If successful, this would put them closely behind Panasonic, which currently holds a 29-per-cent share.

Chanchai Bhandhuflack, audio-visual product marketing manager, said the new TV series has a built-in recorder that allows people to automatically record live television programmes for up to one hour. It is being marketed as the first television of its kind and has already been launched successfully in Europe.

The new line includes plasma and liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions researched and developed by LG, and will be on the market in October this year.

The digital video recorder technology, built into the Time Machine TV, can record television programmes automatically for one hour.

This new series offers three models: a 50-inch plasma television, a 42-inch plasma television, and a 42-inch LCD television.

This is the latest technology in the TV market here and the company has priced them slightly higher than the general plasma and LCD models.

"We are confident that Time Machine TV will considerably boost our total sales revenue of which television sales would have a more than 40-per cent share within six months of its launch," Chanchai said.

He said that Time Machine TV has been popular in Europe for some time, recording sales volumes of 30 to 40 per cent of total LG television sales in Europe.

The company also plans to launch some new models of DVD players and recorders, as well as audio and home-theatre products.

He said 70 per cent of the new products would be sold in Bangkok with the rest heading to other cities such as Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima and Phuket.

LG Electronics plans to eventually sell the products through its 500 dealers nationwide, but it will initially distribute the products through 40 to 50 dealers.

Home Pro and Power Buy would be two of its main distribution channels.

The company aims to boost sales of audio-visual products by 30 per cent this year, buoyed by the launch of a variety of products during the rest of the year, Chanchai said.

He said the company expects whole-year sales of Bt3 billion, or 250,000 units, up 43 per cent from 175,000 units last year.

The company's total sales grew by 30 per cent to 160,000 units in the first half this year thanks to the World Cup football fever.

To achieve its sales target, the company has set aside a Bt100-million marketing budget for the rest of the year. More than 90 per cent of the budget will be used for building up product perception among its consumers and on holding below-the-line activities such as road shows and providing point-of-sale displays.

Chalida

Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation