Looks like Samsung has expanded its Explore 3D app with free, on-demand content and a US launch. Great news if you have the proper TV. It includes music videos, movie trailers, educational content and even full-length TV shows from Wealth TV, among others. At a later date, studios will offer paid content through the app, which is available on samsung’s connected 3D LED-lit LCDs and 3D plasma TVs.

The paid content will arrive later this year and include feature films, shorts and full-length documentaries. The service will require signing up for an account using a PC.

Entering text into a TV with a regular remote is a huge pain. You hate to do it, but if you don’t have a good alternative, you just have to deal with it. Well Samsung has just released a new TV remote that will make it easier if you have a Samsung Smart TV.

It packs in a full QWERTY keyboard, and some other cool features. You can automatically disable the opposite side of the remote when one side is being used for instance. The device will be included with every premium Samsung TV model including the LED D9000, D7000 Series, and Plasma D8000 Series. You can also buy it separately with the LED series D6300 and up. It will cost $99.99 and will be available next month.

Samsung has kindly let us know about the pricing of the C680 and C490 active-shutter Plasma 3D TVs. To refresh your memory, the Samsung C680 features a Full-HD resolution with a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, four HDMI ports, a USB port, as well as Samsung’s Internet and DLNA AllShare.

The Samsung C490 is a budget-minded 3D plasma TV that features 720p HD resolution and three HDMI inputs. There’s also the 50-inch PN50C680, 58-inch PN58C680, and 50-inch PN50C490 priced at $1,599, $2,299 and $1,099, respectively.

I hear you. Many of you are sick of 3D already. Unfortunately it is just getting started. HD Guru has Best Buy’s schedule for rolling out 3D capable HDTVs and Blu-ray players from Samsung and Panasonic, and it’s all happening soon.

Sales and demonstrations of 3D gear will begin at 200 Best Buy locations on March 10. That initial outing will feature Panasonic’s 50″ TC-P50VT20 plasma 3D HDTV along with their DMP-BD350 3D Blu-ray player. On March 21, Samsung will apparently join the party, showing their LED 3D HDTVs, the 46″ UN-46C7000 and the 55″ UN-55C7000, along with the BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player at 900 Best Buy locations.

Black Friday is coming this week and that means that you can find some of the best prices of the year on electronics after Thanksgiving. Samsung has announced its special Black Friday deals on five different HDTV models.

The special prices will make it easier for Santa to put that new HDTV under the tree this year. The 46-inch LCD LN46B500 HDTV has a resolution of 1080p and a 40,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The set will sell for $849.99. A smaller 40-inch LN40B500 will sell for $599.99 with the same specs.

If you are like me, you have probably been rocking the HDTV for several years now. Many consumers still haven’t moved to the HD world. I feel like I am walking into the 60′s when I go to my in-laws and see their massive 27-inch CRT TV sitting on the entertainment center.

According to a new report from CTAM, HDTVs have gained significantly in reach in American homes. The report claims that 53% of America homes now have HDTVs in use. That number is up 18% over 2008. The report also says that of that 53% owning HDTVs, 59% own sets with screens 32-inches or larger.

We all know the economy is bad, businesses are closing, people are out of work and technology and many other industries are seeing very slow sales. The housing market in many areas is virtually dead. The recession has significantly impacted TV sales.

According to DisplaySearch, Q4 2008 was the first quarter in history that saw a decline in TV revenues. At the same time revenues declined shipments were up 33% year over year. The reason for shipments increasing and revenues falling is lower prices forced by poor sales.

Hitachi isn’t a name you hear as often in the consumer electronics realm as Sony or Samsung. Despite that, Hitachi makes some fantastic home theater and AV products. I own one of their plasma TVs and it is by far the best set I have tested. Hitachi is branching into the professional market with its latest AV projector.

The projector is called the CP-X10000 and offers a whopping 7,500 lumens of brightness and a contrast ratio of 2500:1. The projector offers ultra-wide range lens shift and a 10-bit full digital video processor along with a 10,000-hour filter.

The nationwide switch from analog to digital broadcasts will be here before you know it. While the switch won’t affect most TV watchers in the U.S., there are some who are still not ready. As a result of old analog TVs not functioning after the switch, many have been upgrading to digital flat panel TVs. This has been one of the major factors pushing growth in the TV market.

DisplaySearch has released its quarterly reports on the number of TVs shipped worldwide for Q3 2008. Despite the poor economy, TV shipments grew by 11% quarter-over-quarter and 6% year-over-year. Over 53 million TVs were shipped worldwide in the quarter. Shipments in North America grew more than expected with a 12% increase compared to last quarter to 10 million units.

Another Samsung flat panel line up riding the waves of the consumer electronics company’s big annoucements last week is the Series 7 Plasma HDTVs. They will be available in August in 50-inch, 58-inch and 63-inch screen sizes (model numbers: PN50A760, PN58A760 and PN63A760), pricing around $2,800, $4,500 and $5,500, respectively.

The main highlights of the Series 7 displays include the hint of red blended into the outer edges of the artsy panels, 1080p resolution and Internet-based content provided by USA Today. You can get the full details after the jump.

Samsung launched some new plasma TV’s in Korea build in collaboration with Electronic Arts to provide a superior “3D” gaming experience. The company released two new PAVV HDTV’s, one measuring 42 inches and the other 50 inches, equipped with USB 2.0, HDMI, HD resolution, the Samsung DNIe+ (Digital Natural Image engine+) anda 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio.

Samsung has a new line of plasma HDTVs out that do away with all the cables (aside from the power cord) and allow you to mount these up on your wall without any other component or cable clutter around it.

The 94 series televisions come with a receiver that will transfer the high-def video and audio signals wirelessly up to 200 feet via 802.11n direct to the TV in full 1080p resolution. The A/V connections on the remote receiver/transmitter box include 3 HDMI’s, 1 USB 2.0, 2 component connections, …

Samsung brings some of the glitz and glitter of the Cannes Film Festival to your home with three newly announced plasma screen televisions named after the prestigious French movie party.

The company says that its new PDP image quality delivers brighter screens, richer colors and clearer images using new technological features incorporated into the Cannes line. For example, the Ultra DayLight component delivers a contrast ratio of 1000:1 in brightly lit rooms and 15000:1 in dimmed environments. The reproduction of natural colors is improved with Natural True Color Technology which …

At 70 inches, this high-definition LCD display from Samsung is setting the record for largest LCD. The screen has a resolution of 1,920×1,080, which is powerful enough to qualify as a high-definition TV, but is not necessarily high for a screen of this size.

The Samsung screen is positioned towards the consumer HD-TV market. Samsung Vice President Kim Sang-Soo said, “Our new 70-inch LCD is not only significantly larger, but also sets a new benchmark of excellence in terms of video image reproduction, viewing angle and image …