THE FRONT LINE — MAY 26, 2006
Samsung 2006 HDTV Line Show
Samsung is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of LCD panels, so it should be no surprise their 2006 TV product line show emphasizes LCD HDTVs.
Samsung’s event was a low-key affair at the Hudson Hotel near Columbus Circle in New York City. They arranged to use the penthouse suite and placed different products throughout the living quarters, with LCD HDTVs taking the prime spot in the master living room.
First up are the 51-series and 52-series with choices of rich “piano” black or gloss white finishes, super-thin bezels, and a hidden, downward-projecting speaker system. (The comment has been made many times over the years that most consumers think of TV sets as furniture. These models certainly play to that perception!)
Figure 1. The piano black finish on 51-series LCD TVs is striking.
Picture quality is pretty good, too!
The biggest models are the 40-inch LN-S4051D (black) and LN-S4052D (white), which have MSRPs of $2,999. Both offer 1366x768 WXGA resolution, two HDMI connections, built-in ATSC and NTSC tuners, and a swivel support stand. These LCD TVs also employ Samsung’s proprietary Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (S-PVA) LCD technology, which is supposed to increase both contrast (4000:1 peak is claimed) and viewing angles (170 degrees claimed).
There are also 32-inch and 26-inch 768p versions. The LN-S3251D and LN-S3252D are $1,999, while the LN-S2651D and LN-S2652D are $1,599. Entry-level models that are slightly stripped down, although still incorporating the ATSC tuner and dual HDMI inputs, are available in 26-inch ($1,399), 32-inch ($1,799), and 40-inch ($2,799) sizes.
The big news for Samsung is their 7th generation of LCD products, which fall into two categories. 92-series sets include ATSC and NTSC tuners, dual HDMI inputs, downward-pointing hidden speakers, and Game Mode to reduce image lag. Color-corrected CCFLs and S-PVA technology are also standard.
Figure 2. Samsung’s 92- and 96-series LCD HDTVs are quite eye-catching.
All three models have 1366x768 standards resolution and include the 46-inch LN-S4692D ($3,999 MSRP), 40-inch LN-S4092D ($3,299), and 32-inch LN-S3292D (($2,199). The 96-series LCD HDTVs add CableCARD slots and 1920x1080 resolution, plus USB 1.1 and FireWire ports. MSRPs start at $4,799 for the LN-S4696D, $4,099 for the LN-S4096D, and $2,299 for the LN-S3296D. Look for them this summer.
One of the more interesting products was Samsung’s HL-S5679W DLP RPTV. First shown at CES 2006, it uses an LED backlight made by Luminus, Inc. and the technology goes by the name PhlatLight (Photonic Lattice Light). This 1080p RPTV had good color saturation and Samsung claims it can easily exceed the NTSC / SMPTE-C color gamut. Power-up is only seven seconds and LED life is estimated to be 20,000 hours. CableCARD is standard, as is a black glossy finish, for $4,1999 MSRP (September).
Figure 3. Samsung’s HL-S5679W LED-powered RPTV had good color saturation,
as reds and blues really popped.
In other 1080p news, Samsung has three new 7th-generation RPTV sets. The 50-inch HL-S5687W ($2,899 MSRP), 56-inch HL-S5687W ($3,199), and 61-inch HL-S6187W ($3,599) have slimmer designs, dual acoustic chambers for improved sound quality from the 10 watt stereo audio system, and (according to the press release) full 1920x1080 DMDs — not the 960x1080 chips used on earlier sets. (Think the 1080p LCOS sets from Sony and JVC had anything to do with that?)
There was also a super-slim 46-inch DLP RPTV set on display, although not functioning when I took the tour. The HL-S4676S features a cabinet that is 10.6” deep and weighs less than 50 pounds – good news for existing TV cabinets and armoires with openings of at least 42 inches. 1280x720 resolution is standard, as are ATSC and NTSC tuners and dual HDMI inputs. Look for it this summer at an MSRP of $1,999.
Figure 4a and b. If you’re cramped for space, the HL-S4676S DLP RPTV is worth a look.
Editor’s note: The first version of this story ended by mentioning that Samsung was exiting the ATSC set-top box market, per an executive’s comments at the 2006 line show. A follow-up email from Jose Cardona, Samsung Corporate Communications, reads as follows: “…We are actually not exiting the STB business… Samsung (DAV) is planning to introduce a next generation (terrestrial) STB to replace our current product (SIR-T451) in October 2006.“
