NuVision to Ship 3D TVs with 3D Blu-ray Player from Undisclosed Supplier

ATLANTA -- NuVision will ship its new 3D-capable FX10 46 ($5,499) and 55-inch ($6,999) LCD TVs in October with a 3D Blu-ray player from an undisclosed supplier and two pairs of RealD glasses, NuVision Marketing Consultant Debra Mayfield told us at CEDIA. The promotion behind the Samsung LCD panel-based FX10 line, which will include a 40-inch model ($4,499) in January, comes as NuVision prepares to ship the models by year-end to 57 of the more than 300 Best Buy stores with a Magnolia Home Theater store-within-a-store format, she said.

The list of Magnolia Home Theater locations that will carry the FX series is still being finalized, Mayfield said. The edge-lit TVs contain 1080p, 240 Hz panels and TrueDimming technology. NuVision has been testing sales of its TVs at three of Best Buy’s nine Magnolia Design Center stores, including locations in San Jose and Santa Monica, Calif., she said.

Several other retailers, including Gramophone, Starpower, Sixth Avenue Electronics and Talk of the Town, have installed 100-200-square-foot NuVision “boutiques.” NuVision TVs will be in four Sixth Avenue locations, filling space previously occupied by Pioneer Elite plasma TVs, Mayfield said. Pioneer dropped plasma TVs last year. In addition to the FX sets, the boutiques also will have NuVision’s step-up 55- ($8,999) and 72-inch ($15,999) Connoisseur TVs that contain a full array LED backlight, 480 Hz panel and are Internet capable. The delivery of 72-inch set, which uses an LG Display panel, was postponed to Q1 from December because the panels aren’t being produced in volume quantities yet, Mayfield said. The 55-inch model is due in Q2. NuVision is in talks with Internet service providers about supplying content for the sets and an agreement is possible by CES in January, Mayfield said. The company has 520 dealers and targets having 600 by year-end, she said.

Under the partnership agreements with retailers, NuVision pays for installation of its display, provides marketing funds to promote the brand and handles product training, Mayfield said. “We know who our top retailers are and to have a branded presence within their stores that helps their sales people sell our products is to our advantage,” she said. “Equally they understand that offering a brand that carries some weight gets them into the luxury market and gives them the opportunity to sell product again and gain new revenue."

Nuvision partner Marlin Business Services is in discussions with a “number of” existing and potential dealers on one-year product lease agreements, Mayfield said. The pact, which varies depending on the number of products ordered and credit terms, requires two months payment up front, she said. Marlin is providing financing for the leases. “It’s another partner and we understand the issues that they are up against in running their business because we are a boutique supplier,” Mayfield said.

NuVision’s co-branding partner Vivitek also was exhibiting at CEDIA, but there isn’t any conflict between the companies’ products, Mayfield said. “We're targeted more at the high-end and they are more commercial,” she said. “We're very different from each other.” Vivitek is owned by Coretronics, which assembles projectors for NuVision.