THE FRONT LINE: NOVEMBER 7, 2006
LG Electronics 2007 Line Show
LG’s 2007 line show was almost as newsworthy for what was missing – including a key executive - as it was for what new products were shown
Figure 1 — It took a B-I-G ballroom to handle all of the LG flat panels and digital electronics.
LG Electronics is a major player in the HDTV industry. As a manufacturer of HDTV sets, they’ve straddled the line nicely with both plasma and LCD display technology. LG also holds many patents on the VSB modulation system that is the cornerstone of the ATSC digital TV standard.
LG is also a market maker and shaper, given that they crank out more flat-panel HDTVs than anyone else in the world. LG products are also re-branded by second-tier suppliers and populate many shelves at big-box stores.
Their 2007 Line Show took place at the brand-new Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. It’s a mammoth hotel and convention center complex that would be right at home along the Las Vegas Strip. (Think of the Mandalay Bay hotel, and you’ll understand what I mean.)
1200 dealers and members of the press were present for the grand unveiling of products in a large ballroom that was split in two, with plasma, LCD, digital video/audio, and Zenith-branded products on one side, and washers, dryers, refrigerators, and more appliances on the other side.
Figure 2 – LG will have not one, but two 1080p plasma HDTVs in their 2007 lineup.
Despite all the activity in the LCD market, LG is still committed to plasma — for now. The 2007 line will have three 1080p models, seven 768p designs, and a holdover 480p (42-inch) plasma TV that will probably be phased out within six months.
Of special interest were the 60PY3D, a 60-inch 1080p model with three HDMI inputs and integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners. There will be a 50-inch version (50PY3D) as well. LG is also continuing to offer built-in PVRs on their PB4-series plasmas (42PB4D, 50PB4D, and 60PB4D).
All three sets have 1366x768 resolution, integrated tuners, and CableCARD slots. (Yes, there is still a 71-inch HD monitor in the line, called the 71PY1M). LG also offers SimpleLink on many of its plasma HDTVs. This AV component control system works through HDMI connectors.
A short walk was the LCD display with 15 new offerings ranging from 23 inches to 57 inches. 11 models offer 1920x1080 resolution, ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners, three HDMI inputs, and SimpleLink. LC7-series HDTVs come in 23, 26, 32, 37, 42 (768p), and 47-inch (1080p) sizes and offer high contrast and TruWide Viewing Angle technology (based on LG’s Advanced Super In-Plane Switching liquid crystal alignment scheme).
LG’s 32, 37, 42 (768p), and 47-inch (1080p) LB4D-series LCD HDTVs combine TruMotion Drive for crisper motion detail, three HDMI inputs, and a USB 2.0 port for still photo viewing. The LB5D series offers full 1920x1080 resolution at 37, 42, 47, and 52 inches, while the LY3D series delivers 1080p imaging, TruMotion Drive, and an expanded color gamut CCFL backlight in 47, 52, and 57-inch sizes.
Figure 3 — Look for increased competition among 42-inch and
47-inch LCD HDTVs as the holidays draw closer.
Quite a line-up! All integrated plasma and LCD HDTVs will have the three-mode digital/analog tuners, which allow reception of digital QAM signals that are not encrypted, such as terrestrial broadcast stations. Even the new 20LSTD and 23LS7D 768p HDTV sets include tri-mode tuners.
The trend to keep an eye on? Retail and minimum advertised pricing for LG’s new 42, 47, and 52-inch models, all of which have ready competition from Sharp, Westinghouse Digital, and Samsung. Aggressive LCD price wars among these companies during the upcoming holiday selling season could yank the floor out from same-size plasma HDTVs, a category that LG — although still a strong player in it — could easily walk away from, to concentrate on LCD HDTV sales.
LG is also making a comeback with digital set-top receivers, in a roundabout way. The DR787T Super Multi Digital Tuner/DVD Recorder does it all — DVD playback and recording in all popular formats, 720p and 1080i upconversion via HDMI, and ATSC/NTSC/QAM reception. It also has a USB 2.0 interface for photos and music and a FireWire 1394 port for digital camcorders.
The RC797T is another unique product. It combines a VHS player/recorder, DVD player/recorder, and ATSC/NTSC/QAM reception in one box, along with that ubiquitous USB 2.0 jack and 1394 input. Both VHS and DVD playback can be upconverted to 720p or 1080i through an HDMI output. This STB/recorder, like the DR787T, can control cable and satellite STBs for scheduled recordings, and both are compatible with Simple Link.
Figure 4 — Is there really a market for a combination VHS player,
DVD recorder, and digital TV set-top receiver? LG thinks so.
For recording, both the DR787T and RC797T down-convert all HD signals to SD resolution, and then bump ‘em to 480p, 720p, or 1080i for playback. There are also “plain vanilla” versions of both products without the digital/analog TV tuners, known as the DR700N and RC700N, respectively.
So — what was missing? For starters, how about all those CableCARD slots? It appears that CableCARD will take its place in the “nice try, but no cigar” hall of fame shortly. Only LG’s PVR-equipped sets will have them for 2007. For whatever reasons, consumers are sticking with their cable boxes. (Let’s see if that changes after the analog TV shutdown in 2009!)
Next, where was LG’s Blu-ray player? To be sure, LG did show the GBW-H10N, a 4x-speed BD-R/BD-RE PC drive that can handle 25 GB (single-layer) blank media. But a stand-alone Blu-ray movie player was nowhere to be seen — a surprise, particularly in light of rumors that LG would introduce a dual-mode HD DVD/Blu-ray design this fall.
Figure 5 — Okay, so it isn’t a full-blown Blu-ray movie player,
but it does burn and play back BD disks…
In reality, the lack of a BD player at this time doesn’t really hurt LG at all, given the repeated failure of other major CE manufacturers to make their own BD launch dates, as well as component scarcities, BD manufacturing issues, and the relative scarcity of BD movies to choose from. Indeed, there are some industry analysts (myself among them) who feel that BD’s greatest appeal in the near term is a high-density media and data storage format for PCs — not a recorded movie format.
Also missing in action was LG’s vice-president for sales and channel marketing Robert Perry, who unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from LG a little over an hour before the press conference began at 1 PM. Perry had been with LG for about three years, and the showmanship and high production values of LG’s 2007 launch had his unmistakable stamp all over it. No word was available from LG executives on where Perry was headed next, other than Orlando International Airport.
In the “almost missing” category was the Zenith brand, which appears to be on the verge of extinction. A handful of CE products were shown with the venerable lightning bolt logo, including three rear-projection DLP HDTV sets (Z52DC2D, Z56DC1D, and Z62DC1D). All three use the HD5 1280x720 chips, have a single HDMI input, and tri-mode DTV tuners. Given LG’s 33 different plasma and LCD offerings, the writing was clearly on the wall for MD RPTV in Orlando.
