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NEW YORK - Hitachi revealed a new marketing strategy for 2004/05, focusing on the company's core technologies in plasma, direct-view LCD and rear-projection CRT and LCD systems, to maintain its ranking as a top five HDTV brand in the United States.
Central to that goal was the development of a new'CineForm" design series, which carries the same industrial look through step-up lines of direct view LCD TV, plasma and three-chip LCD-based rear-projection HDTV sets.
All CineForm sets will offer by the end of the year fully integrated/CableCARD-compatibility. Throughout its lines, Hitachi is transitioning from the current three fully integrated HDTV sets to 21 fully integrated models with digital CableCARD compatibility.
CineForm sets will maintain a virtually identical horizontal and vertical look between models and categories when viewed straight on, CineForm rear-projection LCD TV sets were given a height reduction through the development of a new dual-focus, two-stage light engine.
The design improves picture performance while at the same time allowing Hitachi to shave the vertical dimension from below the screen. This makes the rear-projection set look like Hitachi's Ultravision plasma panels from most regular viewing angles.
Leo Delaney, Hitachi Home Electronics marketing VP, said at a press briefing, here, that he expects the light engine to help Hitachi gain significant market share in the microdisplay rear-projection category this year.
"We feel that all consumers, if price were no object, would want a plasma," Delaney said."But...