Samsung Outlines 2011 TV, App, Connectivity, 3D ‘Nth-Screen’ Strategy

March 16, 2011 By Nancy Klosek

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Samsung Electronics America presented a broad swath of home entertainment, mobility, computing and digital imaging products at a New York showing Wednesday that its president, Tim Baxter, said dovetails with the company’s commitment to executing its “Nth-Screen” strategy – an all-encompassing game plan emphasizing seamless connectivity and interoperability among devices.

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.

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