Samsung 3D TVs to include two pairs of glasses, additional pairs drop to $50 each
In a strong downward pricing move, Samsung has announced that all of its 2011 3D TVs will include two pairs of the company's active 3D glasses, and had slashed the price of additional pairs as well.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
Update June 29, 2011: Samsung has a new offer with more caveats that applies to people who purchased TVs June 28th and later.
Update May 19, 2011: Samsung has issued the statement referenced below and set up a web site for customers who bought qualifying TVs to receive their free glasses.
Update May 11, 2011: Since this blog post published we have received reader mail and comments from customers who said that, despite purchasing a qualifying TV after the date(s) below, they did not receive 3D glasses. We brought these complaints to Samsung, and today were told the following by a Samsung representative:
"Samsung will be issuing an official statement on this matter soon. We're aware consumers have been frustrated by the lack of clarity on how they can get their 2 pairs of 3D glasses with the purchase of a 2011 Samsung TV, as stated in our promotional announcement. We'd like to reassure you and your readers that they will get their glasses and will be sharing information shortly."
We'll update this post when we receive the statement or more information.
Today Samsung announced that starting April 24, two pairs of its base 2011 3D glasses, model SSG-3100GB, would be included with every Samsung 2011 3D TV free of charge.
Previous to this announcement, none of its TVs aside from the high-end UND8000 series included the glasses necessary to view 3D TV images.
The company has also reduced the price of additional sets of 3100GB glasses from $129 list to $50 each, effective May 1.
Samsung's glasses are powered, active-shutter models, which use Bluetooth to synch with the TV as opposed to the Infrared synching used by the 2010 versions. These new glasses are incompatible with Samsung's 2010 3D TVs.
In our tests the Bluetooth sync works well, and overall 3D performance has improved compared to last year on the model we tested (see the upcoming
Related links
• Passive 3D vs. active 3D: Hands-on TV comparison
• Six 3D TVs compared
• CNET's 3D TV FAQ
Samsung's move is a pretty obvious response to the inclusion of four pairs of passive, unpowered 3D glasses with models like the
We expect similar pricing moves by companies like Panasonic and Sony, which like Samsung focus exclusively on active 3D. It's worth noting that no TV maker's active 3D glasses are compatible with any other's, so you can't use those cheap(er) Samsung glasses with your Panasonic plasma.
The least-expensive Samsung TV to include the glasses will be the 43-inch
"Customers purchasing the D7000 and above 3D LED TVs or the D6500 and above 3D Plasma TVs will continue to receive Samsung's 3D Starter Kit (SSG-3100M). The kit includes two pairs of 3D active glasses, promotional versions of...[the] complete Shrek collection on 3D Blu-ray and a voucher for Megamind 3D on Blu-ray. Customers already receiving this starter kit with a step-up TV model will not be eligible for the new promotion."