The Korean LG Electronics company is aiming for Middle East market DVD sales of 100,000 units this year and to capture 25 percent of the world's 30,000-million unit DVD market, company officials disclosed. “LG Electronics plans to change the face of Middle East home entertainment with the introduction of a new compact hi-end looking home cinema system that includes the world’s first built-in DVD plus tuner and digital amplifier,” a company press release announced Tuesday, November 13.
"Last year, Middle East and Africa LG video products sales, including DVDs, were $48 million, a year-on-year increase of 45 percent over 1999," said regional Digital Media Products Manager B.H. Ahn. "This year we are targeting regional sales of $58.3 million, a 21 percent increase to 640,000." The company also presented strong regional TV sales in 2000, with 310,000 units sold, earning the company a total of $34 million.
LG Electronics has welcomed the planned DVD films price reduction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), hailing it as an unexpected move that will increase customer acceptance of the new digital technology. "While DVD sales have been fairly buoyant, they have been held back by the relatively high cost of films," said Hamad Malik, senior marketing manager at LG Electronics, Middle East and Africa. "This price cut move will definitely stimulate DVD sales and make it cheaper for film fans to replace their video cassette libraries."
LG is predicting that sales of its video recorders and DVDs will increase in the UAE by 60 percent this year, helped by the regional launch of the new unit designed for digital TVs. "This DVD uses progressive scan technology which more than doubles screen clarity and quality when hooked up to a digital TV," said Malik. "Another major breakthrough is that screen tremble during playback and been dramatically minimized thereby reducing eye fatigue from long-term viewing." The new DVD also plays MP3 files, as well as CD/CD-R/CD-RW discs.
LG Electronics is a global player in electronics & telecommunications, operating 72 subsidiaries around the world with over 55,000 employees worldwide. LGE focuses on Digital TV, CD-RW, DVD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM Drives, PCs, Monitors, Mobile Handsets,CRTs and PDPs. — (menareport.com)
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