THE FRONT LINE: APRIL 2009
Samsung’s 2009 Spring Fever Show
The third floor of the Time-Warner Center in New York showcased some cool new HDTVs from Samsung.
The trend towards thinner TVs really picked up steam this year at CES, and Samsung showed it intends to be a major player in that market at its annual line show. But “thin” is just part of the equation.
The real attention-grabber is a new line of LED-equipped sets, first seen at CES 2009. Samsung has adopted edge-lit white LEDs with color filters to replace traditional cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) and there are not one, not two, but nine so-equipped 1080p HDTVs in the new line.
There are three series — 8000, 7000, and 6000. The crown jewel is Samsung’s 55-inch UN55B8000 ($3,999 MSRP), and it’s equipped with 240Hz motion processing, four HDMI inputs (CEC compatible) as well as Samsung’s Medi@2.0 networking system. This OS includes an Internet-delivered content service with Yahoo! Widgets, an internal content library using 1 GB of flash memory, and DLNA-compatibility for home media servers. There’s also a 46-inch variation (UN46B8000, $3,299).
Figure 1. I’ve seen the future of LCD TV…and it’s LED-powered widgets?
The 7000-series drops 240Hz for 120Hz motion processing, but keeps all the other features in the 55-inch UN55B7000 ($3,799), 46-inch UN46B7000 ($2,999), and 40-inch UN40B7000 ($2,499). Stepping down one more level, the 6000-series leaves out Medi@2.0 and DLNA compatibility in the 55-inch UN55B6000 ($3,599), 46-inch UN46B6000 ($2,799), 40-inch UN40B6000 ($2,299), and 32-inch UN32B6000 ($1,599).
At first glance, that would appear to be too many LED-equipped models, particularly when you consider the thin price spreads from one series to the next within the same screen size. Several models are priced below $3,000 and you can be certain that the usual discounting will push them closer to $2,000, making for a very crowded playing field later this year.
Samsung is still supporting CCFL-equipped LCD TVs. For 2009, there are ten HDTVs in two lines (Series 6 and Series 7), ranging in sizes from 19 inches to 52 inches, and three of them incorporate 240Hz motion correction. Eight of them are equipped with network connections, and the entire lineup is Energy Star 3.0-compliant.
At the top of the heap is the LN52B750 ($2,899 MSRP), equipped with a CCFL backlight, four HDMI inputs with CEC, and the Medi@2.0 OS. You’ll also find these features on the LN46B750 ($2,399) and LN40B750 ($1,999).
Dropping down one level, there’s the LN55B650 ($2,999), which also comes with four HDMI inputs, Ethernet connections, and 120Hz motion processing. This series also has Touch of Color accents. There are also 46-inch (LN46B650, $2,099), 40-inch (LN40B650, $1,999), 37-inch (LN37B650, $1,299), and 32-inch (LN32B650, $1,199) models. The 22-inch (LN22B650, $469), and 19-inch (LN19B650, $349) are somewhat stripped-down with only one HDMI input and no 120Hz processing.
Note that there aren’t any 52-inch LCD TVs in the line this year. Is that because they can’t compete with 50-inch plasma? Or is the reason that 52 inches isn’t enough of a jump from 46 inches, in terms of screen size and/or price? (Panasonic found that 46-inch plasma sets don’t sell all that well for the same reason.)
Speaking of plasma, Samsung’s a believer and unveiled six new models that measure about an inch in thickness. A new enclosed bezel is supposed to have a prismatic effect and is also embedded with the Touch of Color accent. The Series 860 plasmas come in two sizes — 50 and 58 inches — and incorporate CinemaSmooth 24p processing, Ultra FilterBright Plus anti-glare technology, and the Media@2.0 package with DLNA-compatible Ethernet port. Look for the PN58B860 ($3,499) and PN50B860 ($2,399) in June.
The PN58B850 ($3,399) and PN50B850 ($2,299) retain all of these features and substitute Ultra FilterBright front glass coatings. Both lines offer four rear-panel HDMI 1.3 inputs with CEC and a pair of USB 2.0 jacks for viewing JPEGs and MPEG videos. The entry-level plasma slots are filled this year by the 58-inch PN58B650 ($2,899) and 50-inch PN50B650 ($1,799), which also include Medi@2.0, DLNA compatibility, and four HDMI inputs.
Once again, from this perspective, that’s a lineup with almost insignificant pricing increments. Most of those models will be priced in the low $2K range before long. More significantly, Samsung has bid adieu to the 42-inch class, eschewing it in favor of 40-inch and 46-inch LCD models. Too bad, because 42-inch plasmas still sell well as a “price point” play.
Samsung wrapped things up with peeks at their new standalone Blu-ray players. You can get into the BD format for all of $300 with the entry-level BD-P1600. It’s WiFi-compatible (finally!) with purchase of a separate 802.11 dongle, supports BD Live 2.0, has a 24p film mode, and can stream content directly from Netflix and Pandora.
Stepping up, there’s the BD-P3600 which supposedly offers Realta HQV-like performance, but from a proprietary Samsung ASIC. Priced at $399, this player comes with the wireless dongle and adds 7-channel analog audio outputs, plus 1 GB of internal flash memory for BD Live. Too “high profile” for you? Go with the ultra thin wall mountable BD-P4600 ($499). It features the Touch of Color accents, but provides only two analog audio outputs.
