Zenith Unveils More Than 40 New Digital Products At CES

[Gregg Lengling]

Company Intros Digital Recording, HDTV, Display Technologies

 
 
  LAS VEGAS, Jan. 13, 2003 -- Representing an aggressive approach to the digital television (DTV) market, Zenith Electronics Corporation introduced more than 40 new digital products -- highlighted by a broadened family of flat-panel displays in a dozen screen sizes, a series of digital recording devices and a range of high-definition television (HDTV) receivers and displays -- at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Zenith expanded its families of LCD TVs, in eight screen sizes from 13 to 52 inches, and of plasma display panels (PDPs) from 40- to 60-inch models, including 50- and 42-inch integrated HDTVs, the first plasma displays with built-in HDTV tuners. All told, Zenith's 2003 PDP line comprises 10 models, while the LCD line encompasses more than a dozen models.
 
Digital technologies introduced at CES include the world's first high-definition personal video recorders (PVRs), available beginning this spring. These ATSC set-top boxes feature built-in 80-gigabyte hard drives to record full HDTV. Other new digital recorders include a standard-definition combination PVR-DVD player and Zenith's first DVD recorder, which records on the most popular digital recording media. Zenith and LGE also showed a product concept based on a rear-projection LCD HDTV with a built-in high-definition PVR.

Zenith also announced a DLP (digital light processor) rear-projection integrated HDTV, featuring the latest-generation chipset for terrestrial and unscrambled cable HDTV reception. Integrated direct-view HDTVs, including all-new 34- and 30-inch widescreen models, also feature combination terrestrial/cable HDTV tuners.

On the heels of last month's industry agreement on national plug-and-play digital cable standards, Zenith is showing its first implementation of the POD (Point-of-Deployment) interface in a 34-inch widescreen HDTV. This kind of HDTV, when it comes to market by mid-2004, will be able to receive premium digital HDTV programming via digital cable systems without the need for a set- top box -- fulfilling the long-awaited promise of digital cable-ready HDTVs.

Rounding out the broad new Zenith digital product line are widescreen CRT rear-projection HDTV monitors, next-generation terrestrial and satellite HDTV set-top boxes (including a combination DVD player/ATSC set-top box), and 15 new models of DVD players (all progressive scan), ranging from entry-level single-disc and five-disc changers to combination DVD-VCR combos to compact yet powerful DVD-based home theater audio systems.

"CES 2003 represents a milestone in our industry," said Ken Lee, Zenith senior vice president, sales and marketing. "The early adopter phase of the digital transition is behind us. Driven by growing amounts of HDTV programming available from broadcasters, cable operators and satellite providers, digital HDTV technology is becoming more affordable and accessible.