By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Hitachi will unveil its first full high definition flat panel TV range next Monday night at the company’s second annual roadshow and has also promised Australian retailers will be privy to a world-first announcement from the Japanese brand.
The Hitachi ‘Hot Gear’ 2007 Roadshow – a reference to the UK television show Top Gear – will kick off in Sydney next Monday night and will travel to mainland capital cities until the end of August.
Hitachi promises that just like in the Top Gear program, where the audience gets to see the latest cars put through their paces, the Hot Gear roadshow will treat retailers to demonstrations and test-drives of the latest consumer electronics technologies.
According to Hitachi, the evening sessions promise to be entertaining as well as informative for sales staff and retail managers alike.
“Our second roadshow brings entertainment, knowledge and the forefront of full HD technology as a complete flat panel company in LCD and plasma technologies,” said Hitachi general manager – consumer products group, Geoff Hannaford.
“Our premium brand status will be enhanced with the product line up featured in this show, including a world’s first announcement midway through our roadshow to all major states. This year we aim to communicate our strategy to 1,200 retail floor staff and 100 key industry managers within our selected channel distribution.”
Hitachi will unveil a range of full HD plasma and LCD TVs including the hero P50X01 50-inch plasma with 1920×1080 resolution and Frame Rate Conversion to reduce the jutter effect for smoother images.
Launched for the first time at the 2006 roadshow, Hitachi’s GPS portable navigation range will be updated at the roadshow with new models on display.
Hitachi’s second-generation Hybrid camcorder, which combines DVD and hard disk drive recording in one compact unit, will also be highlighted during the product showcase.
Hitachi is seeking to entice retailers with the promise of a world-first announcement, details of which are not being discussed by the company.
The 2007 Hitachi Roadshow begins in Sydney on 23 July and moves to Melbourne on 30 July, Brisbane on 6 August, Perth on 20 August and Adelaide on 27 August.