Digital leader to mass produce 71-inch PDP TV

Dubai, December 8, 2004: Global and regional digital leader LG Electronics has unveiled the world's largest 71-inch Plasma Display Panel (PDP) TV. With this breakthrough, the company aims to be the market leader with 30 percent market share in PDP modules by 2005, and the leading manufacturer of PDP television sets with 20 percent market share by 2006.

LG overcame technological difficulties to successfully develop the high-definition TV with a contrast ratio of 16:9 and an embedded picture-enhancement chip XD engine. The model is sold as a package that includes a gold-decorating PDP TV, a home theatre system and a digital broadcast receiver. This breakthrough will have a tremendous impact on the flat panel display industry as the technology was considered impossible to be implemented in a large PDP TV when the company began to develop it in July last year.

"We will aggressively sell the 71-inch PDP TV through target marketing and order-based mass-production strategies," said K H Kim, President, LG Electronics Middle East & Africa Operations. "By launching the world's largest 71-inch PDP TV, LG Electronics has reinforced its market leadership in the two flat panel display segments, PDP and LCD TVs.  We are aiming for a 30 percent share of the global PDP module market by 2005, and the top slot in the global LCD TV market by 2008."

By focusing on strategic linkages between home audio-video, car infortainment and mobile audio-video business, LG aims to rank among the top three global players in the digital display and media segment by 2007.

To keep pace with the demand for PDP TVs, LG is focused on developing televisions for the mass market. The company will use its digital TV-related core competency in the three areas of core chip sets, display components (vertical sequencing), and software, as well as patents on digital TV transmission technologies (VSB/EVSB), to aggressively penetrate the rapidly growing digital TV market. The global PDP TV market, estimated at 3.5 million units in 2004, will continue to expand to 6.3 million units by 2005, 10 million units by 2006, and 12 million units by 2007. 

LG is the market leader in the PDP TV segment in 17 countries including the UK, Germany, Spain, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa; the company aims to be the market leader in 30 countries by 2005.  To aggressively explore overseas markets, LG has established digital TV production bases in three hubs - North America (Mexico), Europe (Poland), and China (Shenyang and Nanjing).

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About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (Korea Stock Exchange: 066570.KR) was established in 1958 as the pioneer in the Korean consumer electronics market. The company is a major global force in electronics and information and communications products with more than 64,000 employees working in 76 overseas subsidiaries and marketing units around the world.  With annual total revenues of more than US $16.9 billion (non-consolidated), LG Electronics conducts its business in three main areas: Digital Display & Media, Digital Appliances, and Telecommunications Equipment & Handsets.

The LG Digital Display & Media Company provides core technologies for cutting-edge digital products and is a world leader in digital display products including plasma TVs, LCD TVs and monitors, and digital high-definition televisions (HDTV). The Digital Display & Media Company also provides digitally integrated products such as AV systems, optical storage, set-top boxes and home servers and is focusing on next-generation businesses such as home and mobile networks.

LG Electronics' goal is to enable the intelligent networking of digital products that will make consumers' lives better than ever. For more information, please visit www.lge.com

For more information, contact:
Hamad M. Malik                                                       Shilpa Mathai/Rana Bechara
Senior Regional Manager                                            Polaris Public Relations             
Marketing & Corporate Communications                        Dubai, UAE
LGE Middle East & Africa Operations                            Tel: +9714-3348522
Tel: +9714-3340066                                                 Fax: +9714-3341326
Fax: +9714-3370515                                                 Email: s.mathai@polaris-me.com
Email: hamad@lge.com                                              Email: r.bechara@polaris-me.com

© Press Release 2004