Sean Hannam reports from Las Vegas


'Immersive' 3D and smart TV are going to be the core themes for Samsung UK's television strategy for the year ahead, but the company has no immediate plans to launch non-glasses 3DTV.


Speaking to ERT at this year's CES exhibition in Las Vegas, Russell Owens, general manager, CTV and AV marketing, Samsung UK, said: "There are two main pillars to our TV strategy - one is our immersive 3D experience and the other is the smart TV experience.


"As far as we're concerned, it [non-glasses 3DTV] is a little way off - one of the major reasons why we back active 3D technology over passive is the viewing angle. There's also the ability to make sure that the 3D image is in Full HD, which you can't get with passive.


"We want to think of 3D as an immersive experience. If you have anything that reduces the viewing angle - i.e passive 3D technology or, as we're led to believe, glasses-free 3D technology, then that also reduces the immersive experience. We'll only start to consider it [glasses-free 3DTV] if it doesn't compromise either the 2D or the 3D image - it's not something that we're announcing at the moment."


At CES, Samsung unveiled a raft of new products, including its flagship TVs for 2011 - the D8000 and D7000 3D LED TV series, which have an ultra-slim design with a bezel that is only 5mm thick - 0.2 inches.


The company also announced the D6500 plasma TV series and its latest smart TV platform Smart Hub, which is the new version of the company's Internet@TV concept.


Almost all of Samsung's new 40in and above 2011 TVs will offer connected smart TV features.


Smart Hub is a simple menu system that enables users to connect, discover and enjoy a wide range of content, claimed Samsung.


Users can easily search for movies, shows and videos via online services and across connected devices, browse the web from their TV and access a wide variety of apps from Samsung Apps, the HDTV-based apps store.


Features of the Smart Hub include:

Search All - to make it easier to search for desired content on your TV and other DLNA-certified media storage devices, networked PC and mobile devices and internet and video-on-demand services;

Your Video - which delivers recommendations based on a user's viewing history;

Internet Browser - full web browsing customised for the TV; and

Samsung Apps - TV apps store which offers a range of paid for and free apps.


Samsung also used CES to launch several new 3D glasses, including a premium, stylish pair which, it claimed, could be worn easily and comfortably over the user's ordinary spectacles.


The company revealed it is working with a lens manufacturer to develop prescription 3D glasses to be sold in high street opticians and that it has been working hard to overcome several issues that affected its first-generation 3D glasses.


Said Mr Owens: "We've addressed a couple of things with our 3D glasses. Last year, we struggled with interference from the emitters and from fluorescent lighting. This created some challenges for shop displays. Plasma was affected more than LED. It was also difficult when several 3DTVs were being demonstrated side-by-side. We believe there will be a move towards Bluetooth technology for 3D glasses. This means that the signal will be more stable and there is no interference from ambient lighting."


On smart TV, Mr Owens said: "In-store demonstration is going to be fundamental to the success of smart TV. We see 3D as just one of the functions in our smart TV umbrella. Smart Hub is what we're going to call the old Internet@TV platform. It's not just about having the Samsung Apps platform - we'll also be talking about browsing capabilities on our premium models and the other functions that smart TV can deliver, like Your Video and Search All.


"Retailers are going to have to think very carefully about how they're going to demonstrate these functions in-store. Suffice to say, that will lend itself to specialist retailers. We're going to be working very hard with our specialist retailers - several of which are out with us at CES. We need to train retailers to sell the benefits of smart TV - you can't just put a remote control in someone's hand and say 'there it is'. We'll also be working with retailers on the installation of smart TV - for me, that's an area that is underplayed."


He added: "We're going to be creating interactive Smart Zones in some of our retail stores. As we develop smart TV as a category, there's a lot of work that needs to be done on the customer journey in-store. We don't want to default to just screen size and price. We need to highlight some of the functions and benefits. The only way we can do that is by creating zones where consumers can interact with the products and understand what they can do. Between now and early March, when the new TVs come out, we'll be working with retailers to create these shop-in-shop Smart Zones."


Commenting on the state of the UK CE market, Mr Owens said: "Last year was tough - the second half of the year saw a relative decline in the volume and value of TV sales and the market tightened. I think the first half of the year will be quite tight. We need to work hard to get the new products into the market and to create the right messages and the demand. Immersive and smart TV are the way forward."


Samsung announced several other new products at CES 2011, including a wi-fi only version of its Galaxy Tab, the TX100 tablet PC, which has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and the Q10 Full HD camcorder which has a Switch Grip, meaning it can be used in both the left or the right hand.


The company also claimed to have launched the world's slimmest 3D Blu-ray player - the BD-D7500.