Samsung's Big Bash - The 3D Eagle has Landed

Samsung Southeast Asia & Oceania Forum 2010

HardwareZone has just returned from the first ever Samsung Southeast Asia & Oceania Forum at the SUNTEC Singapore Convention Centre. Even though a whole host of products were shown at the exhibition, it was clear from the start that the main stars of the day were the brand-new Samsung NX10 interchangeable lens camera, 3D and LED-backlit TVs.



Speaking of 3D TVs, Samsung seems to have beaten Sony to the market by announcing that their TVs will be ready for purchase by end of the month. We've got more details on the next page, so be sure to check them out. Other products displayed included new cameras and camcorders, a pico projector, e-book readers, printers and home appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, air purifiers and a NaviBot robot cleaner with 'visionary mapping' which looked like it could have helped us lots during Chinese New Year spring cleaning.

The two-day Samsung forum will end tomorrow and is one of five events around the world designed to bring a regional market vision to Samsung's global product and strategic announcements. Translated, we think that means Samsung wants you to know what they have planned for you in your hometown. Read on! 

 

3D Cometh, For Real

There was an undeniable buzz going on about 3D-ready displays ever since the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) announced the imminent arrival of these stereoscopic sets. Although Sony was quick to announce its launch of the LX900 here, the 3D-capable BRAVIA won't grace your racks till the later part of the year. Samsung, however, was already preparing to land the killer blow. Besides launching a barrage of HDTV models today, with new models surfacing from the LED, LCD and Plasma categories, the Korean chaebol is also determined to trump the competition with a comprehensive 3D solution in the home entertainment scene. Note that there's at least one 3D-ready model from each panel category. More importantly, these 3D-ready sets, the LED 7000 in particular, are shipping in before the month is over, while the rest of the 3D TVs will follow suit in the second quarter.

According to figures provided, Samsung managed to sell more than 2.6 million units of their LED-backlit TVs worldwide last year. For 2010, they will rest their crosshairs on the potential success of 3D displays and 3D Blu-ray players. Included in the mix are three new LED series - C7000, C8000 and C9000. All of the new LED models (to be accurate, they are all still LED-backlit panels) will cart Full-HD panels along with Samsung's built-in 3D video processor and emitter. Besides supporting multiple 3D standards, these TVs are also compatible with half and full HD resolution formats. However, no word has been given on their prices thus far.



Typical of Samsung, they won't rest their laurels on just 3D technology alone. For example, all three LED series are packed with applications (dubbed as Internet@TV), which includes YouTube, Twitter and Skype widgets. They also offer Wi-Fi connectivity besides a wired Ethernet option. That said, here are some pictures of Samsung's LED 3D TVs in action. Hit the jump for more scoop on Samsung's latest LCD and Plasma series. Oh, and their 3D Blu-ray players too.

Samsung's LED Series - Key Features

Say Hello To The Rest Of The 3D AV Crew

Now that we're done talking about the LED series, let us bring you some highlights from the refreshed LCD and Plasma range. Besides Samsung's recent assortment of conventional 2D displays, a 3D-ready model can also be found in both the LCD and Plasma category as well. More notably, the LCD Series 7 and Plasma Series 7+ models.



The LCD 750 model bears a few hallmark qualities, like Samsung's four-legged Quad Stand designed to mimic furniture instead looking of a typical TV base. Looking up, the LCD 750's panel is similarly powered by the 3D HyperReal Engine, on top of the AllShare wireless connectivity perk and internet widgets. By the way, users can also buff up their app count by downloading them from the Samsung Apps site. The Plasma 7000 model isn't built with the Quad Stand, but it is stylishly fashioned with Samsung's black metal Crystal Design. Like the rest of the 3D-ready models mentioned, the Plasma 7000 is able to convert 2D sources into a 3D display in real time.

True Blue 3D

Before 3D content starts streaming into our living rooms, it is likely consumers will have to rely on 3D Blu-ray titles for their stereoscopic fix. With this in mind, Samsung has just the right Blu-ray player for this purpose. The BD-C6900 is decked with 3D playback support, and comes with integrated Wi-Fi and Internet@TV as well. If you're into analog outputs, this BD player's 7.1-channel output might also tickle your fancy. Samsung is rolling out the C6900 this month. Other than the C6900, Samsung also released another BD player, the 1.1-inch slim BD-C7500, although this isn't a 3D-capable unit.

The Samsung NX10 Unveiled!

Samsung kick-started its camera line-up with a big bang, and a catchy tagline - “Touch the Light, Realize Your Dream”. The up and coming NX10 was discussed at length during the conference, and while we prefer to let the pictures do the talking, we shall spare some space here for the juicy details. The NX10 will follow the Micro Four Thirds formula closely - i.e. mirror-less body - but with a bigger and purportedly better 14.6M APS-C Sensor that promises better performance and a lower depth of field. The diminutive and lightweight camera will also come with a 3.0-inch AMOLED screen and an electronic viewfinder. But more on the camera as we go on.

Not Forgetting the Others…

While the NX10 stole the limelight, there were others on show that were definitely worthy of a mention here.

The New Camcorders

The HMX-U20, successor to the U10, was on show. A 1080p Full HD video camcorder, the U20 has a brand new 3x optical zoom feature (the U10 only had digital zoom). It packs a 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor inside and what Samsung chimes Hyper Digital Image Stabilization, something that promises to stabilize your video. It measures just 2.1 x 0.61 x 4.09 inches and comes in black, silver, blue and red.

Samsung's First Pico Projector

Crammed into so many announcements was Samsung’s first ever foray into the pico projector scene, with the H03. Weighing less than 200g and measuring 7 by 7cm, Samsung says it can run up to two hours on a single charge, with a brightness rating of 30 ANSI lumens.

Intuitive Laser Printers

Samsung announced five new color laser printers and two new monochrome laser printers, with a focus on intuitive and easy to use interfaces. Wireless models feature the new one-touch Wi-Fi setting to make setting up wireless connections quick and easy, while AnyWeb Print software continues to let users drag and drop content from web pages for quick printing. The new Multi-Function Printers have a one-touch Eco-copy button which lets users print two pages of a document on one sheet easily.

Of Notebooks and Netbooks

Samsung mentioned during its presentation that there was great potential in the mobile computing market, so this is definitely one segment that they are looking into. We've seen most of the notebooks earlier on at CES 2010, but here's another look at the machines that we didn't have time to cover the first time around.

New Age Reading and Vacuum Bots

Last but not least, e-book readers have been making a splash lately and Samsung's also joining the fray with their e-book readers. Most of their readers feature a common design element, allowing for stylus use and have 2GB of built-in storage. Of course, that's not to say all the readers are the same, as each reader comes with its own unique selling point. Apart from e-book readers, Samsung also showed off its latest robot vacuum cleaner, the Navibot, which uses picture imaging to make a map of your home to clean up the house.

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