Godrej has teamed up with its appliance business partner Boyce Manufacturing to enter the colour television (CTV) market in the country. The company also launched its stunning Godrej EON range of LCDs with iPIX technology.Godrej Appliances, the consumer goods division of Godrej and its Europe-based partner are investing Rs150 crore in the LCD manufacturing venture.
''It is a joint production development and is being done abroad," said Godrej Appliances COO George Menezis.
''Godrej EON XLCD, which uses 'Intelligent Processing for Image Excellence' (iPIX) technology, gives strikingly cleaner images. The technology is similar to that used by remote sensing satellites to receive input signals and cleans them by reducing video noise levels, improving sharpness and clarity for a flawless viewing experience,'' the company said in a release.
Godrej claims to be the only one company that uses iPIX technology that shows demonstrable improvement in the video images.While the 15-inch screen TV from Godrej would cost Rs6,000 plus, the 42-inch LCD TV would cost Rs70,000. The 32-inch LCD TV would have two models in a price range of Rs 42,000-45,000.iPIX works on the input signals in four ways:
Sharpness Enhancement: iPIX corrects blurred, hazy images. The superior built in algorithm uses a unique filter to enhance vertical and horizontal details to produce natural images with sharper transients. Image defects are detected and immediately corrected for much sharper and cleaner images on your LCD screen.
Color Optimizer: Brightness and color information is analysed for every pixel. Red, green and blue pixels are treated independently so the image does not look unnaturally bright or faded.
Contrast Enhancer: Dark or bright regions of the picture are stretched towards the corresponding shade, with regions in-between enhanced to give a more impressively detailed and contrasting image.Skin Tone Reproduction: Detects skin pixels and adjust hues for more lifelike natural skin tone.
''Godrej has always focused its efforts on innovative design and technology aimed at delivering the most efficient and enjoyable products for the masses. Godrej has rich knowledge and years of experience in aerospace technology and we have garnered this expertise to give the Indian consumer a revolution in TV viewing. We have spent the last three years not just in developing superior technology but also in developing the infrastructure, most critical being service for LCDs and CRTs,'' said Menezes.
Godrej has already established a sales network in Andhra Pradesh ahead of the launch of the product, he said, adding, ''We are confident that our precision designed EON range of televisions with iPIX Technology for Cleaner Images will raise the bar on the markets expectations.''
''The Indian consumer is well aware of what is available in the market and demands the highest quality products using the latest technology. Customers are even willing to pay a premium provided they get the best in class. Television continues to be one of the fastest growing markets, more so in LCDs for which we have specially designed the Godrej EON XLCD with iPIX technology.
Before making their purchase, customers can take a demonstration and actually see the cleaner images our technology delivers. We are confident of making a significant impact into the Andhra Pradesh market within the first few months of our launch, after which we will move into other states,'' added Kamal Nandi, vice president, sales & marketing, Godrej Appliances.
Godrej's EON range of televisions consists of 13 XLCD and CRT models of different screen sizes from 15'' to 42'' configured with various speaker options for full rich sound.
Godrej will soon launch an advertising and marketing campaign highlighting the `Cleaner Images' through iPIX technology, using various media channels and customer demo/education initiatives.
Godrej had already run an pre-launch teaser campaign about scientists inventing an advanced 'Clean Up' technology. The idea was to arouse curiosity about what this `Clean up' was all about – which is the Godrej EON XLCD range that gives `Cleaner Images'.
The CTV industry in India is pegged at 10.5 million units of which Andhra Pradesh sells 0.86 million units. Overall this industry is growing at 17 per cent in the country. Godrej with its new and extensive range of products with stylish looks and latest technology is looking at 10 per cent market share within one year of operation.
The Godrej Group is one of the largest home appliances manufacturers in the country. Godrej, the first Indian company to manufacture refrigerators in 1958, also manufactures a range of home appliances including air-conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens, DVD players, and now Televisions.