New York – Westinghouse, AOC and Mitsubishi will show a range of
new TV and video product introductions, here, this week.
The occasion is the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Line
Show, being held here. It may also involve Vizio, which said late last week it was
promising to take the wraps off of a few products timed for the event.
Westinghouse Digital
said
it will use the CEA Line Shows event to unveil several LCD SKUs shipping later
in the year, including the brand’s first 3DTV and connected TV models.
The W47S2TCD ($1,199 suggested retail) is a 47-inch 60Hz CCFL
backlit 1080p LCD that is 3D ready. It uses passive glasses 3DTV technology
(called Film Patterned Retarder) for the 3D system to help keep glasses costs
low for the brand’s value-focused clientele. The set will ship with four sets
of glasses (non-powered) at a value-priced $1,199 suggested retail.
“In the long run we see passive 3D as the best technology to
deliver the value, most of the technology is in the screen and therefore it’s
easy to replace glasses, and is very family friendly,” Rey Roque, Westinghouse
Digital marketing VP, said. “With passive, we just don’t see a lot of the
negatives that some have mentioned about 3D technology.”
Westinghouse will also unveil its WC4625T Internet connected TV
running what is called the Westinghouse Connect system.
The 46-inch 120Hz LED backlit 1080p LCD set is expected to ship
in the fourth quarter at a $799 suggested retail. It will also add a Yamaha
chipset for DSP equalized sound fed into a 10-watt per channel stereo speaker
system.
“We will be leveraging new
chipsets coming on the market that let us do connectivity at a lower cost,”
said Roque, adding that so far the company has signed contracts with Netflix
and Vudu (the set runs the Vudu Apps platform) to provide streaming video on
demand services. Westinghouse Digital is also in negotiations with additional
partners for more content options, Roque said.
He said Westinghouse took its time in introducing a connected TV
product because some manufacturers that rushed into the technology were left
with first and second generation products that are currently not upgradeable to
present-day services and enhancements.
“We were concerned about not buying into a lot of built-in
obsolescence across a large piece of our product line. We are taking it slowly
and making sure we provide what people want,” Roque said.
In addition to unveiling new products, Westinghouse will present
several new SKUs that recently started shipping to key retail partners around
the country.
These are highlighted by the VR6025Z ($1,299 everyday price) a
60-inch CCFL backlight 120Hz 1080p LCD with Motion Estimation Motion Compensation
technology and a 42-inch LED edgelit 1080p LCD TV, both are now available at Best Buy stores.
The company is also showing the the LD4070Z ($480 club price) a
40-inch LED edgelit 1080p LCD TV that just started shipping to Costco stores.
In smaller screen sizes, Westinghouse is just about to ship the
LD2470 24-inch 1080p edgelit LED LCD TV with PC input targeting the
back-to-school audience.
AOC
will use the event
to debut a range of new products – from a super-slim LED monitor with built-in
iPhone/iPod docking station to a full high definition, flicker free 3D monitor.
AOC will also showcase a new line of mobile accessories including
the world’s smallest Bluetooth-enabled keyboard/mouse/presenter combo.
Highlights include:
·
The Aire Play 2343Fi super-slim (12.9mm) LED
monitor featuring a universal iPod/iPhone docking station for streaming live
music and video from a mobile device to the 22-inch display.
·
The Aire Pro
2353Ph ultra-thin monitor with sleek metallic finish, high performance
audio system and what the company calls “the world’s highest dynamic contrast ratio.”
·
A wireless Bluetooth keyboard, mouse and presenter,
model KB01, that includes a keyboard, mouse and presenter in one portable
device designed for use with tablets and other mobile computing devices.
·
The Touch Monitor 2339SFwT- Full HD monitor that
adds intuitive touchscreen functionality to a computer or notebook.
·
A 23-inch flicker free 3D monitor model 2352PHZ with ultra-slim styling, 3D support, Full
HD resolution and a 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.
·
The USB monitor: e1649fwu and e2251fwu portable
and ultra-light 16- and 22-inch monitors are powered solely by a USB cable and can
be used as an extended screen display.
Mitsubishi
will use
the venue to showcase its new lineup of very big-screen rear projection 1080p
DLP TVs, highlighted by the previously announced 92-inch 840 series model with
active shutter 3D technology.
Other key highlights of the new line include the 75-inch L75-A94
3D 1080p DLP rear projection set with the Laservue laser-based light engine
technology.
The company is also carrying 3D 1080p DLP rear projection models
in the 73- and 82-inch screen sizes in the 740 Series at $2,099 and $3,499
suggested retail prices, respectively. The sets offer StreamTV Internet
streaming services with Vudu Apps.
The step-up 840 Series models include the 73-, 82- and 92-inch
screen sizes that carry suggested retail prices of $2,599, $4,199, and $5,999
respectively. All include a 16-speaker immersive sound system, 3D and 1080p HD
resolution.
Also offered is the entry 640 Series with a single 73-inch model
offering 3D capability, 1080p HD resolution at a $1,599 suggested retail.
