William Shatner Pimps OLED and Blu-ray Disc
NEW YORK - Sept. 26, 2005 - Jong-Yong Yun, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics, Monday hosted an elaborate display of some of the company's newest products and technologies -- some shown for the first time in North America.
Serving as master of ceremonies for the event was Emmy award-winning actor William Shatner. "I'm a huge fan of Samsung as a company and have been a long-time user and admirer of its products," Shatner said. "I'm excited to have a central role in Samsung's Global Road Show, and I'm eager to see the new devices."
Mr. Yun and other executives also outlined Samsung's key strategies for continued growth and innovation. Samsung's Global Road Show was held at the Time Warner Center in New York for the media and customers from around the world.
"Samsung has built its success on excellence in design and innovative technology," Mr. Yun commented earlier today. "But in the years ahead, successful technology companies must respond to the growing power of consumers' choice. Samsung will not only respond to this shift of power; it will take the lead in this area by providing what we call 'unlimited choice', creating exciting products that combine functionality and styling in almost any combination to suit a customer's lifestyle."
Following Mr. Yun's address, attendees at the Global Road Show experienced in sound, video, and live demonstrations, a wide range of new products and devices including:
- A 40-inch OLED television, the largest working prototype of this new screen technology.
- The world's largest commercialized DLP (digital light projector) TV, measuring 71 inches.
- A Blu-ray disc recorder with a built-in HD digital terrestrial tuner.
- A host of new mobile phones, portable media players and color laser printers.
Mr. Yun cited the company's commitment to R & D as a major reason for its success. "We have emerged as a company with a reputation for excellence, but we are still on the rise," Mr. Yun said. "We will further extend our commitment to our 17 global R & D centers worldwide. In 2004, we were the sixth largest recipient of U.S. patents, with over 1,600 patents."
In 2005, Samsung's R & D spending is projected to increase to $5.2 billion, which is over 9% of the year's total expected revenue.
Attendees also received an update on Samsung's global marketing strategies and programs from Gregory Lee, chief marketing officer, "Samsung was recently ranked as one of the top 20 brands in the world in an independent study," Lee said. "Our aspirations are higher, though. We seek to create passion for our brand and our products, and build a relationship with our customers that is unsurpassed."
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2004 parent company sales of US$55.2 billion and net income of US$10.3 billion. Employing approximately 113,600 people in over 90 offices in 48 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com .
