Samsung Outlines 2011 TV, App, Connectivity, 3D ‘Nth-Screen’ Strategy
March 16, 2011 By Nancy Klosek
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A highlight of the event was the unveiling of the latest family members in the company’s Galaxy product suite – two Android-based Galaxy Player pocketable mobile devices with 4-inch and 5-inch screens that are smaller than the company’s Tab tablet and larger than its Galaxy S smartphones, yet are equipped for gaming, music listening, video watching, social media exchanges and e-book reading. The Wi-Fi-equipped devices weigh five and seven ounces, respectively, and boast front and rear cameras, stereo speakers and support for Adobe Flash 10.1.
Baxter led off with an overview of Samsung’s market performance, stating that in the 3D category, where 2010 cumulative industrywide sales barely broke the million-unit mark, his company held a 60 percent share in both units and revenue. He also stated that the company’s appliance market share had undergone a sixfold growth in the past five years, and that Samsung had become a “leading connected TV brand” in 2010.
To continue that momentum in a “smart TV” overall market that is expected to reach nine million in unit sales in 2011 from 2.5 million in 2010, senior vice president of Home Entertainment John Revie presented the company’s fourth-generation connected-TV line; more than 70 percent of LED models will feature connectivity capability. The top LED series, D8000 and D7000, also benefit from a .2-inch ultra-narrow bezel, allowing a 60-inch model to fit in the same space as a conventional 55-inch TV.
More than 60 percent of Samsung’s 2011 TV line will be 3D, added Revie, and the company is supporting that functionality in the sets with the introduction of four new models of active 3D glasses featuring Bluetooth technology. The new models weigh less than an ounce, are prescription-lens-ready, and up to four pairs can be stacked on a top-hat-style wireless charger the company is bringing out.
Samsung is fielding 15 plasma models in 2011, and eight are pegged “ultra slim,” at 1.5 inches deep. The new Plasma + 1 design’s slimmer bezel adds an extra inch of viewable screen, effectively making a 50-inch set a 51-inch set, said Revie.
Other features peppered throughout the TV lines include: a function that recommends shows based on viewing habits; the addition of a full web browser on select 2011 models; and a QWERTY keyboard on the reverse side of remotes that when it is facing upward becomes active while the regular key array is simultaneously deactivated.
Samsung also announced that the expansion of its partnership with DreamWorks Animation would result in the inclusion of the 3D Blu-ray title Megamind in the latest 3D Starter Kit. Also in the Kit will be the complete Shrek collection and two pairs of 3D glasses.
The company has greatly expanded its Samsung Apps collection, according to Eric Anderson, vice president of Product and Content Solutions, from the dozen launched in the U.S. last March to more than 200 presently. Going forward, he said, besides being able to cherry-pick from even more apps, users will be able to create folders to better manage them. Additionally, customers can now download an app to turn their Samsung tablet or smartphone into a TV remote, and a feature he referred to as Twin View will allow content on either of these two devices to be transmitted to the TV for viewing on the larger screen.
Samsung’s newest lines of Blu-ray Disc players and Blu-ray home theater systems will offer 2D-to-3D upconversion capability for the first time ever, said Revie, and will also feature a snappier three-second boot time. Of note are the HT-D6730W Blu-ray system ($799.99; available now), which features a swivel-head speaker design for more immersive surround sound, and the company’s first A/V receiver with a built-in Blu-ray player, model HW-D7000 ($599.99; May).
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