First LED-based DLPs from Samsung Expected in July

First LED-based DLPs from Samsung Expected in July
Developer of the LED technology receives $38 million in funding


The ship date was originally slated for May. Now the Boston Globe reports that the first LED-based rear-projection DLPs won't go into production until June, and won't ship til July.


AVS veterans can jump right to the thread on the new Samsung HL-S5679W TVs.


For everyone else: Samsung is set to roll out a new batch 56-inch DLP high-def TVs without traditional lamps. These rear-pros will be powered by an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), specially treated to be brighten up a TV.


The problem with today's lamps is that they eventually burn out, and they're not cheap to replace. Plus, they dim over time. The LED chips for the new Samsung TVs, created by a company called Luminus Devices, evidently eliminate such problems.


For starters, the LEDs should be good for about 20,000 hours.


The Boston Globe quotes Samsung's Dan Schinasi as saying, ''You would see much, much purer color imagery. The reds would really pop, the blues would be much, much more pure. Even the average person would be able to discern the difference."


The LEDs add about $700 to the cost of the Samsung TVs, which are expected to retail for about $4,200 (up from the originally projected $4,000).

For its efforts, Luminus just received a $38 million investment to develop and productize its LED technology. Read that story here .