Soyo Licenses GoVideo Brand For TV Lineup

Ontario, Calif. — The Soyo Group has licensed the GoVideo brand for television sets in the United States and Canada from TCL subsidiary Opta, the companies said.

Soyo becomes the first company to license one of the stable of GoVideo brands following Opta's decision late last year to discontinue using GoVideo as a full-line CE supplier, and to cash in on its intellectual property and trademark assets.

Opta, which purchased GoVideo after SonicBlue filed for bankruptcy two years ago, is also looking to license the California Audio Labs, Cinevision, Rave MP and Sensory Science brand names in North America and other international markets.

A spokesman for TCL and Opta's licensing program confirmed that Soyo Group has a two-year exclusive licensing agreement (with options) for the GoVideo brand on televisions in North America. Soyo also has the right to sell certain GoVideo video components such as DVD/VCR dual-decks when bundled with one of its Go-Video TVs. Opta is licensing the brands in North America while TCL will license them in other countries, according to the TCL/Opta spokesman.

Licensing negotiations were said to be continuing with other candidates to use the brand outside of North America and on other product lines in North America. An announcement on a Go-Video licensee for other North American products was expected shortly.

Soyo Group, meanwhile, has been distributing flat-panel TVs and monitors under the Soyo and Dymond brands, targeting television shopping networks and e-commerce retailers. It also recently resurrected the Dragon brand for a line of flat-panel TV mounts, the company said.

Company executives recently unveiled its new GoVideo branded LCD TVs, LCD DVD combos and plasma TV lines at the Nationwide Buying Group meeting in Las Vegas. In an unusual move, the company will bundle GoVideo-branded DVD/VCR recorders with certain flat-panel monitors, said Marshall Shaw, Soyo Group sales and marketing VP. He declined to name the source of those components.

Shaw announced to Nationwide members that GoVideo flat-panel TVs will be available to them as a co-exclusive with ShopAtHome Network. The company plans to market between 10 and 15 flat-panel SKUs, according to execs at the show.

LCD TVs will be available in the 20-inch, 27W-inch, 32W-inch, 37W-inch, 40W-inch and 42W-inch screen sizes, according to Shaw. LCD models will be offered either as built in TV/DVD combos, and bundled with GoVideo DVD/VCRs or DTV monitors. Most will feature high-definition resolution.

In plasma the company will carry a 42W-inch ED, a 42W-inch HD, a 46W-inch HD and a 50W-inch HD.