The excitement of manufacturers can be seen from the ad spends they have earmarked for the promotion of LCDs and plasma.
NEW DELHI: The future for TV viewing is clearly tuning into flat panel displays, LCDs and plasma.
The excitement of manufacturers can be seen from the ad spends they have earmarked for the promotion of LCDs and plasma. Amitabh Tiwari, business group head, consumer electronics, LG Electronics India Ltd (LGEIL), says that LG will be spending close to Rs 60 crore on the promotion and advertising of LCDs and plasma, while a mere Rs 18-20 crore on CRTs. “The future belongs to LCDs and plasmas. And we have to expand the market,” says Tiwari.
Samsung also admits that its advertising will be skewed towards LCDs. Toshiba India says it will spend Rs 20 crore in marketing and advertising and targets Rs 500 crore sales by 2009 for Regza. And Hitachi is spending Rs 15 crore on promoting LCDs and plasma. “We want to create awareness so that consumers make a more informed choice,” says Tarun Jain, country head, Hitachi Home Electronics, Singapore. While consumers aspire for LCDs and plasmas, the truth is prospective buyers are ignorant of the subtle but important differences between them. Worse is the showroom dealer’s partial knowledge of the two technologies.
Hitachi has launched an initiative to educate consumers on the difference between technologies of LCD and plasma. The basic being that LCDs are twisted liquid crystals lit with a rear backlight source, while plasma screens are composed of gas bubbles coated with phosphor that glow when electricity passes through the bubbles. In terms of the viewing experience, LCD offers the best experience in small sizes; in larger screen sizes plasma technology offers superior viewing experience, say some pundits.
Novel ways to have a flat experience
Understanding the difference in the two technologies helps the consumer rationalise the staggering price difference between LCDs and plasmas. While LCDs are affordable, plasmas begin at Rs 1 lakh. That is because plasmas start from 42 inches and above. LG is training in-shop demonstrators so that they can help consumers make an informed choice.
Sometimes multi-brand outlets can be a disadvantage when trying to compare the picture quality of an LCD with a plasma. “Showrooms are brightly lit and their light conditions are different from that we naturally have at home,” points out Tiwari. Hence, a picture in a plasma TV may not appeal under the bright lights of a showroom, however at home in normal light conditions the picture will sparkle like clear river water. To prove that experience, Hitachi has set up 12 Experience Zones where the two technologies are showcased in two different environments that are conducive for optimum viewing.
Samsung on its part is setting up LCD Walls in multi-brand counters and plans to set up around 500 LCD Walls in the first half of this year. “We are also educating consumers on our LCD models through the Samsung Dream Home Road Shows, a four-day exhibition of Samsung products in tier 1 and tier 2 cities,” says R Zutshi.
The arrival of new broadcast technologies such as Digital TV and High Definition TV means that the future of flat panels here will only get better. Or shall we say sharper?
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