Touted by Samsung as their best plasma yet, the PNE80000 Plasma TVs combine a bold new bezel esthetic, improved display technologies and the latest Smartness for a home theater experience like never before.
The PNE8000 is a mere one-and-a-half inches thick--pretty darned lean for a plasma display--and is framed by Samsung's Plasma "+1" ultra-slim bezel, which almost magically reduces the gap between the bezel and the picture on the screen, revealing more usable image area without increasing the outer dimensions of the TV. The bezel is a new titan black metal color with a transparent, crystal-like border, which is easy on the eyes when the TV is turned off, and less distracting when it's turned on.
Delicious black levels remain one of the key selling points for plasma, versus LCD, and the PNE8000 offers some of the deepest ever on a Samsung TV. The new Real Black Pro Panel leverages advancements in the physical structure of the plasma panel and improved software to deliver blacker blacks--boosted by ten percent--along with bolder colors and higher contrast. This new plasma is also a 3D display, ready for Blu-ray 3D and more.
As with the ES8000 LED TV, the PNE8000 includes the best of Smart TV with a dual-core processor that enables multitasking for the many features. Smart Interaction allows users to launch and navigate apps (more than 1,400 are currently available via Samsung Apps) more easily thanks to the enhancements of Motion Control, Voice Control and Face Recognition. This last one is worth noting, as we can set certain user profiles, and depending upon who is watching (as confirmed by the TV's built-in camera), a custom interface will appear, suggesting content appropriate for Dad, Mom or Junior. Smart Content allows us to share personal messages and media across different devices, as well as paid TV shows, movies and more.
Media Hub is also coming to TVs in 2012, which means that if we buy a title once, we can enjoy it on the smartphone, tablet or TV. Live bonus content can also be viewed on a connected Samsung Galaxy device while we watch certain movies on the TV. As half of the 2012 TV line is going to be 3D-ready, Samsung is working with content providers such as NBC Universal to make a host of new 3D streaming programming available. Four words, two big and two small: Battlestar Galactica in 3D!
And in an entertainment landscape tainted by product obsolescence and buyer's remorse, Samsung has certainly provided one of the most exciting announcements of CES with the introduction of Smart Evolution. Almost like continuing education for Smart TVs, this new initiative empowers consumers to make our old televisions new again, not with a spritz of Windex but with an optional Evolution Kit that plugs into a special slot. Because Samsung manufactures their own system-on-a-chip components, they are positioned as the only company that can offer such significant future-proofing upgrades as they become available, bringing the latest processing and software to their TVs in customers' homes.
The full details on screen sizes, prices and in-store dates have yet to be revealed, but we can tell you that the E8000 Series plasma TV has received a CES 2012 Innovations Design and Engineering Award. And all Samsung 2012 TVs--even these juice-ravenous plasmas--are compliant with Energy Star 5.1 guidelines, which I mistakenly thought only applied to home theater audio hardware. Go know.
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