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Samsung: We'll have new plasmas, just not at CES 2014

Among the two remaining TV makers that produce plasma TVs, LG and Samsung, only LG is announcing any plasmas at CES 2014.

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David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • 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.
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David Katzmaier
2 min read
Samsung's 2013 PNF8500 plasma was one of the best TVs of the year. As yet, it has no official successor. Sarah Tew/CNET
LAS VEGAS -- In the wake of Panasonic's decision to abandon plasma, CNET along with the rest of the videophile world was eagerly anticipating word of Samsung's plans for our favorite non-OLED display technology.

Unfortunately, we don't have any official announcements yet. Unlike LG, Samsung said it will not reveal any new plasma TVs at CES 2014.

On the other hand, Samsung assured me it will release new plasma TVs later in the year. I spoke to Dave Das, VP of Home Entertainment for Samsung, and he said the company was planning to release new models around the middle of the year.

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Even better, he mentioned plans to offer a less expensive version of the PNF8500 series, one of the best TVs of 2013. The new version, perhaps with a 7 series designation, would have similar picture quality to the 8500, but skip some of the extra features like the camera and elaborate metal stand, thus reducing cost. As someone who was pining for a videophile-grade, affordable plasma similar to the dearly departed Panasonic ST60, that description is music to my ears.

In the meantime, Das said the 2013 lineup would continue to be produced and sold. He stressed that none of these plans are final, however, which is why there's no CES announcement.

I was told in a follow-up conversation with John Ryu, VP of Samsung's Visual Display R&D office, that the lineup will encompass just a few models and, more tellingly, that he doesn't think the technology has a future beyond 2014 at his company. He cited the difficulty of making a cost-effective 4K version--reportedly a factor in Panasonic's pull-out--and the overall cost of production compared to LED LCD.

It's impossible not to take these words along with Samsung's sorta-non-announcement as another nail in plasma's inevitable coffin. Samsung's plasmas received very good to excellent reviews last year, and I fully expected to hear about their 2014 successors at the show. I guess Samsung didn't want overshadow its extensive LED LCD announcements with news of any new plasmas.

The bottom line? TV buyers who value picture quality and don't want an LED LCD can take solace that Samsung will continue making plasma sets, at least for a little while.

Updated with comment from John Ryu