Consumers could benefit from the credit crunch as home technology vendors
offer more value and greater quality in a bid to oustrip competitors.
Launching the
2009
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, LG's marketing director, Peter
Reiner, said the worldwide economic slowdown would see consumers spend more time
at home and insist on better value when deciding what to spend their money on.
"Consumers will stay home more in 2009 and they are going to want products
that give great quality, are stylish, easy to use and provide the ability to
customise."
LG
announced a number of product launches for the coming year that it hopes
will grab consumers' attention, including home network streaming products that
can play high-definition movies over wireless networks, televisions with image
processing technology that virtually eliminates picture blur and a
wristwatch-style mobile phone.
LG has signed deals with Youtube and Yahoo that will give consumers the
ability to access news, video and more direct to their TVs. The Network
Entertainment Access system is part of a wider strategy to cut down on the
amount of wiring consumers have to contend with in the living room.
LG's CEO, Michael Ahn, said this would enable the company to provide "the
content that consumers crave".
Chief technology officer Dr Woo Park said: "We want to get rid of these ugly
wires. Actually I don't mind them but my wife hates them."
LG will introduce support for the best-quality standard of high-definition
video in its Netflix streaming product range without the need for compression,
preserving ultimate picture quality.
Dr Park also demonstrated a mobile phone with two microphones that can cut
the amount of background noise, leading to clearer calls.
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