February 21st, 2009
Guess who's releasing an 82-inch LCD HDTV? Honeywell. No, really.
Like Westinghouse, the Honeywell name is getting a dust-off for the new millenium in the consumer electronics market. But unlike Westinghouse, Honeywell was never known for consumer electronics, so it’s a bit puzzling why display maker Soyo has been drafted to produce Honeywell-branded HDTVs. Nonetheless, Honeywell is making its presence felt with its announcement that it’s releasing a gigantic 82-inch LCD to the consumer market.
Soyo is best known for its price-conscious computer monitors, so it’s not surprising that the fruits of the Honeywell partnership are mostly planned to compete with the Vizios of the world, according to an interview conducted by HD Guru. Nonethless, it’s going to be pretty hard to value price a 82-inch screen, when Sharp’s 65-inch Aquos LC-65D64U costs around $3,000. Honeywell and Soyo haven’t announced pricing or release dates for its Altura LE series, which has the 82 incher as its flagship, but its specs aren’t anything out of the ordinary for a 2009 LCD (120Hz refresh rate, three HDMI inputs, 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio), save for an impressively lengthy 5-year warranty. Oh, yeah, and that 300-pound weight for the display. If you buy this set, you may need to hire a bodybuilder to help you carry it into your house.
Sean Portnoy spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Subscribe to Home Theater via Email alerts or RSS.
