While General Electric, the corporate mother ship of NBC Universal, has never been a player on the manufacturing side when it comes to HD-centric products, that was to have changed this spring when GE began rolling out some of its first HD sets. That plan for LCD units has now been put on hold for a few months.
Without any formal announcement, GE will wait a while longer to fully deploy its product line, the result of a joint venture with Tatung of Taiwan. The project is aimed at providing more consumer features for the money rather than simply offering LCD HD sets at lower prices. And the rollout delay is not a direct result of the struggling global economy, according to The New York Times.
In announcing its original plans a few months ago, GE had said it would attempt to place its HD wares at price points below the usual price leaders (notably Sony) and slightly higher than lowest-priced sets at the big-box brands (notably Vizio). Some of GE's line will include online connectivity, surround sound, LED backlighting, live-action pause (which typically requires a DVR) and 120 Hz.
GE says the delay is mostly due to marketing strategies—not manufacturing or operational hurdles. Since its HD line will not be the lowest-priced available, waiting a few months to give the economy some time to recover could help GE get a more receptive response from today's recession-wary consumers.
