Content breaking the mold of ordinary TVs

By Alexander Villafania INQUIRER.NET Â MANILA, Philippines â The market for widescreen television in the Philippines is gradually increasing as more consumers continue to look at more fashionable electronics with cinematic qualities. Â Prices of widescreen TVs, specifically LCDs, are also in the decline as demand and competition of different brands increases. Two years ago, a 32-inch LCD TV would have cost around P45,0000 to P60,000. Now, most 32-inch models have gone below the P1,000-per-inch threshold. Â These units have also become technologically better through the years, particul arly on the picture quality. Most are only high definition-ready (720p) while o thers are already capable of playing full high definition (1080p) videos especi ally from Blu-Ray discs or game consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 . Â But most Filipinos with widescreen TVs only enjoy just about standard definitio n (480p) movies, especially those on DVD. They are not actually using up the mo st of their TVs. Still, some TV manufacturers see the market becoming more soph isticated as they buy new TVs that produce better picture quality to get the mo st cinematic experience in their homes. Â Brands such as Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic and LG are coming out with the several models catering to different market segments. Obviously, price dro ps of widescreen TVs will continue as these brands flood the market with differ ent models. Â Samsung, on the other hand, is going on a different direction: instead of intro ducing cheaper widescreen models, they are taking on the premium market segment . They are the first to introduce LED TVs in the Philippines. These models incl ude the 40-inch Series 6, 7 and 8. Â In a recent tour, Samsung Philippines officials showcased two of their models, the Series 7 and 8, which come in 46-inch to 55-inch sizes. These are the compa nyâs flagship models in the LED segment and with good reason: these two are cap able of Internet access and content download through a Samsung service called D LNA (digital living network alliance). These also have limited Internet TV capa bilities. Â Because of these, the Series 7 and 8 are provided with wireless connectivity (a wireless dongle is required for the Series 7), as well as an Ethernet port to connect it to a router. There are few TVs that have such connectivity. Â While these technologies are still in their infancy, Samsung is already taking the trend a little further -- that is, while theyâre still ahead. Amby Navarro and Joanne Roman --Â respectively, the marketing group head and home appliance product specialist â said their new LED TVs are aimed at making the television an integral communications tool for the home. The Internet TV and DLNA functio ns make the Samsung Series 7 and 8 come closer to the realization of a true mul tifunction appliance. Â According to Roman, Samsung Philippines is already talking to several local con tent providers about creating widgets, which should be downloadable via DLNA. T hese companies organizations are provided with software development kits (SDK) that allow them to build widgets specifically for Samsung. Â There is no known limit as to what content can be made using the Samsung SDKs t hough Roman said a company could create a communications tool. Â Meanwhile, Navarro believed that by putting more functions in TVs they are crea ting a new market for the Philippines that will use their TVs for more than jus t viewing movies but also for communications. Â âThe value of a TV increases if its use goes beyond just merely watching someth ing. These should not be empty boxes that look good but they have to be somethi ng more dynamic and useful. By putting content, people will enjoy their applian ce even more,â Navarro said.