Durban - As someone who was around to experience the introduction of television to South Africa nearly 40 years ago, I’m constantly astonished by how far the technology has come since then.
So it was gratifying to see even the youngsters’ jaws drop open in amazement when Samsung pulled the wraps off its new line of ultra high definition (SUHD) TVs on Wednesday. Don’t ask me what the S stands for. Samsung doesn’t seem to know either. Super? Stunning? Sensational? Choose a superlative that starts with S and you won’t be far off the mark.
These uber tellys were launched globally in February at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, but it was only at the local launch in Johannesburg that I got a chance to eye them out properly.
If you follow developments in the upper-end TV market, you’ll have read the marketing spiel on how Samsung’s SUHD range employs eco-friendly nano crystal display technology and an intelligent remastering engine to deliver superior picture quality with stunning contrast, striking brightness, spectacular colour and superb four times HD detail.
I’d read the same material, but none of it prepared me for the sheer retina searing beauty of these delectable devices.
While my head grappled with the quantum dot tech that provides 64 times more colour expression than conventional TVs, my heart and eyes simply wanted to stare into its depths forever, an allure accentuated by the subtle curve and chamfered bezel. Some say the curve is a gimmick. Maybe I’ve drunk the Kool Aid, but I really do find it makes for a more immersive viewing experience.
Beware this mesmerising effect when you walk into an electronics shop in the coming weeks – they’ll be available from May 18 – because if you’re a home entertainment buff, you’re going to feel a powerful urge to own one. Unless you’re particularly well-heeled, that’s going to require an uncharacteristically indulgent bank manager. Prices start at R45 000 for the 55-inch model, climbing to a whopping R250 000 for the 88-inch model.
In a bid to sweeten the deal, Samsung is offering free Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones to decisive types who pre-order the 55-inch and 65-inch models respectively before May 17.
Should you buy one? If you’ve got the dosh, hell yeah. If I won the Lotto, one of these beauties would be near the top of my shopping list.
Until then I'll have to be content with my current telly that's more High Chaparral than high definition.
Simply Marvel-ous
Movie product placement has come a long way since 1980 when Christopher Reeve’s Superman battled it out with General Zod in downtown Metropolis, wrecking a Marlboro cigarette van and a giant Coca Cola billboard.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron, which premiered on Wednesday, sees large parts of Joburg city centre being trashed in a Hollywood scale version of the EFF’s eviction from parliament. But the geekily inclined will notice among all the carnage that Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and some of his super-powered sidekicks are using Samsung hand-held gadgets to keep in touch and monitor what’s going on around them. There’s even a scene involving a Samsung store.
So what’s made billionaire playboy Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr) ditch his LG from Iron Man and Iron Man 2? It’s all part of a global marketing tie-up between the South Korean tech giant and Marvel, owners of the Avengers brand.
Samsung SA’s Craige Fleischer said the collaboration “gives our consumers the best in exclusive content, products and activities centred on Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
This includes Marvel-themed wallpapers, home screen icons, ring tones and more, all coinciding with the recently released Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. I’m partial to the Hulk wallpaper myself.
Samsung is also showcasing a Galaxy Avengers Studio in select locations, giving visitors a chance to try out the Galaxy S6 and Gear Virtual Reality headset loaded with Marvel content.
* For more pictures and info, visit my blog alanqcooper.tumblr.com or follow @alanqcooper on Twitter.
Sunday Tribune