Samsung 2011 3D TV lineup: Active 3D TVs, ultra-light Bluetooth glasses, and 3D sound

As we reported during the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, while several companies, including Vizio, LG, and Toshiba have announced passive 3D TVs, Samsung remains fully committed to active 3D TV technology this year. And the company is rolling it out to a wider range of models and screen sizes: In fact, about 60 percent of the company's TV lineup this year will be 3D-enabled.

At a press conference in New York this week, Samsung showed off some improvements in LCD technology that it says will help 3D performance—most notably, a reduction in ghosting, something that was evident in all its LCD 3D models last year. The company also unveiled new ultra-lightweight 3D glasses that use Bluetooth wireless technology rather than infrared to sync to the TV. Samsung said that using Bluetooth to connect the glasses to the TV removes the line-of-site operation required by IR, and it's less prone to interference from other devices. The company also demonstrated a new "3D Sound" technology it said enhances the overall 3D experience.

The D7000 is a 3D LCD TV with an LED backlight
(click to enlarge)
Photo: Samsung

The new D8000-, D7000-, and D6400-series 3D LCD TVs all use edge LED backlights. In a press meeting, Samsung executives told us that these new 3D sets have several new features, including side-mounted (rather than top- and bottom-mounted) LEDs, more dimmable zones, and a new lightguide that can more uniformly distribute light across the entire back of the panel. That, in conjunction with new backlight scanning feature, purportedly helps minimize ghosting, which was very noticeable on the company's earlier 3D LCD sets.

The sets also have a "peak brightness" feature that automatically adjusts brightness levels in dark scenes during 3D viewing to help create brighter overall 3D images (while reducing power consumption). Other claimed 3D enhancements include "3D Auto Contrast" technology, which maximizes the contrast between objects in the foreground and background to reduce eye fatigue, and an addition to the TVs' 2D-to-3D conversion feature, which now allows viewers to adjust the depth of 3D images.

For those who dislike the size and weight of first-generation active 3D glasses, among the four new sets of active 3D active glasses Samsung will offer this year is one ultra-light model (SSG-3700CR), which at about 1 ounce is billed as the world's lightest active-3D set. Unfortunately, these glasses cost north of $200 per set, though you can have them outfitted with prescription lenses. But if you're thinking these would be a great addition to your current Samsung 3D TV, don't—because they use Bluetooth, the new glasses are compatible only with the new 2011 sets, and older glasses won't work with the newer sets.

Those who buy a flagship D8000-series TV will get two sets of 3D active glasses in the box; other models don't come with any glasses. Samsung has beefed up its 3D Starter Kit, which now includes of two pairs of 3D active glasses, the complete "Shrek 3D" Blu-ray collection, and a mail-in coupon for DreamWorks' animated "Megamind 3D" Blu-ray movie. The package costs almost $500, though.

Other new features include Samsung's 3D Sound, which is incorporated in all LED-backlit LCD sets this year. There wasn't a lot of explanation about what the technology actually is, but it appears that 3D Sound leverages stereo sound to create a vertical as well as a horizontal soundfield, and it's synchronized to the 3D video.

Here is the list of new 3D-enabled LCD models, with prices and availability:

• 55-inch UN55D8000, $3,600, available now
• 46-inch UN46D8000, $2,800, available now
• 55-inch UN55D7000, $3,100, available this month
• 46-inch UN46D7000, $2,300, availble this month
• 55-inch UN55D6400, $2,400, available May
• 46-inch UN46D6400, $1,600, available this month
• 40-inch UN40D6400, $1,300, available this month

The company is also introducing several new 3D plasma series this year. In fact, five of the six new plasma lines are 3D sets. In addition to a number of 2D picture-quality improvements (which we'll discuss in an upcoming blog about Samsung's non-3D lineup), the sets have same new 2D-to-3D conversion feature included in the LCD 3D models. And thanks to an extra-thin bezel, the new models are available in new screen sizes that are an inch larger than last year.

Here's the 3D plasma line, with prices and availability. All except the D490-series sets are 1080p models:

• 64-inch PN64D8000, $3,800, available April
• 59-inch PN59D8000, $3,000, available April
• 51-inch PN51D8000, $2,300, available April
• 64-inch PN64D7000, $3,400, available April
• 59-inch PN59D7000, $2,600, available April
• 51-inch PN51D7000, $1,900, available April
• 59-inch PN59D6500, $2,200, available this month
• 51-inch PN51D6500, $1,600, available this month
• 64-inch PN64D550, $2,700, available this month
• 59-inch PN59D550, $1,900, available this month
• 51-inch PN51D550, $1,300, available this month
• 51-inch PN51D490, $1,000, available this month
• 43-inch PN43D490, $800, available this month

We'll be checking many of these new features and claimed enhancements as soon as we get the sets into our TV Labs for testing.

—James K. Willcox