Reuters reports today that (Seiko) Epson will begin selling LCD rear-projection televisions in Japan, marking its entry into the highly competitive domestic market for large, flat-screen TVs. Epson
made headlines at CES 2004 this year when it launched its LCD rear-projection "Livingstation" televisions (which can print screen captures directly to an included dye sublimation printer) in the US and is hoping the Japanese consumer will also take to the technology.
Epson unveiled two models, one 47 inches (460,000 yen/$4,170) and the other sporting a 57-inch screen (560,000 yen), for launch in Japan. It will begin selling them through a dedicated Web site on Monday and aims to ship 10,000 in the first year to Japan's size-conscious consumers.
According to Reuters:
The domestic models are basically the same as those sold in the United States, with a few minor alterations. Epson has sold about 2,000 units in the United States since it began selling the TVs there in March. Epson said it expected the global LCD projection television market to grow to 3.3 million units in the 2006 fiscal year from 667,000 in 2003.
I've been a fan of LCD RPTVs, but largely because of their shallow depth and weight reduction. The picture is fairly good, but it will be nice to see some improvements to the technology in the future with regards to black levels and resolution. As all the new technologies remain in direct competition and are converging towards common price points it will be interesting to see if any fall away due to obsolescence. My guess is that we have quite a few years to go before that even becomes a possibility, and most manufacturers are
hedging their bets.
Read the Reuters Report
