When you think about television, chances are that the name Sanyo does not come to mind.
The company has long been known for its professional projectors, used in large halls and offices, and it has sold a front projector aimed at the home theater market for the last several years.
But with the economic downturn cutting into disposable income, the company sees an opportunity to increase its small consumer market share in front-projection high-definition televisions. So for the first time, Sanyo will sell three HDTV home theater front-projector models, starting with a basic model at $1,295.
The PLV-Z60, shipping this month, offers a 720p image and 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Next month, the company will introduce a 1080p model — the $1,995 PLV-Z700. And in December, it will sell the PLV- Z3000, a $3,295 model that features 120Hz technology, effectively doubling the number of projected frames a second, creating smoother motion.
All models can create a 100-inch diagonal image when the projector is between 10 and 20 feet from the screen. Optical technology allows the projectors to be placed off-axis and still create a square picture without distortion.
To date, Sanyo’s United States share of the home theater front-projection business has been low. According to Pacific Media Associates, a video display research firm, its unit share was 2.3 percent for 2007, although it did rise to 7 percent in the first quarter of 2008 before falling back again to 2.5 percent in the second quarter. In contrast, the industry leader, Epson, held a 20.1 percent share of the United States consumer projection business in the second quarter.
According to William Coggshall, president of Pacific Media Associates, Sanyo has not done well because its distribution channel has been weak. Sales are mostly confined to high end audio-video retailers and companies that do much of their sales online, like B&H Foto and Electronics in New York.
Sanyo hopes to change that this year, when it starts selling a version of its PLV-Z700 in Best Buy, albeit with a different model number.
Even if it is successful, mass-market front projectors (as opposed to very expensive models intended for dedicated home theaters) will appeal to a very narrow and possibly shrinking audience. To get a good picture, you need a darkened room and a place to put the large projector. Also, front projectors are not TVs — you have to hook up a separate receiver if you want to watch television. And with 60-inch flat-panel TVs becoming more affordable, sales of mass-market front projectors will probably get squeezed even further.
4 Comments
Sometimes i wonder about the ethics of either advertising through a write up like above and the starving children in Africa, i am not African but the puzzle is how do you qauntify the garbage above with the worlds unbalance, financially in todays market place, the starvation, homelessness, disease, does it constantly have to be spelled out to the ignorant, get a brain, get a life!
— Alan HarrisonYup, you wonder about ethics and spent money & resources to post the message. Like so many liberals, you excel at wondering rather than doing anything.
— Conrad W. Paulthis is as much news as anything else… currently Sanyo is only sold in the US through Wal-Mart & so is of interest to that company & it’s potential customer base. it might possibly also be of interest to another retailer looking to satisfy customers who might like a rear projector as this segment has all but been deserted by every maker but Samsung & Mitsubishi.
i’m a liberal & i don’t just wonder about the ethics of any/everything–i work in my local community, my church to try & make a difference where i can. “each one reach one, each one teach one.”
— dk jonesTo Alan:
What does your comment have to do with anything in this story?
One man’s “garbage” is another man’s news item.
Your concerns about economic and social conditions in today’s world are certainly valid. But you’d be better off taking action on those concerns, rather than simply posting them here.
Economic disparity has been the way of the world for centuries. No one has a fix for every problem.
— Professor Science