Samsung, the manufacturer with its fingers in just about every consumer electronics pie known to man, has announced a flood of new 3D-enabled products. There’s Blu-ray players – both standalone and as part of a home theater, as well as the world’s first portable 3D Blu-ray player. There’s also new 3D TVs, including a 65-inch model the company says is the world’s largest Full HD 3D LED TV, along with three new 3D enabled plasmas. Kind of gives the impression that Samsung thinks this 3D thing will be a little more than a flash in the pan.
Portable 3D Blu-ray player
The BD-C8000 is the world’s first portable Blu-ray player with 3D capability. Unless you’ve got the eyes of a hawk you probably won’t be able to truly appreciate the 1080p resolution on the BD-C8000’s 10.1-inch screen, but the player’s ability to connect to a HDTV using HDMI means you’ll never be caught without some high-def entertainment, while hooking up with an HDMI 1.4 connection will allow you to enjoy some 3D content on a 3D compatible TV – provided you remembered to bring your 3D glasses.
In addition to Blu-ray playback, the BD-C8000 includes a USB 2.0 port and built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to Samsung Apps. Apps can be downloaded and stored on the unit’s 1GB of built-in memory. These provide the ability to access web-based content such as movies from Blockbuster and Netflix, catching up with friends on Facebook and streaming music and videos using Pandora and YouTube.
The player also comes with Samsung’s AllShare feature, which allows users to wirelessly sync digital devices to access music, movies and photos directly from DLNA certified PCs, cameras and mobile devices on a TV. The BD-C8000 boasts a three-hour battery life and comes with a remote control and is available now for US$500.
Standalone Blu-ray players and Home Theater Systems
Samsung also introduced three additional standalone Blu-ray players and three new Blu-ray Home Theater Systems. The standalone players start with the BD-C5900, which is Wi-Fi ready – meaning you’ll need to purchase of a Wireless LAN Adaptor. The BD-C7900, which includes two HDMI ports, and the BD-C6800 come with Wi-Fi built-in. All are 3D compatible.
The three new Home Theater Systems include the HT-C9950W, which features a metallic finish to complement Samsung’s 9000 series LED TV. It also includes a slot-in disc loading Blu-ray player, 7.1-channel 3D surround sound with four floor-standing speakers, two satellite speakers, one center channel unit and an anti-vibration sunwoofer, iPod/iPhone dock, two HDMI inputs and a dongle for wireless Internet connectivity.
The HT-C6600 offers a Blu-ray player with built-in 3D, support for HDMI 1.4, access to Samsung Apps and Wi-Fi dongle for wireless connectivity. The HT-C6900W offers all the features of the HT-C6600, plus wireless rear speakers, built-in Wi-Fi, and a two-way center channel speaker. The HT-C6600 and HT-6900W are available now for US$600 and $7000 respectively, while the HT-C995W is due in October for $1,800.
New 3D TVs
Samsung also added to its 3D TV lineup with the release of the UN65C8000, which the company claims is the largest Full HD 3D LED TV available for the home today. It boasts a 240Hz refresh rate, dynamic 8,000,000: contrast ratio, local dimming, four HDMI v1.4 inputs, two USB 2.0 ports and AllShare support. The LED 8000 is WiFi-ready and supports Samsung Apps including Skype to turn the TV into a 65-inch videophone. The UN65C8000 will be available this month for US$6,000.Samsung also expanded its 2010 Plasma HDTV line-up with the introduction of three new 3D-enabled plasma TVs – the 50-inch PN50C490 and the Plasma 680 Series, available in 50- or 58-inch screen sizes. The 680 Series features a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 0.001ms response time, four HDMI v1.4 inputs, USB 2.0 port and AllShare support. The PN50C490 retails for US$1,100, while the PN50C680 and PN58C680 sell for $1,600 and $2,300 respectively. All will be available this month.
