LG yesterday launched its ARX8000 home entertainment speaker package, designed exclusively for SA and to be sold on the same basis.
The 5.2-channel home theatre package has a gloss black finish on its two subwoofers, two floor-standing speakers, two surround speakers and centre speaker.
Also part of the package is a home theatre receiver, equipped with the requisite HDMI and A/V connectors for the modern lounge, and a DVD player. A Blu-ray player is available as a cost-option, instead of the DVD player.
LG says it conducted market research in SA to determine what kind of product it could bring to local consumers. The results, combined with input from focus groups, concluded that local consumers, specifically “black diamonds” - young African professionals with disposable income - demanded a premium product that reflected their social status and added value to their lifestyle.
Consumer feedback also showed market demand for audio systems is unique, so the company invested in developing an AV receiver from the ground up. It says intensive testing and design processes were conducted to ensure the system met local technical and consumer requirements.
The new system has little in the way of competition. Sony is the only other company with a similar product, the DDW-1600. This 6.2 system has similar features to LG's offering but is not exclusive to the local market.
LG plans to follow up with an entry-level ARX5000 system in November and a premium model will follow in 2011. Like the ARX8000, both models will be exclusive to SA.
To drive home the point that this is a “built for SA” product, LG is hosting a competition for consumers to propose a local name for the system. LG products often feature regular names alongside their model numbers, so the company wishes to attach a local phrase to its newest AV product.
The ARX8000 is available from today and retails for R5 999 with the DVD player, or R6 999 when specified with the Blu-ray player.
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