14 DAY TRIAL // Perhaps in order to keep the keen eyes of both consumers and press away from the huge scandal involving its top management, the Korean company Samsung has decided that this is the best time to throw some pretty nifty new products on the market, some of them designed especially to occupy the central position in the users' entertainment centers.
So, without further ado, let's see what old Sammy has in store for us: first of all, the company has unveiled two brand new lines of LCD HDTVs, the Series 6 650 and Series 7 750; then, in order to offer users something to play their Blu-ray movies on, Samsung has also announced the release of a fourth generation Blu-ray player, the BD-P1500, accompanied by the HT-AS720 Home Theater Audio System.
First of all, let's see what the LCDs are all about. According to the company's statement, the main point of attraction offered by the new Series 6 650 and Series 7 750 is Samsung's ToC (Touch of Color) design, which features a hint of red color naturally blended into a semi-transparent piano black bezel, allowing the HDTV to harmonize with any d?cor.
However, the devices provide a lot more than a nice exterior. Thus, the Series 6 and 7 LCD HDTVs deliver a superior 1080p picture with up to a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, featuring crisp detail and vibrant colors supported by Samsung's Auto Motion Plus 120Hz and Ultra Clear Panel technologies.
Beyond improving picture quality, the Series 6 and Series 7 LCD HDTVs also offers users Samsung's InfoLink RSS service powered by USA Today, as well as access to the user's digital media via USB 2.0 with WiseLink.
It's also interesting to mention that users are given quite a wide range of purchase choices. Thus, the Series 6 Full HD LCD TVs are supposed to already be available in the following sizes: 19.0-inches, 22.0-inches, 31.5-inches, 39.9-inches, 45.9-inches and 52.2-inches, with the price tags ranging from around 500 US dollars up to 3,200 US dollars. On the other hand, the 39.9-inch, 45.9-inch and 52.0-inch models from the 7 series will hit the shelves at some point in May 2008, their prices ranging between $2,600 and 3,500.
As mentioned earlier, the Korean company has also announced the release of a 4th generation Blu-ray player, the BD-P1500, supposed to significantly improve the home viewing experience. Furthermore, the BD-P1500 can upconvert standard DVDs to 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolutions and offers Full HD video playback capabilities for very clear pictures.
Designed with fans of multimedia technology in mind, the BD-P1500 easily connects to other digital devices through an HDMI 1.3 port with CEC for expanded color delivery and easy home theater control. The P1500 has BD Profile 1.1 Bonus View and is BD Live Ready. With its built-in Ethernet connection and USB input users can quickly upgrade their BD-P1500 with the latest firmware which ensures the player remains at the cutting edge of Blu-ray technology.
Additionally, true audiophiles will love the BD-P1500 for going beyond standard Dolby Digital audio playback to include Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TruHD and DTS-HD High resolution (scheduled to available later this year via firmware update).
The BD-P1500 will be available in June 2008 and will retail for around 550 US dollars, which is a bit pricey, but after all, latest technology always seems to be on the expensive side, isn't it?
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