Welcome to the future
LAS VEGAS — Crisp images flashing through what seemed like hundreds of flat-screen TVs reflected on mirrored paneled ceilings rendered most visitors mute with awe. Samsung spared no mercy when debuting their latest lineup of products at CES, the annual bacchanal of digital innovations helmed by the Consumer Electronics Association, the trade group responsible for encouraging advancement in the consumer electrics industry.
The Korean company, long considered a pioneer in the television department, presented a breakthrough in home entertainment.
At the jam-packed press conference held at The Venetian, Samsung Electronics US president Tim Baxter debuted the world’s slimmest LED TV. The slick new monitor, framed by brushed steel, is as thin as a pencil, boasting a substantial difference from previously heralded thin screens.
But it was the latest buzzword in TVs that drew admiring whistles. Samsung’s range of 3D TV products, from LED/LCD/Plasma TVs to DVD players, is just the beginning of what Baxter refers to as “cinema-quality 3D experience at home.” Dubbed a 3D eco-system, the company’s home entertainment package boasts a theater system that includes a 3D Blu-ray player, one of the new advanced 3D televisions, 3D glasses and a home theater system.
Thinking in 3d
With content partners such as Dreamworks and Technicolor, Samsung hopes to create a kind of synergy (another big buzzword for the company) out of this alliance. Samsung’s collaboration with Dreamworks, which just released the first Blu-ray 3D DVD, is a “watershed moment for TV,” says Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks, at the press conference. Technicolor CEO Fred Rose refers to it as a “monumental milestone in entertainment.”
With the launch of Monster Vs Aliens in 3D, Katzenberg and co. are hoping to lure more home viewers to experience the film the way it was meant to be: in high-def, three-dimensional form. “3D delivers a premium experience,” he informs us, noting that Dreamworks can fulfill its artistic ambitions when presented with a medium worthy of the content. “And,” he adds with a wry smile, “it can reduce piracy.”
Katzenberg reminded the audience that out of 10 original 3D films out of 107 movies released in 2009, four of the top 10 performing films were 3D.
Avatar, aside from the Jim Carrey 3D Christmas Carol vehicle and that hamster movie, represented a seismic shift in the way consumers experience films, leading the way to Imax or 3D cinemas that deliver the kind of pulsing sound and awe-inducing screen size that replicates the director’s vision.
No doubt this played a part in audience attendance. Movie ticket sales surged in 2009. According to The New York Times, ticket sales in the US rose 17.5 percent. That’s 1.7 billion in Mickey Mouse money.
Film companies want to translate that to DVD sales as well. “Monster Vs Aliens will be as eye-popping and lifelike at home,” says Fred Rose, as it was on the big screen.
The whole endeavor “reminds us at Dreamworks of our commitment to create all content in 3D,” Katzenberg declares.
The TV-scape
How does a screen so slim deliver that kind of crisp, 3D experience? Baxter dramatically refers to this as the “depth paradox” — a thin screen with tremendous image depth. Hoping to parlay this home cinematic experience into network and cable television, which, thanks to the likes of Mad Men, Lost and Friday Night Lights often surpasses most films in terms of quality, screens will convert 2D content into 3D in real time. Viewers can immerse themselves in a particularly exciting basketball game, the season finale of America’s Next Top Model (picture Tyra making crazy faces in 3D) or gory serial shows like Dexter in 3D as it airs.
Samsung senior vice president David Steel is confident about the company’s foray into 3D, noting that their 80-percent US market share in the LED TV division is nothing to sniff at. Despite the recession, the company has enjoyed steady sales and is expected to deliver 10 million TVs in 2010. “We’re optimistic about growth,” says Steel. They’d have to be with target sales of US$400 billion in 2020.
Their key to growth? Innovation.
Steel emphasizes the company’s motto “Inspire the world, create the future,” when explaining the key themes at CES. Chief among them? Connectivity.
“Samsung devices interacting with each other,” according to Steel, is the wave of the future.
So what about synergy?
The launch of Samsung apps, a multi-device app store designed to compete with the iPhone and iTunes, offers consumers unlimited programs for any kind of platform — whether it’s a computer, cell phone, TV or mp3 player. Open source developing means anyone can create or adapt applications for the label’s multi-platform sources.
Cross device connectivity means you can use your Samsung phone as a remote for your Samsung TV. You can play downloaded videos from your computer on your TV with the click of a mouse. Or watch it on your mobile phone if the mood strikes you. The Omnia 2 with Windows Mobile is particularly clever as it can serve as a remote for any of the Series 9 TVs.
Another cool trick? Some of the new TVs include a remote control with screens, so you can watch the action if you need to take a quick bathroom break or grab a soda without missing a beat.
Consider connectivity a banner theme for the company. “Setup should be easy,” says Baxter. “Less time installing and unraveling wires.”
More time watching TV in 3D while changing the channel from your PC. Or something like that.
