August 18, 2006
Samsung Electronics is set to release a 50″ wireless plasma HDTV, which the company calls “the world’s first large-size HD-compatible wireless PDP TV.” The new unit supports an unspecified HD resolution and includes a wireless AV center to float the TV on your wall nearly cable free. This AV center is a box located on a shelf beneath the PDP and will bundle DVD or TV antenna signals and feed them to the TV over 802.11a Wi-Fi. To further limit clutter, the speakers are located under the screen.
Samsung officials told Korean Press that the wireless plasma will appeal to decor-conscious consumers, as well as those who wish not to have exposed cables. This product will first be available only in Korea for about $5,000, and it is unknown when it will be offered in the U.S.
Samsung also announced the development of the first 3″ LCD panel with VGA (640 x 480 pixels) resolution that directly meets industry interface standards for digital still cameras. Samsung will exhibit the new device at IMID 2006, which opens in Daegu, Korea on August 23. Commercial production of the new VGA-resolution LCD panel will begin in the first half of 2007.
“Our new LCD panel will make viewing of digital pictures distinctly more impressive on camera screens, personal multi-media players and other products requiring high-image resolution and low-power consumption,” said Yun Jin-hyuk, Samsung’s executive vice president.
Digital camera makers use an interface known as ITU-R601, an international standard for CRT TV’s that operates at 30Hz. This standard is incompatible with LCD’s, which normally run at 60Hz. Manufacturers have had to reconcile the difference either by compressing the images or by manipulating the signal, but these approaches will only work for LCD’s with a resolution of qVGA(320 x 240 pixels) or less. Samsung’s new LCD operates on 30Hz, allowing VGA images to be obtained from a digital camera without having to create another interface.
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