Zenith Unveils More Than 40 New Digital Products

Digital Products Comprise 90 Percent Of 2003 Line

13-Jan-03

Representing the industry's most aggressive approach to the digital television (DTV) market, Zenith Electronics Corporation has unveiled more than 40 new digital products--highlighted by a broadened family of flat-panel displays in a dozen screen sizes, a series of innovative digital recording devices, and a range of high-definition television (HDTV) receivers and displays.""As Zenith enters the third year of its successful transformation into a digital company, more than 90 percent of our 2003 product line is digital,"" said Ken Lee, Zenith Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. The new digital products introduced at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show reflect ""the unparalleled combination"" of Zenith's long-time leadership in HDTV and the extensive technologies and manufacturing capabilities of Zenith's parent company, LG Electronics Inc. (LGE), Lee said.Specifically, in flat-panel displays, he pointed to Zenith's expanded families of LCD TVs, in eight screen sizes from 13 to 52 inches, and of plasma display panels (PDPs) from 40- to 60-inch models, including 50- and 42-inch integrated HDTVs, the first plasma displays with built-in HDTV tuners. All told, Zenith's 2003 PDP line comprises ten models, while the LCD line encompasses more than a dozen models--""representing an unprecedented array of choices in screen sizes and features,"" Lee said.""New plasma and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) position Zenith as a top-tier player in flat-panel displays, with one of the industry's broadest selections of flat, thin TV technology solutions,"" Lee said.Innovative digital technologies introduced at CES included the world's first high-definition personal video recorders (PVRs), available beginning this spring. These ATSC set-top boxes feature built-in 80 GB hard drives to record full HDTV. Other new digital recorders include a standard-definition combination PVR/DVD player and Zenith's first DVD recorder, which records on the most popular digital recording media. What's more, Zenith and LG Electronics showed a unique product concept based on a rear-projection LCD HDTV with a built-in high-definition PVR.""Zenith's 2003 marketing theme, 'The High-Definition Authority,' builds on our pioneering role in the development of the HDTV standard and emphasizes our commitment to making HDTV more accessible and affordable for all Americans,"" Lee said. ""Nowhere is that commitment more evident than in Zenith's broad 2003 line of integrated HDTVs, HDTV monitors, and HDTV set-top receivers introduced at CES 2003."" For example, Zenith is announcing the industry's first DLPô (Digital Light Processingô) rear-projection integrated HDTV, featuring the latest-generation chipset for terrestrial and unscrambled cable HDTV reception. Integrated direct-view HDTVs, including all-new 34- and 30-inch widescreen models, also feature combination terrestrial/cable HDTV tuners. On the heels of last month's industry agreement on national plug-and-play digital cable standards, Zenith is showing its first implementation of the POD (Point-Of-Deployment) interface in a 34-inch widescreen HDTV. ""This kind of HDTV, when it comes to market by mid-2004, will be able to receive premium digital HDTV programming via digital cable systems without the need for a set-top box--fulfilling the long-awaited promise of digital cable-ready HDTVs,"" Lee said.Rounding out the broad new Zenith digital product line are widescreen CRT rear-projection HDTV monitors, next-generation terrestrial and satellite HDTV set-top boxes (including a combination DVD player/ATSC set-top box), and no fewer than 15 new models of DVD players (all progressive scan), ranging from entry-level single-disc and five-disc changers, to combination DVD/VCR combos, to compact yet powerful DVD-based home theatre audio systems. ""CES 2003 represents a milestone in our industry,"" Lee concluded. ""The early adopter phase of the digital transition is behind us. Driven by growing amounts of HDTV programming available from broadcasters, cable operators, and satellite providers, digital HDTV technology is becoming more affordable and accessible. ""From a huge selection of LCD and plasma displays to affordable direct-view and rear-projection HDTVs, from HDTV PVRs and set-top boxes to DVD players and recorders, Zenith is bringing digital technology into the mainstream.""For more information about Zenith Electronics Corporation, visit www.zenith.com.

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