Live at Samsung's press event
We're scrunched in on the floor here with about 150 or so of our closest tripod-wielding friends at Samsung's presentation for the press. The EV-DO coverage in the press room has been spotty presumably due to sheer volume, so we're hoping it will cooperate enough down here on the show floor so we can bring you some live coverage from the event.
12:57 It's packed in here. You can't turn your head without seeing a DV cam trained on the stage area, a ginormous xx-inch display (or xxx-inch display...), or both.
1:02pm We're starting up. Talking about Samsung's mission to produce relevant high-quality products to enrich user's day to day activities. Over the past 5 years they've been focusing on feature-rich and attractive, user-friendly design and mobility.
1:06 Introducing Samsung Senior VP. Focus on Samsung as great general contractor of open technologies to deliver the best of digital lifestyles products. World's fastest growing brand over the past 4 years. Winning more industrial design engineering awards than any other company over the last 5 years.
1:08 Partnership with XM and 3 new products developed to be shown here at CES. Announcing partnership with DirectTV for a new set top box. Partnership with Time Warner Cable to deliver most robust integrated HD platform for consumers around the world. Samsung and Comcast will work together to deliver the first OCAP-integrated set top box for cable to be delivered in the fall of 2006. Initial order of 200,000 units. Work with Texas Instruments around micro-displays -- first to deliver the first DLP LED HDTV platform.
1:09 Samsung wants to be open to work with providers and devices -- staying away from closed market sectors. Worrying about what consumers want. Proud to be the open company.
1:11 John Ready VP of Visual Display. Introducing 16 new DLP display models with 9 capable of 1080p. Industry's first LED light source to provide 20,000 hours of continuous light without degradation over time. First OCAP-integrated sets later this year.
1:13 In Plasma, 10 new displays with improved color and brightness. New Filter-bright technology reduces ambient glare in the room and reduces picture brightness to optimize for the room conditions. Cosmetically more choices in the plasma line with bottom speaker designs, sleek speaker designs, swivel designs and new color options.
1:14 Digital CRT market -- introducing four new models, 2 30-inch models and 2 27-inch models.
1:15 Jim Sandusky Senior VP of marketing for Digital Audio and Video Products. Samsung will be introducing the industry's first true HD upconverter outputting 1080p from standard DVD disks. Generally hypoing their Blu-ray players.
1:17 Showing portable media player YP-Z5 in 2GB and 4GB configurations. 1.8-inches LCD and 38 hours battery life.
1:19 Showing portable XM players with recording capabilities in the car and on the go.
1:21 Thomas Reed talking about copy-protection on HD networks. Hana alliance: NBC Universal, Charter Communications, Sun Microsystems, Samsung, Mitsubishi and JVC working together on the standard.
1:25 Greg Prendergast VP of sales, information and technology division. Introducing new large format displays and new printers including the world's smallest laser printer and world's smallest monochrome all-in-one printer/copier/scanner.
1:26 Peter Scarzinsky, Mobile Phone division. Samsung awarded best in innovation for the i730 at this year's CES. Introducing products allowing broadcast access technologies to handset devices, and ultra-slim phones. Focusing on entertainment on demand. Development of industry's first UMTS products launching on Cingular network. First 7-megapixel cameraphone. Development of Mobile TV.
1:29 Industry's first hard disk phones, using Microsoft DRM with 3GB storage. WiBro, WiMax and high-speed wireless.
1:31 We're done -- uber-brief Q & A sees Samsung predicting "Nothing but Blu skies"... yes, they really did.
After: hard to walk without bumping into people here on Samsung's 25,000 square feet of show floor. By far the coolest display is the miniature models enjoying Samsung gear all It's a Small World-style... somehow they managed to capture the Engadget team hard at work:
