Samsung has been showing off its higher-end high definition LCD TVs — the Series 6 and Series 7s.
Series 6
Series 6 TVs will come in 40, 46, and 52-inch screen sizes, and are the first to show off Samsung’s "Touch of Colour" design, inspired by designs from the automotive and fashion industries.
These 1080p sets feature Samsung’s Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (SPVA) panel which provides a 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes. Response time has been cut to 4ms thanks to a new high-speed liquid crystal, and there’s 120Hz technology in there too, for smoother frame transitions.
Samsung’s super clear panel technology makes colours appear more vibrant, and blacks darker, even at less than optimal viewing angles.
There are four HDMI 1.3 inputs (seems to be the magic number this year), including one on the side of the set for easier access, and a newly designed Wheel Key Remote control unit.
Available from March, prices and UK availability to be confirmed.
Series 7
Samsung’s high-end Series 7 TVs build on features found in the Series 6, but also take "networking and multimedia management to a whole new level". In other words, there’s USB connectivity for adding external devices to view movies (including DivX) and photos, plus internal flash memory pre-loaded with premium content from GalleryPlayer.
There’s an integrated woofer in the sets, though this is fairly useless if you’re using your own home audio system.
The sets may also be attempting rudimentary Internet functionality, too, with Samsung having announced a deal with USA Today to provide RSS news feeds, which will appear translucently on screen as requested. They have 1GB of in-built memory, probably for storing this kind of data.
They’ll be available from May in the same screen sizes as the Series 6 TVs. They’re also expected to hit the UK soon after, though pricing is currently unknown.
