NEWS - Saturday, April 30, 2005
Samsung HDTV Xbox 360 Partner
Samsung HDTV Xbox 360 Partner Pushing the buzz forward of the HD Era, Xbox has made Samsung their official HDTV marketing partner. During the Home Entertainment Expo at the New York Hilton today, Microsoft and Samsung Electronics jointly announced "an alliance to elevate gaming to the next level through high-definition technology." Essentially, Microsoft has selected Samsung as its official global marketing partner for the "HD Era" and its next-generation console, which is likely to be called Xbox 360. Cross-marketing push Under the terms of the agreement, over 25,000 Samsung HDTVs will be installed in Xbox retail kiosk locations worldwide. Specifically, the new 23" Samsung LCD TV (LNR238W) will be used to showcase the HD graphics of the Xbox 360 at retail. The 23" set boasts a 12-millisecond response time for pixel switching speed (minimizing ghosting which can be a problem on LCD screens), a fixed pixel configuration to eliminate scan lines, and built-in speakers that feature SRS Tru-surround XT to simulate surround sound audio. The companies’ combined marketing push will also include cinema, POS, television, print, online and other various media efforts. Additionally, Microsoft plans to incorporate Samsung-branded products and the Samsung logo into its first HD game. For those of you who enjoy hyperbole, Microsoft and Samsung claim that their new promotional alliance "will drive the HDTV gaming platform as the greatest emotional experience available for gamers around the world." Long-standing relationship Microsoft says that they’ve been searching for a formidable visual display company to help them promote the next-gen Xbox since October of last year. Their choice of Samsung comes as no surprise, given the warm relationship both companies have developed of late. It was Samsung, after all, that joined with MS to give away 1,000 HDTVs at the conclusion of Chief XNA architect J Allard’s keynote during the Game Developers Conference. Samsung technology is also used in the current Xbox. Some units have a Samsung DVD drive and the two companies announced earlier this week co-development on a prototype rotating disk drive to support Microsoft’s upcoming Longhorn operating system. Microsoft and Samsung have engaged in many other collaborative technology efforts as well.Source: http://www.extremegamer.ca
