Hyderabad: Hitachi has launched its new range of premium Plasma and LCD Televisions in India. The range will include the 55” & 37” Plasma TVs and 28” LCD TV. India is the first country in Asia to have Hitachi’s new range of LCD TV and Plasma TVs. The new range incorporates state-of-the-art Hitachi technology and come in unique sizes to cater to varied & specific consumer needs.

After the successful performance of the 32” and 42” Plasma TVs, Hitachi is expanding the range by introducing two new unique sizes in 37” and 55”, with the 55” size being the first in the industry. The Plasma TV range comes with a new breakthrough technology called ALIS that enhances the life of a Plasma TV from 30,000 hours to 60,000 hours.

Hitachi 28” AS IPS LCD TV comes with a wide viewing angle with higher contrast, a feature that makes the images true-to-life even in dark ambience. The Hitachi AS-IPS also incorporates a DCC Drive that improves the reaction speed of high speed moving visuals like F1 and Derby. The new Hitachi model comes with a Wide Viewing Angle of 170 degrees without any shift of colours. The ‘Dynamic Contrast’ feature automatically adds contrast strength to any weak digital wave thereby enhancing picture clarity. This feature is especially effective for watching movies with special effects.

Announcing the launch, Mr. T. Komoto, Managing Director, Hitachi Home Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd, said, “There is a demand for high end audio visual products in the Indian market. Hitachi has the product portfolio to cater to this demand of the market and carve a distinct niche for itself. The company is optimistic about the acceptability of product range in the Indian market. As a conscious policy, India is a priority market for Hitachi.“

Studies conducted by a global research organization forecasts that the Indian Plasma TV market is set to grow at 150% from the current 3500 units in 2003 to reach 8000 units by 2004. The Asian Plasma TV market is poised to grow from 4.90 lakh units in 2003 to 8 lakh units in 2004. Hitachi is confident of acquiring 20 percent share of the premium Plasma TV market in India by 2005.

“Cutting edge Hitachi technology will give the Indian consumer premium home entertainment experience, reiterating its leadership position in the premium Plasma and LCD TV segment,” Mr Komoto added.

The product range is being initially launched in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Pune, Nasik and Trivandrum. The products will be distributed through 16 specialist Home Theatre showrooms in these cities, which would offer dedicated demo rooms for customers to experience the products in a real home environment. The company will also target Airports, Railways, Hotels, Banks and large corporates as potential markets.

The company has put in place a dedicated network of after sales serviced centres across all target markets. The prices of the products ranges between Rs 2.5 lakhs for the 28” LCD TV and Rs 6.95 lakhs for the 55” Plasma TV.