Chennai sets to enter in LCD TV foray

Samsung has recently launched an ultra-slim television that will cost just 10 per cent more than a flat one but much cheaper than the LCD range. The ultra-slim sets will be fitted with a picture tube that is 40 per cent slimmer than the flat models.

Ravinder Zutshi, deputy managing director, Samsung India Electronics, said, “The ultra-slim version is for consumers who aspire for an LCD model but at a lower cost. The television has the look and feel of an LCD set and can be mounted on the walls.”A 21-inch has a price tag in the range of Rs 10,500 to Rs 11,000. A 21-inch flat television costs between Rs 8,000 and Rs 9,000 while a 29-inch model comes for Rs 18,500-25,850. A base 20-inch LCD model will cost around Rs 30,000 and a 32-inch model will be Rs 60,000. Samsung is eyeing a 50 per cent market share in the flat TV segment.A Videocon colour television costs between Rs 6,500 and Rs 9,000, while the starting price of the LCD model is Rs 17,000.

The price of an LG colour television is Rs 7,400, while that of the LCD model is Rs 23,000.Last year, almost a lakh flat television sets were sold and this is expected to go up to four lakh units in 2007. Many budget hotels prefer the flat sets to the LCD models because of the price difference. Samsung is the first company to manufacture LCD television sets in the country.“The company will churn out both flat and LCD television models at its new factory in Chennai. The plant will begin manufacturing from August this year, which will increase the overall capacity of the company to 3.5 lakh units,” said Zutshi.