Samsung launches curved high-definition TV

Dubai: Couples needn’t squabble over television watching — they can now view different channels at the same time.

Samsung has solved this issue with its new curved OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TV where two different programmes, whether it is 3D or high-definition contents, on the same screen with the help of 3D glasses. Viewers using the feature need to wear special 3D glasses with built-in personal speakers for stereo sound.

OLED TVs can make images 50 per cent sharper and colours 20 per cent brighter than the current liquid-crystal-display (LCD) models. It has the same Full high-definition resolution as the LCD displays (1920 x 1080 pixels), or in others words 2 megapixel as the Full HD TVs.

“The TV industry has been growing in the Gulf but not as good as in the last year. The political uncertainty in the region and the devaluation of the Indian rupee has impacted the sales of TVs,” Vinod Nair, general manager of audio visual sales group at Samsung Gulf, told Gulf News on the sidelines of the launch of the curved 55-inch OLED TV in the UAE.

Design

He said people are interested in sending money back home instead of purchasing TVs.

The 55-inch curved OLED TV with “timeless arena” design will be available this week with a price tag of Dh32,999 in the UAE and in other parts of the Gulf by end of this month.

LG launched the 55-inch flat OLED TV at last year’s Gitex technology show.

“This technology, already used in certain smartphones, uses less power than LCD and has higher contrast rate and creates more vivid images,” Sweta Dash, senior director for display research at IHS, a research agency, told Gulf News.

She said that OLED TVs will really serve the high end of the market. “The cost is very high. The 55-inch curved OLED will cost $9,000 (Dh33,030) and at the same time a 50-inch LCD TV will cost only $1,000 in the US. The price difference is around nine times but the price quality is in very high definition,” she said.

Dash believes that cash-rich Middle East countries can afford these technologies but it will be very limited.

Market share

Samsung has grown 10 per cent in value in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. The world’s largest TV manufacturer has a market share of 40 per cent in the UAE.

“This is a new technology and meant especially for early adopters. It is not going to be a mass product this year. The sales numbers are not going to be huge,” Nair said.

He added that Samsung does not have any plans to launch different screen sizes at this point of time and that Samsung awaits market response.

Why curved? Nair explains the distance between the centre of the TV to a person’s eye and the side of the TV is the same. The radius of the curved OLED TV is 4.2 metres. Because of the curved design, the viewer will have an impression of a bigger TV.

“All models will have evolutionary kit, which allows consumers to easily upgrade hardware and software via a card, so that they can stay up-to-date with the latest innovations without changing the TV every year,” Nair said.