Samsung to launch ultra high definition TV in India next year

Samsung to launch ultra high definition TV in India next year

New Delhi: Korean electronics major Samsung said it will introduce ultra high definition television sets in India by the end of next year after it rolls out the technology globally in 2013. Samsung has already developed the technology for ultra high-definition television (UHDTV), which has a minimum resolution of 3840x2160 pixels or 8.3 megapixels.

"We have developed the technology and are ready with it. We are planning to introduce it globally sometime next year and the India-launch will happen by the end of next year," Samsung India Electronics General Manager (AV Division) Taeho Park told reporters here. The company is not launching UHDTV immediately as the content is not yet available for it, he added.

"Many of our competitors are also working on this technology, which uses four times more pixels than the high definition TVs. Samsung has developed it in Korea and we will sell UHDTVs in India by importing them from Korea," Park said. He, however, declined to share details such as possible price range or the size of the panels.

Meanwhile, to tap the ongoing festive season, Samsung India Electronics today introduced a new LED TV - 75ES9000, priced at Rs 7.5 lakh. The company also announced a host of schemes and offers along with its range of home appliances products to attract more consumers during the festive season.

"Initially we are targeting to sell 1,000 units of the 75ES9000 in the next 6-12 months... We are expecting to sell 4.5 lakh units of flat panel TVs during the festive season this year," Samsung India Electronics Vice President (Home Appliances) K Mahesh said. The company is looking to sell 15 lakh units of flat panels this year, of which LED TVs will contribute 80 per cent, he added.

According to Samsung India's estimates, the country's overall TV market is expected to be around one crore units this year, out of which flat panels are likely to contribute 42 lakh units. Talking about the festive seasons, Samsung India Electronics Product Head (Flat Panel TV) Piyush Kunnapallil said the company will "invest Rs 150 crore in marketing and promotional activities" during this period.

"We are expecting about Rs 3,000 crore sales revenue from our entire consumer electronics business in the festive season this year," he added. In 2011, Samsung India clocked a revenue of around Rs 20,000 crore, of which the consumer electronics segment contributed Rs 10,000 crore, Mahesh said. "We are expecting about 40-45 per cent jump this year in our consumer electronics business," he added.