NEC challenges rivals with plasma screens

Vendor hopes to grab quarter of European market with its range of nine HD-compatible screens

Bullish NEC is attempting to take market share from rivals and gain a quarter of the European commercial display market within a year with the launch of nine new plasma screens.

Simeon Joseph, product manager for NEC’s business equipment division, said: “Our European market share is currently 19 per cent, but ideally we would like to increase it to 25 per cent within the next year.

“Our new range of commercial and home cinema plasmas are tailored to meet the needs of our commercial and consumer customers.”

NEC’s new screens are high definition (HD) compatible, and six are fully HD ready and compliant with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directive. Five are aimed at the commercial sector and will come in 42in, 50in and 61in sizes.

“The commercial screens are suited to the corporate, public display and even leisure market, including pubs and clubs that want to broadcast sporting events,for example,” said Joseph.

The remaining screens, aimed at the home cinema market, are equipped with a seven-connection option, including video, HD and progressive DVD, and PC inputs.

The screens will be distributed in the UK through NEC’s four distributors: Ingram, Steljes, Imago Micro and the recently signed Owl Video.

Shaun Marklew, sales manager at Owl Video, said: “NEC is recognised as a leading manufacturer of high-quality display technology. We are really excited about the new opportunities which this partnership represents. NEC is our premium brand offering, and with this agreement we will expand our customer base further, securing new opportunities for both NEC and Owl.”

Ben Leet, senior business consultant at analyst firm Decision Tree Consulting, said: “Adding a consumer range to their portfolio should help NEC. The main applications within the commercial environment are about video content, for which a TV rather than a monitor is a perfect solution.”