TV Articles

LAS VEGAS--Last year Samsung introduced a TV with a bezel just 0.2 inch wide, and I couldn't help but gush that "the picture comes as close to naked as you'll ever see outside a projector."

This year the company offers that sexy all-picture look on three series of high-end LED TVs announced at CES, the least-expensive of which is the UNES7100. Available in three sizes, its main differentiator compared with the other two--the UNES7500 and the flagship UNES8000--is lack of the company's new Smart Interaction voice/gesture control feature.

By the way, if anybody'… Read more

LAS VEGAS--New for 2012, Samsung says it will include two pairs of active 3D glasses with its 2012 3D-compatible HDTVs, and the least-expensive such LED will be the UNES6500 series.

Available in six screen sizes, the UNES6500's major step-up over the 2012 UNES6100 models will be 3D compatibility. Otherwise both will feature the company's Smart Hub interactive TV suite as well as a thin 0.5-inch-wide bezel around the screen.

All of Samsung's 2012 3D TVs will utilize active 3D technology, as opposed to the passive variety employed by LG and others (more info).

Its features peg … Read more

LAS VEGAS--In 2011 we awarded our Editors' Choice among plasma TVs to the Samsung PND7000 for its combination of outstanding picture quality and comparatively good value. Its 2012 successor, the PNE7000, will supposedly be even better.

Samsung says it has improved black-level performance--a key ingredient of a good picture--by 10 percent for 2012. The PNE7000 will share this better black level with the step-up PNE8000 and step-down PNE6500 series (about which we were given no other information) 2012 plasmas. Considering that the 2011 models also had the best color accuracy I'd tested on any TV, the PNE7000 is already a strong contender for best picture quality of 2012.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--If Samsung and LG have their way, CES 2012 will be forever known as the show of the dueling 55-inch OLED TVs.

Just like cross-peninsula rival LG, Samsung says it, too, will ship a 55-inch OLED TV to the U.S. market this year. Samsung confirmed it would aim for sometime in the second half of 2012, while LG narrowed its release date down to the third quarter.

Neither company divulged pricing, but I expect both 55-inch OLED TVs to retail for at least $7,999.

Even basic details on Samsung's TV, such as a model number, are … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Although Samsung continues to focus most of its marketing efforts on LED TVs, we think its plasmas offer better picture quality and much better value.

The PNE8000, the company's highest-end plasma series for 2012, could be another big winner for the company. We really liked the picture quality of its predecessor, the PND8000, and now Samsung says it has improved black-level performance--a key ingredient to a good picture--by another 10 percent for 2012. The PNE8000 will share this better black level with the step-down PNE7000- and PNE6500-series 2012 plasmas. Considering that the 2011 models also had the best color accuracy I'd tested on any TV, the PNE8000 is already a strong contender for best picture quality of 2012.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Samsung's Smart Interaction allows control of certain TV functions by talking or gesturing to the TV, where a built-in microphone and camera captures your voice and movements.

The UNES7500 series of LED TVs is the company's least-expensive with the feature, which also makes cameos on the step-up UNES8000 LED and the PNE8000 plasma. If you'd like to read more about Smart Interaction, here's what we know so far.

Aside from that little extra, the UNES7500 has similar features to the UNES7100, highlighted by a 0.2-inch-thin bezel (admittedly it bulges a bit around the camera/… Read more

LAS VEGAS--On high-end LED-based TVs, our favorite picture quality extra is a full-array backlight with local dimming, which allows different areas of the screen to dim independently of one another.

Unlike the flagship LED TVs of LG, Sony, and Sharp Elite, Samsung's best LED, the UNES8000 still lacks the full-array part, but the company says its local dimming, despite relying on LEDs around the edge of the screen, has been improved over last year's version. Check out our breakdown of LED backlight schemes here for some background.

Dubbed "micro-dimming ultimate," the new feature divides the screen … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Now that gesture you make to your TV might actually elicit a response from the boob tube itself.

Today at CES, Samsung has announced that certain of its high-end TVs will include new Smart Interaction technology, which allows control over the set by waving, shouting, or otherwise using gestures and voice.

Think of Smart Interaction as Microsoft's Kinect built into the TV, without the games. The feature depends on a camera and microphone sandwiched into the bezel along the top of the screen, powered by voice and gesture recognition software developed, the company told CNET, internally by Samsung … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Sharp continues its 2012 Quattron onslaught with four new models, in 60-inch and 70-inch versions, featuring its brightest Quattron panels with 3D and an ultraslim aluminum design.

The 847/745 series features edge-lit LED screens with 3D X-Gen panels housed in Sharp's "ultraslim and narrow-bezel design," with a new brushed aluminum finish.

The televisions feature Wi-Fi onboard and come with a new "smart TV" interface offering both full-screen and dock views. The TVs feature DLNA, browsing and search functionality, and more than 100 apps, including Netflix and Vudu. They come with four HDMI ports … Read more