By Craig Zammit

SYDNEY: At the 2007 ‘La Grande Magic’ Roadshow, LG Electronics unveiled to retailers a host of new products including its new Full HD 1080p LB9 LCD TV range, its debut entry into the portable cooling market and also its first foray into gas cooktops.

The highlight of the evening was the literal unveiling of the new LB9 Series of Full HD LCD TVs featuring in-built HD tuner, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time and a smooth piano-black finish.

“The LB9 range offers viewers a vivid and lifelike viewing experience, combining technology with stylish design,” said LG Electronics national trainer – AV products, Danny Moonsuk Jang.

The LB9 Series Full HD LCD TVs will be on sale from August 2007, and will be available in 37, 42 and 47-inch models, starting from RRP $3,999.

Another first revealed at the Roadshow, was LG’s first gas cooktop products, with the 900mm HG9512A receiving much interest. Set for an August release, the cooktop boasts a dual control wok burner with wok ring support, five-burner 90cm wide hob, flame failure device for added safety and the convenience of electronic ignition.

Debuting in the portable air-conditioner market for LG Australia, the ESC126MB (RRP $1,199) is a fully remote-controlled ultra-compact unit featuring an adjustable vertical duct for maxim space efficiency, a cooling capacity of 3.5kW and the added benefit of noise reduction.

With no AV receivers currently in the LG home theatre portfolio, the Roadshow unveiled yet another first for LG, the AR702 (RRP $659) AV receiver, offering full connectivity solutions, Audyssey lab automatic calibration technology and a full 6.1 channel speaker system.

With style becoming increasingly important in the kitchen, LG also debuted its new ‘flat door’ fridge design across its entire 2007 range of refrigerators.

“Consumers are looking for convenience and space in refrigeration without compromising on style,” said LG Electronics category manager – whitegoods, Glacel Lubrin.

“In response to their evolving desires, LG has created the ‘flat door’ look without the bulky, ‘rabbit ear’ hinges, drawing on inspiration from Europe and around the world.”

Due to popular demand, LG also displayed its new LG Steam Washer WD14750SD (RRP $1,749) – an extension of LG’s current Steam Combined Washer and Dryer.

“The steam function in the LG Steam Washer is designed to reach very high temperatures for a more hygienic wash and is the culmination of extensive research and cutting edge technology to produce a high quality and healthy lifestyle devise in the laundry,” said LG Electronics national training supervisor – whitegoods specialist, Martin Kim.

With competition in the floorcare category becoming increasingly intense, LG unleashed its latest bagless vacuum at the Roadshow, the Kompressor vacuum V-KC902HTM (RRP $874) – an extension of the popular LG Allergy Care series.

The Kompressor vacuum will boast washable HEPA filtration, LG’s DynaClean Cyclonic cleaning system, Bio-Tank, 2,000 watts of power, fully-washable dust tank, Carpet Master Plus brush head and hard floor tool, as well as the new ‘dust cake’ technology which compresses dust into hard clumps for easy disposal.

Also on display at the Roadshow was a DVD mini-system MBD102 (RRP $329), a 42-inch Full HD LCD TV with integrated 160GB HD DVR 47LB2DE (RRP $5,999), the EM790SP multifunctional oven (RRP $3,499) and the LG stainless steel dishwasher LD-1415M (RRP $1,249).