Samsung Ships LED DLP Set
GREG TARR -- TWICE, 7/14/2006
Ridgefield, N.J. – Samsung confirmed that it recently began shipping to dealers its first 1,080p high-definition DLP rear-projection set using a light-emitting diode (LED) array instead of a conventional UHP lamp.
Model HL-S5679W ($4,199 suggested retail, $3,999 average street price) was originally scheduled to ship in April and has been significantly back-ordered since its formal introduction at International CES last January, Steve Panosian, Samsung rear-projection and SlimFit CRT TV marketing director, told TWICE.
He said the product has been heavily requested by technology enthusiasts looking to add sets based on the latest technologies. The HL-S5679W is among the first LED-based rear projection sets to reach market.
A spokesman for NuVision said its LED DLP model would ship prior to the CEDIA Expo in September. Representatives from Akai, which also showed LED DLP prototypes at CES, were not available for comment on their rollout plans.
The system is said to use a postage-stamp-sized LED lighting array made up of 18 LEDs (six each of red, blue, and green) in place of a UHP bulb.
Life-span of an LED is conservatively rated at 20,000 hours.
The new technology is said to extend the color gamut of traditional DLP rear projection TVs, while eliminating the color wheel that has produced visible color bar patterns noticeable to some viewers when watching certain fast-action programming.
The system uses less electricity than conventional micro-display rear-projection systems and even most flat-panel TV displays. It also removes UHP bulbs, which use mercury, from the waste stream.
The set features a 56W-inch 16:9 screen, 1,920-by-1,080p resolution, 1,080p-capable HDMI input, unidirectional CableCARD slot and built-in ATSC tuning.
