EXCLUSIVE: New 3D TV’s that don’t need glasses, low cost Blu ray players and a new range of LED & LCD TV’s are all part of a new line up of consumer electronics products that Chinese manufacturer TCL will launch in Australia during the next 12 months.
The company, who manufactures products for some of the world’s leading consumer brands including Sony, Samsung and Toshiba, sells up to 800,000 TV’s a month into the Chinese market alone. At the recent CES Show in Las Vegas the company was voted one of the world’s leading consumer electronics brands. Their new X9 series LCD TV’s also won four awards.
Their new 3D TV which was developed in partnership with Alioscopy, a US 3D company, is currently being trialled by Crown Casino in Melbourne.
Show at recent CES show the new TCL 3D TV features a highly specialised lenticular lens that eliminates the need for glasses. Panasonic are believed to be working on a similar system.
In an exclusive interview with SmartHouse and ChannelNews Paul Widdis, the General Manager of TCL in Australia said that the company is currently building a new distribution group after they parted company with Castel, the former distributor of TCL Consumer Electronic goods in Australia.
The move by TCL to dump Castel came two years after Castel was also dumped by Toshiba.
“Castel had a five year contract to distribute our products. We chose not to renew it. Instead we are building out a new reseller network for our range of consumer electronic goods which will include low cost Blu-ray, our new 3D TV which is the first 3D TV in the world that can be viewed without glasses. Initially we see it as more of a commercial product than a consumer product”.
During the next few weeks, the company is set to roadshow a new range of TV offerings including new large screen LCD and LED TV’s. Their 35mm thick edge-lit panels, which are set to compete head on with Samsung, will be available in 40″, 46″ and 50″ inch sizes.
Running at 100Hz, the new models have multiple HDMI outputs, USB input and MPEG playback capability. The company will also have 200Hz models by the end of 2009 as well as new integrated Blu-ray models.
A visit to various TV forums in Australia reveals a lot of praise from consumers who have purchased previous TLC TV’s without knowing a lot about the brand. One consumer wrote “I have two flat panel TV’s a Sony and an LG. We wanted a smaller TV for a bedroom. We chose a TCL model as it was cheap. In reality it delivers a better picture than both the Sony and LG TV which cost almost twice as much as the TCL model”.
TCL is also set to launch a blue laser HD TV which incorporates “natural light and blue laser H.264” technology. The new TV delivers enhanced eye-protection while being more energy efficient.
Widdis said “We intend to be a major player in the Australian market. We are currently investing in new marketing activities and we are planning on several new products including new IP enabled TV’s”.
The company is also tipped to move into the notebook and netbook markets. In Asia, they also sell a range of mobile phones.
Currently TCL has revenues of over $8 Billion. They employ over 56,000 employees.
