LAS VEGAS – Samsung ushered in what could be the next wave of TV
technology by presenting its first 55-inch FullHD 1080p OLED TV set here Monday.
Dave Das, Samsung TV product marketing VP, said the OLED set will
ship to retailers at some point later in 2012. Pricing was not determined.
Unlike some other approaches to large-screen OLED development,
Samsung said its set will use individual red, green and blue pixels, allowing a
near-sheet-of-glass (less than 0.3 inches deep) panel depth. Circuitry such as
tuners, inputs and power supplies will be housed in an outboard box to enable
the ultra-thin dimensions.
Panel life and power consumption were said to be comparable to
more-efficient LCD TVs.
“It will be priced at a premium to our top-of-the-line LED,” Das
said.
As for the rest of the TV line, the 2012 premium-series TVs will
incorporate Samsung-made dual-core processors with multi-tasking flexibility
and a proprietary Smart Interaction feature that uses an integrated camera and
microphone, enabling voice control, motion recognition and facial-feature
recognition.
The system would also enable voice-to-text to audibly enter a web
browser search, Das said.
Users could also control certain TV functions using simple hand
gestures to, for example, scroll up or down in an onscreen menu.
All 2012 Samsung smart TVs will include built-in web browsers and
Wi-Fi connectivity.
The company is also upgrading its DLNA-based All-Share system in
select TV models from last year to a feature called All-Share Play, which will
allow sharing content between devices both in and out of the home.
Samsung’s 3DTVs will be compatible with
new 3D universal standard active-shutter glasses in 2012.
Samsung also announced a streaming 3DTV service being undertaken
with NBC Universal. NBC will convert some shows to 3D in post production to
make 3D content available for online streaming.
As for SKU assortments, Das said Samsung has reduced the number
of CCFL-backlit LCD TV models to six for 2012, while slightly increasing the
number of LED units.
In addition, the company is adding a new LED step segment between
CCFL LCD models and slim-design edge-lit LED models with Micro Dimming
technology. The new step segment LED models will feature full array backlighting
without local dimming.
Meanwhile, the number of plasma models will be comparable to
2011, Das said.
In Blu-ray Disc players, Samsung introduced Wi-Fi Direct
functionality that will allow sharing content over a direct connection to other
Wi-Fi devices without the need for a central access point.
Model BD-E6500 is a 3D-enabled Blu-ray player offering Full HD
1080p video playback, and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. The player also
supports Samsung Apps and adds a full
web browser.
Samsung said the player is also designed to let content
purchasers “obtain digital copies of their DVD collection and stream them to
multiple smart devices.
