Samsung prepping 6.5mm LCD for debut at CES

Samsung Korea has announced it will reveal an ever-so-thin HDTV prototype at CES this week -- a clear trend going into the show. There's a paucity of info about it as of now, but it's going to be between 6.5 and 7mm thick -- and it doesn't appear to be part of the possible lineup we saw leaked a while back. "Thinnest HDTV" ever, huh? We'll see about that soon enough: Samsung's Vegas press conference is scheduled for Wednesday.

[Reed @ Jan 5th 2009 1:36AM]

Wow, I have to admit I'm a huge Samsung LCD fanboy. This thing is pretty slick. It's crazy how thin they can make these now.

[Jon @ Jan 5th 2009 1:43AM]

You already posted that link a couple back.

Why so desperate?

[Box @ Jan 5th 2009 1:46AM]

Why so serious

[arcticpenguins @ Jan 5th 2009 2:26AM]

Oh god Reed. PLEASE DON'T become one of the people EVERYONE hates by posting your link everywhere.

Just comment, this isn't a place for advertisement

[Akuma @ Jan 6th 2009 2:49PM]

What's the point in getting really really thin TV's if the stand's going to take up half the room anyway?

[Daniel @ Jan 5th 2009 1:39AM]

come on samsung or sony, or anybody for that matter break the 1080p mark and that will be good news. thinner smaller does not mean alot bring on the highest resolution that you can. i mean who here honestly would not like to own a 2k,4k, or an ultra resolution display. just my two cents.

[Uncontrol @ Jan 5th 2009 1:54AM]

yes, i can't wait to play all my 4000p movies on a tv

[Thomas @ Jan 5th 2009 2:00AM]

I think the problem is not with the display, but with the content available. With the cable and satellite TV providers and content producers fail to produce and deliver shows in 1080p, people would not see a need to upgrade to something even higher resolution when the content isn't here to deliver at that resolution. As much as I love 4K (I have been fortunate enough to see one of those sweet 4K Sony projectors in action in a private demo) being used to model mechanical designs and movie projections, the market from content producer (difficult to edit because it is computationally expensive), to the delivery infrastructure and equipment (again computationally intensive and high requirement for bandwidth with today's H264 and VC-1 compression), and user (the clarity brought at such close distance could cause dizziness) are simply not ready to adopt the resolution yet.

Bottom line is that while the 4K resolution may be good for large theatre projection or for companies doing mechanical design, the capital cost of investing into this resolution maybe too much for everybody in the process from content production to consumption. Perhaps it will take at least another 5 to 10 years before 2K and 4K becomes widely adopted as computation power increases and more efficient compression algorithm allows for efficient and cost effective production and delivery.

[Box @ Jan 5th 2009 1:46AM]

lol is there even a point for being that thin?
its like girls who gets so thin that their rib bones shows up *shrug*

[mocax @ Jan 5th 2009 1:55AM]

i presume so you can lug it to the shelter in a jiffy when a tornado decides to visit your house.

[Blastar @ Jan 5th 2009 2:36AM]

Now if they could just make it flexible so I can fold it and take it with me would the best.

[arash @ Jan 5th 2009 1:54AM]

yeah samsung please bring a cheap(!) quad hd to ces

[arash @ Jan 5th 2009 1:57AM]

@ uncontrol
where are you? in panavision or red?

[Tabajara Labs @ Jan 5th 2009 1:59AM]

Why so thin? Just to make it more expensive? Make it cheaper, in the way that everyone will afford at least a 42" one!

[Bleck @ Jan 5th 2009 2:11AM]

I don't understand the appeal of these ultra then TV's. In the end, it still needs a fairly wide base which ends up taking the same footprint anyways. I'd rather take a better TV that is thicker and cheaper then simply be "thinner" and more expensive with likely being mediocre, anyway.

[Aaron @ Jan 5th 2009 6:12AM]

Agreed. I have a Sony SXRD 50a3000, and it's got an amazing picture. It beats out DLP in color and video movement (and has less SSE than the Samsung DLP set), and when the sets were still reasonably available just after being discontinued, you could find a 60" for like 1700 or less.

It's a shame that Sony had to play the market demand and discontinue the sets in favor of LCD technology. I know their XBR sets provide great looking picture, but they're so much more expensive. The whole "I NEED A SET I CAN HANG ON MY WALL" mentality of consumers is really getting on my nerves, especially because to even have it look good while hanging on that wall, you need all your cables and other AV peripherals professionally installed accordingly.

Most people don't recognize a good thing when they see it. They just want what everyone else has...

[dontaxedme @ Jan 5th 2009 2:12AM]

I'll take it in the 65" flavor please!

[BobTurbo @ Jan 5th 2009 2:27AM]

LCD cannot even display motion properly yet, maybe they should concentrate on that first.

[Aaron @ Jan 5th 2009 6:14AM]

Yeah, Plasma and RPTV's have been able to deliver excellent response times for quite a while now, and it's taken LCD's a long time to even catch up, let alone try to surpass other tech.

[Oli D @ Jan 5th 2009 2:47AM]

I dont understand thin TVs, yeah compared to CRT, but that thin just seems like shwoing off...

How would you utilize the extra thinness?

[kingBoni @ Jan 5th 2009 3:53AM]

Slicing cake.

[Shinigami @ Jan 5th 2009 8:13AM]

For those who didn't get the "slicing cake" joke, remember how HP guy used MacBook Air to slice a cake (its thin and sharp on edges, others used it to cut bread, themselves).

[Noah @ Jan 5th 2009 5:01AM]

I guess I'm the only one here to understand the appeal of this thin-ness. I'm so excited I'm about to have a nerdgazm! I was stoked when I saw how thin the 850 series was... but this is just unbelievable. And now judging by the posts today, it looks like every manufacturer is going to be engaging in similar innovation... it's clear where these products are headed. Frankly, I'm just dazzled... in my opinion this is getting to be a real sweet spot of LCD.

[theshooter @ Jan 5th 2009 10:20PM]

I think you need to get laid. The 850 is not that thin. Pioneer plasma baby!

[Shinigami @ Jan 5th 2009 8:11AM]

Whats next? 0.5mm OLED screen? Oh, wait, was it 0.4mm by Sony?
In either case it would be GREAT if they stopped their "the thinner the better" and started thinking about the rest of things, like low response time (cheap OLED pretty please), good/proper/realistic rich colors, great detail in the dark, smaller weight (JVC! Nicely done!), smaller power requirements, smaller price.

So please if you know anyone in Samsung pass them a message - we don't really care if its thinner than iPhone. As thin as iPhone will do the job nicely, so its time to take a look at other parameters.

[Michael @ Jan 5th 2009 9:11AM]

Ohhh its so thin!

Who cares. It is not like I am going to lift it every day. Now if they could find a way to make me thin, that would pique my interest.

[james @ Jan 5th 2009 2:51PM]

NICE AND ALL BUT.. I just got off the phone with samsung support talked to tier 2 and managers and they dont know jack. They also waste loads of your time with irrelevant questions. Im at tech so I have some clue. if you cant support a product no one should buy it.

[Fargus @ Jan 5th 2009 5:41PM]

Everyone who is complaining needs to wait for the press release before you whine about it being thin and them not focussing on fixing other issues. Im sure they will have a plethora of "fat" tv's for your liking. Are we really complaining about technology ADVANCING to a point where this is possible?!?!?!

[collide007 @ Jan 5th 2009 8:54PM]

Why is everyone banging on about stands? LCD TVs are for wall mounting. The point is to save space, that and to look amazing, i'm must admit, thats one sexy screen, the JVC also.

If your wondering about players, you can hide those away somewhere else, they don't HAVE to be right under your TV, especially with universal remotes and the like. Picture this: mount and ultra thin LCD TV on your chimney breast that makes it almost look like it IS the wall, and hide your DVD/BD player in a cupboard in the annoying space either side. Instantly makes your living room look bigger and tidier.