Hi Tech

New tech delights

Gabby Mercado
Inquirer News Service

SAMSUNG has launched its high-end consumer products for 2005.

A bevy of top-of-the-line products were unveiled during the launching, including the world's largest Plasma TV, the 63" technological marvel PS63P5H, and a new line of slim TV sets that would make most buyers of traditional-sized TV sets think twice. There were also Home Theater Systems, the latest LCD, DLP, CRT Projection, HD-Flat TVs, a host of new DVD players, the "Miniket" line of tiny camcorders, tiny flash and hard disk-based MP3 players and many others.

Samsung also launched its new "Imagine" campaign, coming after the six-year "DigitAll" slogan, which was used to project a conservative, electronics-for-everyone image. The new "Imagine" campaign has a higher-end target, emphasizing a high-quality and a top-of-the-line feel that caters to consumers who demand the best level of quality and performance from their personal gadgets.

High-end TVs

Samsung's Plasma TV offers the clearest and most vibrant pictures you can get. Plasma TVs use a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture, while also making sizes such as 42", 50" and 63" actually cost-effective. Plasma allows for a truly black color when the picture calls for it, unlike other TV sets which produce only a dark shade of gray.

Plasma, however, has a rather fragile screen, and at the sizes available is more suited for large areas. So for those who are looking for something for a more private area, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) TVs are excellent alternatives, with Samsung having four models to choose from, from 40" to 15".

Then there are the DLP or Digital Light Projection TVs, of which there's a 61", 56", 50" and a 42". Samsung also offers a "SlimFit" option in lieu of your average-size TV for medium sized living rooms. The latest high-definition TV (HDTV) offerings from the company come at affordable prices and with designs similar to the LCD units. These separate themselves from the pack by being 33 percent smaller in depth, allowing you to put them in tighter spaces. There's a 32" and a 29" version to choose from.

Home Theater

If there's one thing that spells high-end, it's having a home theater, and for those who want more in life, Samsung is offering the HT-P1200. The system allows for such things as "Extreme Surround Sound," offering 360 degrees surround sound with only a 5.1 channel sound speaker system, an "Auto Sound Calibration (ASC)" that allows anyone to experience the same sound at the touch of an auto setup button, regardless of where he or she is seated, the "Live Surround Mode" where listeners can enjoy life-like 5.1 channel surround sound impact, and a "Virtual headphone" function that provides 5.1 channel surround sound using normal headphones.

PC geeks will like the "USB Host Play" feature, which allows the home theater system to connect with any gadget that has a USB connection, such as MP3 players, Digicams, PCs and laptops.

Miniket and mobile multimedia

However, the scene stealer at the event would have to be the rather strangely named "Miniket" line of Camcorders, of which there are two, the SC-M110S and the rugged and, therefore, special SC-X110L.

The SC-M110s is a tiny, 150-gram (with battery) 720x480 MPEG4 camera that fires away at 30 frames per second, with 10x optical and 100x digital zoom, and can also double as an MP3 player, voice recorder, digital still camera and, of course, because it can do all those, as a Data Storage Device (allowing 256MB, 512MB or 1GB) and a Webcam. The SC-X110L stands out for being wrapped in a kind of rubbery coating that allows it to be handled more ruggedly. It even features a remote (wired) optical device you can strap to a helmet, your shoulder or even your foot. The idea is to give you freedom, and, at only 150 grams (which can fit in the palm of your hand), riding a bike, rollerskating or skateboarding with the cam is possible.

Rounding off the launch were six new MP3 players, and DVD players as well.