Chinese TV Company TCL has thrown down the gauntlet to Australian TV manufacturers by launching a 50-inch 4K Ultra High Definition TV for sub $1,000 in the USA the same TV is tipped to go on sale in Australia along with a sub $4,000 65″ model.
The pricing could force Samsung, LG and Sony to rethink their pricing for 4K TV’s after several retailers said that the TCL 65″ offering still has “good margin” for them.
TCL has its own LCD panel manufacturing facility as well as set assembly operations.
The 50-inch UHD set, which was introduced in the USA overnight along with a new flagship FullHD LED LCD TV line, will ship in September.
By launching a 50-inch UHD TV for under $1,000, TCL claim that they are hoping to capitalise on volume sales instead of high margins, like its tier one rivals, to build its market presence and brand awareness.
“Similar to what the market saw a dozen years ago with the introduction of HDTVs, 4K UHD TVs are priced so high today that most consumers cannot afford them,” stated Michelle Mao, TCL USA president told TWICE in the US.
“As one of the world’s largest TV brands, TCL is able to change that, so we are launching our 50-inch 4K TV at a $999 MSRP to allow more consumers to enjoy the stunning picture quality and enhanced resolution of UHD TVs. While other brands see the introduction of 4K as an opportunity to make large margins – we see it as an opportunity to demonstrate to U.S. consumers the combination of advanced technology and great value we’ve been delivering across the world for over 30 years.”
Hailing from China, TCL is the world’s third largest TV manufacturer in the world.
The company previously manufactured goods under the RCA-brand license, before giving that up several years ago to build its own TCL trademark on an international level.
The new 50-inch Ultra HD LED TV which will go on sale in Australia has a 3840-by-2160 pixel resolution, built-in sound system with SRS TruSurroundHD technology, built-in up-scaling that allows SD and HD content on full 4K screen, a 200Hz CMI (Clear Motion Index) refresh rate, and a 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.
TCL said the set’s design stresses an ultra-thin bezel with a modern gunmetal grey finish, housed in a sophisticated slim frame design.
It is equipped with four HDMI inputs, including one supporting the Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) system for a tethered connection to smart devices.
