Samsung Announces New Plasma, LCD TVs

Electronics giant Samsung has officially announced three new plasma high-definition televisions, along with six new LCD TV models, including the second generation of their LED-backlit LCD televisions. Although details on the sets have been circulating for some months—Samsung even showed the plasmas all the way back in January at CES—the company has finally taken the wraps of the specs, pricing, and availability.

First up, the Series 7 760 plasma televisions will be available in three sizes: 50 inches, 58 inches, and 63 inches. All features full 1080p resolution and Samsung’s narrow “Touch of Color” slim bezel design. Samsung is promising contrast ratios up to 1,000,000:1, 1,300cd/m² of brightness, and a spate of technologies to improve picture quality, including 18-bit color processing. The sets will feature two down-firing 20-watt speakers, built-in NTSC/ATSC/Clear QAM tuners, and are DLNA certified. They also include Samsung’s InfoLink service for one-touch access to RSS-based news, weather, stock, and other information via InfoLink, and a side-mounted USB port enables to access media, video, and images from cameras and other devices. (The TV can handle MP3, JPG, XviD and MPEG4 files). The Series 7 units sport four HDMI inputs (three rear, one side), along with two component inputs, two composite inputs, one S-Video input and and Ethernet jack for connecting to a home network (necessary for that InfoLink service). The 50-inch unit will carry a $2,799.99 price tag; the 58- and 63-inch models will go for $4,499.99 and $5,499.99 respectively. Expect to see them in August.

Meanwhile, Samsung has also announced its second-generation LED-backlit LCD in the form of its new Series 9 LED LCD HDTV. LED-backlit LCDs omit the fluorescent backlighting—and toxic components—of traditional LCD in favor of less-power-hungry LED backlights. The Samsung Series 9 unit features the company’s thin “Touch of Color” bezel along with 1080p resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate, a 4ms response time, and a claimed 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The unit contains two 10-watt down-firing speakers, NTSC/ATSC/Clear QAM tuners, and offers four HDMI inputs (three rear, one side), 2 component inputs, 1 composite input, 1 S-Video input, and Ethernet. The set features the same InfoLink RSS technology, and can connect to media players and other devices using a side USB 2.0 port. The Series 9 LCDs will be available in 46- and 54.6-inch sizes for $3,199.99 and $4,199.99 starting this August.

Samsung is also chugging ahead with its Series 8 LCD TV line, rolling out the Series 8 850 and 860 LCD TVs, each in 5.9-inch and 54.6-inch sizes and sporting 120 Hz refresh dates, 1080p resolution, 4ms response times, and a 50,000:1 contrast ratios. The smaller unit sports 10-watt downfiring speakers, while the larger unit kicks up to 15-watt stereo. The sets sport 4 HDMI 1.3 ports (three back, one side), two component inputs, side and rear composite inputs, 1 S-Video input, and the capability to load digital media via one side-mounted USB 2.0 port (the 860s pick up a second in back). The sets also sport NTSC/ATSC/Clear QAM tuners, Ethernet, and the InfoLink RSS-based news and info service. The Series 8 850s carry suggested prices of $2,699.99 and $3,399.99 for the 45.9 and 52-inch versions; the 860s will go for $2,799.99 and $3,499.99 respectively. Expect to see them in September.

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