Samsung's big push at CES is its TOC theme which stands for Touch of Color. The company, which differentiated itself in the flat panel TV market with its piano black finish, is going with a new construction for its Series 6 and 7 LCD flat panels.
Essentially, Samsung has found a way to mold the TV frames and in doing so, find a way to glue together different color layers, which adds a cool glow of red or blue. The version they showed at CES is a red version that looks like a black TV with a clear outline and a red halo. But as you get closer you can see that the red is a layer that can be seen throughout the body. It's a cool effect if you're into that.
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The sets with advanced displays, called organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), weigh about 40% less than LCD TVs of the same size while offering better contrast, color and brightness, Samsung said. The company is showcasing a 14.1-inch and a 31-inch model at CES, and plans to begin commercial production of mid- to large-sized OLED TVs "around 2010."
Samsung is not the only manufacturer pursuing OLED technology as the next big advancement in TV imagery. Sony is also committed to the technology, and released an 11-inch model called the XEL-1 to US stores yesterday for $2,500. (See SmartHouse exclusive review) Toshiba and Panasonic are working jointly on OLED TVs, but are still in the research and development stage.
