THE FRONT LINE: MAY 1, 2007
Westinghouse Digital And Samsung 2007 Line Shows
Westinghouse and Samsung held their 2007 line shows on the same day in New York City, used essentially the same theme, and set up shop just a few stops from each other on the same subway line!
The locations were West 24th Street (Chelsea) and West Broadway (SoHo), and the idea was to take an existing living space and fill it to the brim with new flat-panel HDTV sets. In the case of Westinghouse Digital, that location was a 4500 square-foot loft with a separate bathroom and bedroom, while Samsung’s venue was the penthouse of the SoHo Grand Hotel.
WESTINGHOUSE DIGITAL
I arrived at the Westinghouse location first and found a plethora of LCD TVs scattered about the kitchen, dining, and common areas. There was even an HDTV set inside the massive bathroom, next to a huge claw tub. (Gee, I wonder where they got that idea?)
Figure 1. This loft space in Chelsea had Westinghouse TX-series LCD HDTV lined up in a row.
Figure 2. Westinghouse has some nice small-screen LCD sets in the 2007 line,
and a couple of ‘em have DVD players built-in.
Three new TX-series LCD HDTVs commanded the most attention. The 42” TX-42F430S LCD HDTV (May 2007; MSRP $1,599); the 47” TX-47F430S LCD HDTV (May 2007; MSRP $1,799); and the 52” TX-52F480S LCD HDTV (September 2007; MSRP TBD) each provide 1920x1080 resolution, SpineDesign intelligent cable access; DayBright panel technology for improved daytime or nighttime viewing; and Autosource, a circuit that automatically turns the TV on and adjusts it as each external video source is activated.
There’s also a new advanced settings menu for improved image calibration, which means you won’t have to dive into the service menu to tweak white balance. WD’s 1080Pure processor is supposed to yield high-quality 1080p reproduction of all progressive and interlaced signal types. There are plenty of input connectors, with four HDMI jacks and two each composite, component YPbPr, and S-video ports. An internal NTSC/ATSC/QAM (digital cable) tuner rounds out the package.
There are a few new 32-inch and 42-inch models, too. The SK-42H240S and SK-42H360S have an MSRP of $1,399 and the SK-32H520S and SK-32H240S have an MSRP of $799. Each model has 720p resolution and two HDMI, component, composite, and S-video inputs. These LCD HDTVs also have advanced calibration menus and analog/digital TV tuners.
For tighter spaces (or HD in your bathroom), Westinghouse Digital has 26-inch and 32-inch “combo” LCD HDTVs with built-in DVD players. Both have built-in digital and analog tuners, dual HDMI and component inputs, and the advanced calibration menus featured on their bigger siblings. The SK-32H590D is currently shipping with an MSRP of $899, while the SK-26H590D is currently shipping with an MSRP of $699.
Figure 3. This bathroom (complete with LCD HDTV) is bigger
than my living room and dining room combined!
SAMSUNG
Samsung’s event filed the top floor penthouse with a bevy of plasma, LCD, and even DLP HDTVs. The emphasis this year is on LCD, with 17 new models (yep, that’s right, 17), ranging in size from 19 inches to 52 inches.
The 42-series HDTVs have 720p resolution, a gloss-black frame, NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner, picture-in-picture, and duel HDMI, component, S-video, and RF inputs. They’re available in 23-inch, 26-inch, 32-inch, 40-inch, and 46-inch sizes with prices ranging from $699 to $2,499.
Samsung’s 53- and 54-series LCD HDTVs also cover a wide range of sizes. The 53-series models come with a piano black finish as 19-, 23-, 26-, 32-, and 40-inch screens, while the LN-T1954H (19 inch) and LN-T2354H (23 inch) come in a pearl white finish. A new Game Mode has been included for optimized video/audio during game play, and was co-engineered with Microsoft.
All models have improved color gamut response, higher contrast, built-in analog/digital TV tuners, and 720p resolution. The 32-inch and 40-inch models come with three HDMI input jacks. Prices range from $479 to $1,899 for 53-series TVs, while the two 54-series sets cost $479 and $799, respectively.
Figure 4a-b. Samsung’s 61-series LCD HDTVs (above) are quite stylish
and the bathroom LCD set (below) was pretty cool, too.
Figure 5. Thanks to Mike Wood, Samsung’s flat-panel HDTVs now offer
unprecedented user access to calibration settings.
There are five new 1080p LCD HDTVs this year. The LN-T4061F ($2,299 MSRP) and LN-T4661F ($2,999) have integrated analog/digital tuners, a claimed contrast ratio of 10,000:1, three HDMI inputs, and a new suite of advanced user calibration tools, thanks to Mike Wood (formerly editor of Home Theater magazine).
These calibration settings, previously buried in the service menu, include RGB gain and offset, seven-step gamma, 1:1 “just” pixel mapping, black detail settings (<20 IRE), dynamic contrast and gamma, and selectable color space. Backlight intensity can also be adjusted to match ambient light levels and individual colors can also be tweaked.
The top-of-the-line LN-T4065F ($2,499), LN-T4665F ($3,199), and LN-T5265F ($4,299) round out the 2007 line. All three sets have a gloss black finish and provide three HDMI 1.3 connections (1 side) with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) functionality and a USB 2.0 connection. The HDMI-CEC technology allows for a single remote control to operate HDMI-CEC compatible A/V products, such as Blu-ray disc players and home theater systems.
Samsung has included a new remote-controlled Auto Wall Mount system on selected 40-inch, 46-inch, and the 52-inch LCD HDTV. It sells for $799 and allows remote control adjustment of tilt and pan. When the TV is shut off, the panel moves back to its “homed” position automatically.
While there aren’t as many plasma sets in 2007 (seven), three of them offer 1080p resolution. The 50-inch FP-T5084 ($3,499), 58-inch FP-T5884 ($4,699), and 63-inch FP-T6374 ($6,999) have Samsung’s Natural True Color 18-bit processing, a claimed 15000:1 contrast ratio, and Ultra FilterBright technology to minimize glare and maximize contrast. They also come with NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners, USB 2.0, PC Input, and three HDMI-CEC ports for remote control of Blu-ray and HD DVD players and other CE devices.
The remaining four plasma sets all offer 720p resolution, FilterBright technology, digital and analog tuner, three HDMI CEC inputs, and claim 15,000:1 contrast. The 50- and 42-inch models (HP-T5064 and HP-T4264) are available now with ESPs of $2,699 and $1,899, respectively, while the 50-inch HP-T5054 ($2,499) and 42-inch HP-T4254 ($1,899) will be available in July.
All of Samsung’s plasma sets also incorporate the advanced settings menus with user adjustment of white balance, color gamut, gamma, detail enhancement, black level settings, and 1:1 pixel mapping.
Figure 6. There are six 1080p DLP rear-projection TV sets in the 2007 line equipped
with LED light engines — which has to be some kind of record…
Figure 7. Samsung’s BD-P1200 Blu-ray player is $200 less than everyone else’s model and
should make some pretty pictures with its Realta HQV processor.
The DLP rear-projection line sports several new models. Three of them use LED illumination sources instead of UHP lamps, extending illuminant life to 30,000 hours. These 1080p sets have managed to trim about 2 inches all around from height, width, and depth, but provide bright images with good color saturation. The 50-inch HL-T5087S, 56-inch HL-T5687S and 61-inch HL-T6187S are available now with estimated selling prices of $2,299, $2,599 and $2,999.
There are also three fully featured LED DLP sets, the HL-T5089S, HL-T5689S and HL-T6189S. They are shipping now and have estimated selling prices of $2,499, $2,799 and $3,199 respectively. Each set comes with three HDMI 1.3 connections, Bluetooth compatibility and picture-in-picture.
Three entry-level sets round out the 10080p picture. The HL-T5076S ($1,999), HL-T5676S ($2,299) and HL-T6176S ($2,699) are now available and use conventional UHP lamps for illumination. There are also three super-slim 720p offerings, the HL-T4675S, HL-5075S, and HL-T5675S.
All three of these HDTVs (along with the 76 and 81 series sets) include Samsung’s Game Mode and are also “3D ready,” which means they can refresh images at a 120Hz frame rate for use with active stereo 3D headsets when the appropriate 3D content is shown. Where that content will come from is anyone’s guess right now, but PC-based delivery seems to be the most realistic option.
Last but not least, Samsung’s BD-P1200 Blu-ray player was connected to more than a few of the HDTVs on display. Unlike last year’s splashy introduction of the flawed BD-P1000, Samsung took a more low-key approach with this product, which uses Silicon Optix’ HQV Realta processing for 1080p output. It has an HDMI 1.3 interface and supports native 24-frame playback. It’s shipping now for $799 MSRP.
