By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
Samsung Electronics, the world’s No.1 liquid crystal display (LCD) TV maker by revenue, is set to produce more 70-inch LCD TVs.
``To meet steadily increasing local and overseas demand, particularly from Middle Eastern countries, we will produce more 70-inch LCD TVs by the end of the year,’’ a Samsung spokesperson told The Korea Times on Thursday.
The spokesperson, however, declined to reveal any details regarding the exact amount of additional panels the company will produce.
The plan came in response to steady demand for the 59 million won TV from high-end consumers both at home and abroad, as competition with Sony and LG Electronics is getting fiercer in the premium LCD TV market.
``More customers are calling about the TV,’’ a spokesperson from Lotte Department Store said. Lotte is South Korea's top department store chain.
``About 10 units have been sold so far in South Korea after its debut,’’ he added.
Another department store official said more consumers were expressing interest in purchasing the new TV.
Two months ago, Samsung Electronics introduced the largest LCD TV equipped with a light-emitting diode (LED) backlight instead of the conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) version.
The new technology enables the LED backlight to be turned off in dark areas, delivering a dynamic contrast ratio of 500,000:1. Also, power consumption is lowered by as much as 50 percent.
Samsung has initially limited the TV sales to 100 sets.
The largest TV maker aims to increase the share of full HDTV from 10 percent to 20 percent by strengthening its full HD lines.
``We expect more contracts to be signed in Middle Eastern countries and India because pricey gadgets are regarded as a symbol of wealth there,’’ a Samsung official said.
A month ago, Sony, the world’s second-largest LCD TV maker, unveiled the new 70-inch LCD TVs to keep its TV business profitable under pressure from rivals in both high-end and low-cost products.
In November 2005, Samsung released an 80-inch plasma display panel (PDP) TV, installed with a DVD player, AV receiver, set-top-box and home theater system for around 100 million won. A month after, LG Electronics also launched its luxury 71-inch PDP at about 75 million won.