A sight for sore eyes: Korean electronics giant Samsung is introducing nine new LED-LCD TVs, nine conventional LCD TVs, and five new plasmas. Televisions.com takes a first look at the specifications, providing an overview and explaining the key differences.March 20, 2009 - The plasma market is shrinking, but Samsung continues to stand firmly by the technology - as one only three remaining plasma manufacturers (after Pioneer's departure, Samsung is now joined only by LG and Panasonic).
The two new plasma-TV go by the names "Series 6" (with three models) and "Series 8" (two models), touting high energy-efficiency, an ultra-slim construction, elegant design, full HD resolution, deep black tones, and numerous multimedia and internet possibilities.
Naturally, the three new LED-LCD series (albeit not the entirety of the 6000 series) also have these multimedia capabilities. The Koreans are plugging the new TVs as "LED TVs", effectively as a new, third class between plasmas and conventional LCD displays.
The chief attraction here:
The light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged around the picture as the primary light source (Edge-LED), meaning LED-LCDs can have particularly slim casings - these Samsung models are less than three centimeters deep. The backlighting is built into the frame, instead of being behind the picture.
Further advantages of this technology:
Higher contrast and lower energy-consumption than in LCD TVs without LED-backlighting. In contrast to TVs with LEDs behind the picture, however, the edge-lit TVs do not support Local Dimming. Samsung's new LED-LCD series include nine devices in total: three in the 6000-Series, four in the 7000-Series and two in the 8000-Series.
Samsung's new conventional LCD sets seem a little unspectacular in comparison. Due for release in March and April, they will come in two series (Series 6 and 7), representing a total of nine models. Series 6 comprises six TVs between 19 and 55 inches, while Series 7 contains three specimens between 40 and 52 inches. All of the devices offer full HD resolution, energy-saving measures, and multimedia applications, as well as 100-Hz (Series 6) or 200-Hz (Series 7) technology.
