Zenith debuts sub-$1000 DTV set

LAS VEGAS – In an attempt to kick-start the sale of lower-end DTV sets in the US, Zenith Electronics Corporation this week launched the industry's first integrated DTV set for under $1,000.

Zenith, one of the primary developers of the FCC-adopted DTV broadcast standard, said it plans to ship the 27-inch standard-definition television (SDTV) digital model in the second half of 2001, priced under $1,000. A 32-inch digital TV model, expected to sell for slightly more than $1,000, also will be available.

These basic digital TVs will feature all-format digital decoder/tuners designed to receive all 18 ATSC video formats. The crisp digital images will be displayed in the SDTV 480I format on 4:3 aspect ratio picture tubes.

The Zenith DTVs will include an analog NTSC TV tuner and Zenith-developed software that allows the viewer to "surf seamlessly between analog and digital broadcasts," according to Richard Lewis, Zenith Sr. VP, Research and Technology. These digital-cable-compatible sets will incorporate a QAM demodulator for direct connection to digital cable systems, in addition to a VSB demodulator for over-the-air DTV broadcasts.

"Early in the transition to DTV, Zenith and others in the industry have been concentrating primarily on large-screen, higher-end, high-definition displays that require expensive optics," Lewis said. "Large HDTVs will always offer consumers the ultimate home theater experience, but widespread DTV deployment will require mass market products at mass market prices."

Source: Zenith
With contributions by Tom Butts, Managing Editor