Harrisburg, Pa. — D&H Distributing, here, has been tapped to carry Hewlett-Packard’s new home entertainment platform, joining a short list of authorized distributors.
The agreement represents an expansion of an existing relationship between the two companies. Other distributors selected to sell the home entertainment program were not immediately known.
HP’s digital entertainment assortment includes media-center PCs, digital entertainment centers, HP’s Apple iPod in 20GB and 40GB versions, and HD-ready plasma and LCD TVs and DLP home-theater projectors.
The latter, formally announced last month, are part of HP’s first consumer television product line. The plasma and LCD models are expected to begin shipping this month, while the new home-theater projectors should ship in November.
D&H said it is one of the few distributors chosen by HP to carry its digital entertainment center. Both models, the z540 and z545b, are also expected to ship this month.
“The fact that HP has accumulated such a wide roster of home entertainment products clearly marks a paradigm shift we’ve been anticipating for more than a year,” said Dan Schwab, VP/marketing for D&H. “PC-based devices have become a driving force in what was once a CE-only universe, seamlessly integrating the home entertainment architecture.”
Said Bob Pechon, VP/consumer sales at HP, “We wanted distribution partners with a similar focus, and D&H not only has that but the CE/IT history and expertise to deliver high-value, high-touch services to its base of resellers.”
D&H, one of the country’s largest PC and CE wholesale distributors, services national and independent CE dealers, IT resellers and custom installers.
