A view in every room

What were you watching 30 years ago? You, or your parents, may have been viewing the latest episode of Hogans Heroes or The Avengers on a black-and-white television set or if you were lucky, on a brand new colour television. If you wanted to catch a movie, you would have been at the local cinema.

Thirty years ago, NEC was just making its presence felt in Australia with the first Rank-NEC colour television. Today, as the company celebrates its anniversary, NEC's reputation as a leading manufacturer of video display products is cemented in the marketplace.

The latest line-up of home theatre systems reflects the extensive research and product development that NEC has undertaken over the years.

Marketing coordinator Michelle Hancox cites the new PlasmaSync monitors as good examples.

"Whether they are mounted on a wall or hanging unobtrusively from the ceiling, these monitors are designed to turn an ordinary space into a sophisticated viewing environment," she says.

PlasmaSync monitors feature advanced technologies designed to provide large, high-definition images under all lighting conditions.

The top-of-the-range PlasmaSync 61-inch monitor boasts a 1365 x 768 pixel resolution, which provides sharp detail and vivid colour reproduction.

"Despite the screen size, this model is just 119mm deep and weighs only 61kg," says Hancox. "It has a 900% digital zoom facility and is well suited to conference rooms, showrooms and lecture theatres as well as home theatres."

The plasma screen is paired with NEC's multi-format NDR500 DVD recorder and DHT300 surround-sound system. The DHT300 provides a complete home theatre solution, combining a high-fidelity FM tuner, AV digital receiver and DVD video player. Listening modes include Digital, Dolby, Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic 11 Decoders, Hall, Stadium and Theatre settings.

Another technological leap forward for NEC is the new VT47 projector, shown on these pages. National sales manager Steven Macdonald says this update on an earlier model offers increased brightness to better overcome the effects of ambient light in a room.

It also features intuitive design that makes it easy to use plug-and-project installation and automatic synchronisation with a computer or video source. This model automatically projects a square image, even if the unit is tilted.

In addition, these new projectors introduce a new NEC style a sleek, high-gloss, pearlescent, curved design so they look great in the home or the office," says Macdonald.

"We asked ourselves, why do projectors have to look like boxes? The new styling, which we plan to extend to additional members of the product line in the future, is especially important for customers whose projectors are prominent in a home or business environment."

In recognition of the growing demand for a television in every room, NEC has a range of LCD televisions of varying sizes. These include the NLT17W LCD television shown in the kitchen on the following page. This widescreen television features full stereo sound and comes with a S-Video input, AV input, headphone socket and PC input for complete versatility.

NEC has also released a new set top box. This incorporates a software program that allows all the electronic controls for the audiovisual equipment to be operated from the one centre.

The high functionality and innovation displayed in these NEC products is typical of the company's new releases each product is more advanced that those that went before.

Hancox says NEC was one of the first manufacturers of plasma screens and is now producing its 6th generation 42-inch model.

"The company's plasma displays and LCD TVs have won the industry's Sound & Image awards for the past three years," she says.

An NEC projector and plasma display have also won the coveted Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) awards.

For more information, contact NEC Australia, phone 131 632. Email: displays@nec.com.au. Website: www.nec.com.au.

Story by: Trendsideas