THE FRONT LINE — JULY 31, 2006
LG Electronics’ Summer 2006 Line Show
On a hot, humid night in late July, the last place I expected to wind up was inside a wax museum. But that turned out to be a good thing, because wax melts easily and has to be kept cool. What better place for a summer line show?
LG agreed, and held a little get-together for the press on July 27 at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum on 42nd Street in New York City. Interspersed with all of the life-like models of famous celebrities, athletes, musicians, and politicians were a bevy of LG products — and not just HDTVs and DVD players.
Figures 1a and 1b: You never know whom you’ll run into at a wax museum line show!
No, this was an expanded line show that also included LG washers and dryers, refrigerators, computer monitors, and cell phones. The LCD and plasma HDTV products were there, although not as conspicuous as the larger appliances.
During the formal presentations, time was equally allotted to TV, cell phone, and “white goods”, giving the event more of a General Electric-feel than anything else. LG is quite proud of the fact that they have become a consumer appliance powerhouse in just four short years, with some interesting products as their TV refrigerator equipped with two LCD TV screens and WeatherPlus for custom local forecasts, and a unique steam clothes washer with a portable, remote status alert indicator.
LG also trumpeted their growth in the cellular phone market and showcased three new phones, including the Fusic, a combination phone and MP3 player available to Verizon Wireless customers, the CU500 HSDPA phone with MP3 for Cingular, and the Chocolate, apparently a hot item in Asia. This design (available through Verizon in August) uses a new red-backlit soft touch keypad, has a 1.3 MP digital camera, plays video and music, and offers a microSD memory card slot.
Figure 2. LG’s LG47LBD1 looked pretty good sitting still,
but it would have been nice to see some HD pictures on it.
All well land good, but the real reason I attended was to see the newest HDTV product offerings, and what wasn’t shown was just as significant as what was. Although it wasn’t operating, LG’s LG47LBD1 still attracted quite a bit of interest. This 47-inch 1920x1080 CableCARD HDTV uses LG’s 5th-gen 8VSB chipsets, provides two HDMI inputs, and comes with TV Guide OnScreen EPG. It will retail for $3,999 and ships in August. A companion 26-inch Model (26LCD2) also ships with DTV tuner and two HDMI jacks for $1,049.
LG also showed the 42LB1DRA, which they claim is the world’s first 42-inch LCD HDTV to incorporate a high-definition DVR. TV Guide OnScreen is included, along with a CableCARD slot and two HDMI inputs. It will sell for $2,799.
In the plasma arena, LG has announced the WXGA 60PC1D ($5,899). This 60-inch plasma HDTV is modeled after the 50-inch 50PC1DRA, is digital cable ready, and also sports a pair of HDMI inputs. LG also showed their 71-inch 71PY10 ($70,000) plasma monitor, which I haven’t seen anywhere except at trade and line shows.
The smallest plasma HDTVs that LG had out for inspection measured 50 inches, and that’s not by accident. In his remarks, LG executive Robert Perry stated that 42-inch LCD and HD plasma have finally reached price parity, and that LCD will dominate that screen size market segment going forward, thanks to the increased availability of 1920x1080 glass and lower panel prices. Perry sees 50 inches and up as being plasma’s best position.
Figure 3. LG executive Bob Perry was surrounded by HDTVs and washer/dryer combos.
Figure 4. LG is the latest company to roll out a combo BD-R/BD-RE drive.
So, where’s the consumer Blu-ray player?
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see 42-inch plasma disappear from the LG product line over the next year, just as microdisplay rear-projection TVs have done. Despite announcing plans for a 1080p LCOS model over a year ago, LG — like Hitachi ‚— has decided that display analysts’ consistent forecasts of declines in RPTV sales are to be believed after all, and will instead concentrate on flat panel technologies. Given LG’s position as the world’s largest manufacturer of both plasma and LCD HDTVs, the move is a smart one.
What about Blu-ray? LG is a committed member of the Blu-ray consortium, but didn’t show a consumer player this time. Instead, they introduced the GBW-H10N, a multi-purpose Blu-ray PC drive that can write and read BD-R (4x speed) and BD-RE (2x speed) media. As for that rumored “universal” Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVD player, “no comment at this time” was the official response from LG exec Bob Perry. Perhaps we’ll know more after LG’s next press event in early November.
