LAS VEGAS — At the International Consumer Electronics Show on Jan. 6, Samsung Electronics heralded a new era of digital technology, driven by the philosophy that companies must look to human nature to inspire technologies more uniquely fitted to the human experience.

Samsung Visual Display President Yoon Boo-Keun Yoon dubbed this philosophy "Human Digitalism" in an original keynote event, which was designed to echo the completely immersive entertainment experience Samsung seeks to create through its award-winning 2011 home theater ecosystem lineup. As part of the hour-long performance, Mr. Yoon introduced new TV designs, new 3D TV features, and unique Smart TV partnerships with Adobe, Comcast, DreamWorks Animation, Hulu and Time Warner Cable.

"The next step in the evolution of consumer electronics is to place human life at the center of the creative process," Mr. Yoon said. "For Samsung, this means giving people access to entertainment experiences that complement rather than disrupt the way we live. We aimed to celebrate the curiosity, connection and exuberance of human nature throughout our keynote event."

President Yoon was joined on stage by a host of performers, including an 11-year-old boy named "Zoll," who was born in the year 2000 and watched as technology evolved throughout his life.

As the voice of 2011, "Zoll" personified a new generation of consumers that increasingly demand access to the content they want, when they want it, and on the screen or device of their choosing. Against a backdrop of stunning LED lighting and dramatic set changes, President Yoon and his guests brought to life four principles dubbed the "Four As" of Access, Align, Amaze and Act?that will guide Samsung through the coming era of smart TV.

The keynote also featured guest appearances by President Yoon; Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts; Time Warner Cable Chairman and CEO Glenn Britt; Hulu CEO Jason Kilar; Adobe President and CEO Shantanu Narayen; and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

During the keynote, Yoon described how Samsung's cloud-based platform is breaking down the walls between devices?such as smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, camcorders and cameras?and revealed new ways to access entertainment and information services through Samsung's Internet-enabled products. "Samsung's role in the smart TV ecosystem is to offer consumers more choice and more control," Yoon said. "Our networked products and pioneering content partnerships will help us provide these benefits."

Among the announcements were new or expanded partnerships with Comcast and Time Warner Cable to bring streaming video-on-demand (VOD) services to Samsung Smart TV customers via the Samsung Apps storefront. Comcast's Xfinity TV Application and a new VOD service from Time Warner Cable allow users to browse and view TV listings, VOD content, online video and

DVR recordings on a Samsung smart TV or Samsung Galaxy Tab, and to switch from one screen to another without missing a beat. Samsung and Time Warner Cable also announced a partnership to deliver these enhanced content and navigation options across multiple smart TV screens, without the need for an additional set-top box.

Also during the Samsung keynote address, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar announced for the first time that Hulu is working to bring the Hulu Plus subscription service to select Android phones (running Android OS 2.2). Hulu provided the audience a sneak peek to the new Hulu Plus Android app, which will give consumers exclusive access to full seasons of popular, current TV shows like Glee, Modern Family, The Office, and House, from ABC, Fox, NBC, and more for only $7.99 per month. Hulu Plus subscribers can already watch shows instantly via Samsung connected TVs and Blu-ray players and, in the coming months, on Android smartphones as well.

The partnership with Adobe will open up new opportunities for more than three million Flash developers worldwide and deliver content and applications for entertainment, information services, social networking, gaming and more. Samsung announced that it is the first television manufacturer to support Adobe2⃞ AIR2⃞ 2.5 for TV, which allows developers to leverage existing code and familiar tools to create and extend applications across Samsung smartphones, tablets and smart TVs. Samsung is also bringing Adobe Flash2⃞ Player 10.1 to its smart TV browser, allowing consumers to access millions of sites with rich, Flash based videos, games and other multimedia content.

When combined with the most intuitive user interface on the market, these partnerships will create a more seamless entertainment experience across Samsung's Smart TV ecosystem. 

CES, Las Vegas - Underscoring its position as a design leader,  Samsung unveiled its portfolio of 2011 consumer electronics highlighted by new smart TVs, consumer-inspired, easy-to-use cameras and camcorders, innovative IT products, and latest mobile technology for users at home and on the go at the company's International Consumer Electronics Show press conference.

Samsung's product portfolio was displayed January 6-9 at booth 12006 in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. 

The backdrop of today's announcements was Samsung's concept of the "Smarter Life" and its three pillars: Smart Design, Smart Experiences, and Smart Connections. Smart design is "design with purpose" that enhances the function and user experience beyond the aesthetic. Smart Experiences involves the fastest content delivery of the widest variety of applications and games on the newest platforms and brightest screens, while Smart Connections enable devices to automatically connect with other devices to share content. Combined, the three pillars create a smarter life in which devices seamlessly connect to enable new content experiences.

For 2011, Samsung has re-imagined the TV screen by making the bezel, which until now had traditionally framed the TV, virtually disappear. Samsung's new ultra-narrow bezel design has influenced its flagship LED televisions for 2011 — the Samsung D8000 and D7000 LED TV Series. Both offer a bezel that is just 0.2 inches wide, providing more screen to enjoy than ever before. This means that people can put a larger screen into an area that previously could only fit a smaller one.

The Samsung D6500 Plasma Series showcases Samsung's breakthrough Plasma+1 design which features a new narrow bezel design so consumers get an extra inch of viewable screen size for a greater viewing area without increasing the outside dimensions of the set. This means that a traditional 58-inch plasma actually has 59-inches of viewable screen size.

"In 2010 Samsung blurred the line between technology and art with the introduction of the LED 9000, which included a brushed metal design on the bezel and was Samsung's slimmest LED TV ever at less than 0.3 inches thick," said Sangchul Lee, Senior Vice President, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.  nw