales floor from nearby competitors. InfoLink and WiseLink Pro technologies enable digital content management directly through the sets.

Das also said that the sets’ “green aspects” – namely, their mercury-free LED backlights and their EnergySaving Mode that adjusts the backlight brightness to low, medium or high to reduce power consumption when appropriate, will be advertised to consumers. Even the infusion method by which the color is added into the bezels, he said, is a “greener” way to go than by painting on the color, resulting in lower CO2 emissions during the manufacturing process.

He added that the sets will command about a $300 to $400 premium over similarly sized sets in Samsung’s Series 7.

The company has also earmarked for August release its MediaLive extender ($200), which permits Samsung HDTV owners to easily view content stored on a single PC running either Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate. Up to five of these extenders can work with the PC either via HDMI CEC cables or wirelessly. The extenders can also allow consumers to access various paid online services like CinemaNow and Vongo.

Samsung also displayed and demonstrated the Tru2way DVR STB model SMT-H3090, a dual-tuner digital video recorder that will allow cable subscribers to watch and record two high-definition programs at the same time. The first iteration of this box, due out in Q4, said Rich Long, senior manager of the Digital STB Group, will be sold directly to Time Warner Cable and is at the integration testing stage with Comcast, with other cable companies expected to come on board thereafter. He added that a more fully featured piece may be introduced at a later date for retail sale.

Also exhibited was the LN40620A1, the world’s first integrated LCD Tru2way high-definition TV, featuring a built-in card slot. To be released for the holiday sales season in 40- and 32-inch 60Hz versions with pricing as yet undetermined, the sets are suitable for second- and third-TV locations through the home, said Long. No HDMI cable hookup is needed and all functions are controllable through a single included remote.