CES 2012

Tom Norton | Jan 11, 2012 |

When have you last seen a Home Theater in a Box that uses vacuum tubes in its AV receiver section? Samsung has one in its 6730W home theater system&$151;flat panel available separately! It sounded warmer and more pleasant than it had any right to in an open space, though of course tubes alone are no panacea. No price available as yet, but it's the first HTiB I've found at least interesting. The tubes are in the receiver's input stages; the output is solid state. Samsung is also offering some one-piece, two-channel iPod (and Android) docs with vacuum tube inputs.

CES 2012

Samsung E8000 Plasma TV

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 17, 2012 |

As one of only three major manufacturers of plasma TVs, Samsung continues its tradition of excellence with the E8000 flagship line, which offers screen sizes of 60 and 64 inches. A dual-core chipset is said to provide enhanced performance, with excellent 2D and 3D picture quality and deep blacks thanks to the company's Real Black filter. Its Smart TV functionality includes Samsung's Smart Content and Smart Interaction technology that lets you control the TV by motion and voice, and Smart Evolution lets you upgrade the hardware as new features become available.

CES 2012

Samsung ES8000 3D LED-LCD TV

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 10, 2012 |

Samsung's new lineup of LED-edgelit LCD TVs is topped by the flagship ES8000 series, available in screen sizes up to 75 inches. Cutting-edge image-enhancing technologies are said to provide a brighter picture and greater contrast, and the dual-core chipset allows multiple apps to run at the same time. Users can control the TV with the company's new Smart Interaction technology, which includes voice control and gesture control using a built-in camera. Also, face recognition automatically logs into each family member's Smart TV account.

CES 2012

Samsung ES8000 LED-LCD TV

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 17, 2012 |

I learned more about the flagship of Samsung's 2012 LED-LCD TV lineup since the press conference last Monday. For example, it will be available in screen sizes of 55, 60, and 75 inches. Like all Samsung LED-LCDs, this one is edgelit along the sides, and a new Micro Dimming Ultimate algorithm provides pseudo local dimming with more zones than previous versions. Also, Smart Evolution lets you upgrade the TV's hardware as well as firmware, making it essentially futureproof.

CES 2012

Samsung Explains

Tom Norton | Jan 11, 2012 |

Here is Samsung’s story about its use of vacuum tubes in an HTIB.

CES 2012

Samsung HTIBs and Soundbar

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 06, 2012 |

Samsung is keeping most of its announcements under wraps until its press conference on Monday, but it did release some info about a couple of new home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems and a soundbar. The HT-E6730W (seen above) is a 7.1 system with wireless surround speakers, Blu-ray player, and built-in WiFi as well as a full Web browser. Even more interesting, it's the first HTIB to feature Samsung's Crystal Amp Plus hybrid technology that combines vacuum tubes and a digital power amp.

CES 2012

Samsung is Totally Tubular

Tom Norton | Jan 11, 2012 |

Here's a closeup of the two tubes (or at least the only ones that are visible) in Samsung's tube-input HTiB.

CES 2012

Samsung OLED TV

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 19, 2012 |

No doubt about it, the 55-inch OLED TVs from Samsung (shown here) and LG stole the show for me. (Yes, there were a lot of 4K flat panels as well, but without 4K content, they are not all that important except for passive-glasses 3D.) This is the first new TV technology to become a real commercial product in many years, and it beats LCD and plasma in every way. Both manufacturers claim to have solved OLED's longevity problem, but only time will tell if they actually have.

No pricing was announced—nor was a model number in Samsung's case—but I've heard rumors from $5000 to $10,000. If it's closer to $5000, that will be a home run right out of the gate; if it's more like $10,000, these TVs will be a niche product until the next generation brings the price down.

CES 2012

Samsung Smart Content

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 17, 2012 |

One of the most important themes from CES this year is the continuing development of Internet-delivered content, which is quickly maturing into a viable alternative to cable and satellite. For example, the ES7500 LED-LCD TV (shown here), ES8000, and other premium Samsung TVs provide Smart Content, which offers over 1400 apps from providers such as CNBC Real Time, ESPN ScoreCenter, Hulu Plus, MTV Music Meter, Netflix, and Time TV. New apps in 2012 include Bravo, Technicolor M-Go, and The Daily as well as Media Hub, which was previously available on Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Tabs. This powerful app offers a diverse selection of movies and TV shows the day after they air as well as past seasons of the shows; some movies are available the same day they are released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Another important new app in the Samsung suite brings Verizon FiOS live TV directly to its Smart TVs and Blu-ray players. This app allows FiOS subscribers to watch 26 live TV channels and access more than 10,000 video-on-demand titles through Verizon's Flex View service without the need for a set-top box. Also provided is a full web browser.

CES 2012

Samsung Ultraviolet Digital Copy Blu-Ray Disc Player

Barb Gonzalez | Jan 15, 2012 |

Samsung announced a Blu-ray Disc player that let’s you get digital copies of your movies. This does not mean that the Blu-ray Disc is making digital copies of your movies. Instead, you put a DVD or Blu-ray Disc into the Blu-ray Disc player, and it will access Ultraviolet where you can purchase a digital copy of the movie and save it to your Ultraviolet cloud locker.

CES 2012

Samsung, LG Wave Hello To TV Control

Rob Sabin | Jan 10, 2012 |

One of the more interesting developments out of yesterday's CES press conferences was the imminent arrival of gesture control for upcoming models from Samsung (pictured) and LG Electronics. Gesture control uses an Xbox Kinect-like camera mounted near the screen to allow hand movements to be used to change channels or volume, for example, with no need to pick up a remote. Samsung's version should also allow voice control according to the company. We'll report more on this feature from the floor; stay tuned.

CES 2012

SB Acoustics

Tom Norton | Jan 15, 2012 |

Driver manufacturer SB Acoustics showed an array of their drivers, available both to manufacturers (either stock or custom) and DIY enthusiasts. Shown here is a new SB 8-inch woofer with an aluminum cone. It resembles (and may be) the woofer seen in some of the new Revel Performa line on display at the show and available in mid 2012.

CES 2012

Scott Wilkinson & Geoff Morrison Discuss 3D on CES Panel

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 10, 2012 |

Photo by Barb Gonzalez
Freelance home-theater journalist Geoff Morrison and I spent a pleasant hour discussing 3D on a CES panel called "3DTV: From Theater to Living Room." Topics ranged from 3D technology in commercial cinemas and at home, the objections to 3D voiced by many, what we might see in the future, our own opinions about the subject, and answers to audience questions. A fun time was had by all!

CES 2012

Sharp 80" & 9 Series LED-LCD 3D TVs

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 09, 2012 |

Updating its 80-inch LED-LCD TVs, Sharp announced the LC-80LE844U (seen in the center above sitting atop a car) and LC-80LC645U, both with full-array LED backlighting (but no local dimming), Quattron technology (which adds a yellow subpixel to red, green, and blue), 3D capabilities, built-in WiFi, and Sharp's new Aquos SmartCentral interface described earlier. The 844 boasts a refresh rate of 240Hz, while the 645 is 120Hz. Also unveiled was the 9 Series, including the 70-inch LC-70LE945U (left) and 60-inch LC-60LE945U (right) LED-backlit LCD TVs with local dimming, the first Sharp sets to provide this important feature.

CES 2012

Sharp Aquos Freestyle TVs

Scott Wilkinson | Jan 09, 2012 |

At its press conference today, Sharp introduced an entirely new line of TVs under the Freestyle moniker. Available in four screen sizes—20, 32, 40, and 60 inches—these are fully networked LED-edgelit LCD TVs with a slimmer and lighter design than most, which lets you place them just about anywhere near a power outlet. With only one HDMI input, they are clearly intended to access most content via their built-in WiFi, though they also have two USB ports and an Ethernet port. The 20-incher includes a built-in battery, while the others seen here being carried by Vanna White wannabes were custom-powered by separate battery packs.

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CES 2012

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