Summary

Zenith Electronics announced the consumer electronics industry's first integrated digital television priced under $1,000 at CES 2001, a 27-inch SDTV model planned for second-half 2001 shipment. The set features an all-format ATSC decoder supporting all 18 DTV formats, a QAM demodulator for digital cable, and seamless analog-digital channel surfing.

Source document circa 2001 preserved as-is
Tue, Jan 9, 2001

Zenith Announces Industry's First Integrated Digital TV Under $1,000

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The first integrated digital television =
(DTV) set with a retail price under $1,000 was announced today by Zenith =
Electronics Corporation.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19981120/CGF017 )
Zenith, one of the primary developers of the FCC-adopted DTV broadcast =
standard, said it plans to ship the 27-inch standard-definition television =
(SDTV) digital model in the second half of 2001, priced under $1,000. A =
32-inch digital TV model, expected to sell for slightly more than $1,000, =
also will be available.

``Early in the transition to DTV, Zenith and others in the industry have =
been concentrating primarily on large-screen, higher-end, high-definition =
displays that require expensive optics,'' said Richard Lewis, Zenith =
senior vice president, research and technology, said here Sunday at the =
Consumer Electronics Show. ``Large HDTVs will always offer consumers the =
ultimate home theater experience, but widespread DTV deployment will =
require mass market products at mass market prices.

``Technology has now progressed to the point that, for a relatively small =
price increment over conventional analog TVs, more consumers will soon be =
able to enjoy many benefits of digital television -- snow-free, ghost-free =
pictures and CD-quality sound,'' Lewis said.

These basic digital TVs will feature all-format digital decoder/tuners =
designed to receive all 18 ATSC video formats. The crisp digital images =
will be displayed in the SDTV format on 4:3 aspect ratio picture tubes.

The Zenith DTVs will include an analog NTSC TV tuner and Zenith-developed =
software that allows the viewer to ``surf seamlessly between analog and =
digital broadcasts,'' Lewis said. These digital-cable-compatible sets will =
incorporate a QAM demodulator for direct connection to digital cable =
systems, in addition to a VSB demodulator for over-the-air DTV broadcasts.

Zenith Electronics Corporation, a long-time leader in consumer electronics,=
developed the VSB digital transmission system adopted by the FCC as part =
of the ATSC DTV Standard. Armed with advanced display technologies from =
its parent company, LG Electronics Inc., Zenith is committed to becoming =
the digital leader in the new millennium.