With penetration of HDTV products doubling in the U.S. market in 2003 and sales expected to exceed five million units this year, Thomson is aggressively introducing a new line of HDTV solutions aimed at all types of consumers -- those who want the latest flat and thin technology, owners of HDTV Monitors ready for latest-generation digital satellite set-top receivers, and home theatre enthusiasts who are building their digital home theatre systems one step at a time.

Profiles: High-Definition and Super-Slim
At the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show, Thomson today unveiled the 6.85" thin Profiles HDTV -- the new RCA Scenium ultra-thin Digital Cable Ready integrated rear-projection DLP(TM) HDTV Sets featuring slim cabinets less than seven inches deep and so light in weight they can be easily mounted on a wall. The sleek new designs in HDTV Sets will be available in 50-inch and 61-inch models later in 2004 (and in a 70-inch mural-sized screen in 2005) and feature integrated ATSC tuner/decoder and Digital Cable Ready circuitry designed to capture the realism of HDTV broadcasts aired by terrestrial broadcasters and carried by cable operators to consumers.

Designed and integrated by Thomson, the RCA Scenium Profiles HDTV Sets are equipped with the leading-edge DLP microdisplay from Texas Instruments and utilize a newly developed InFocus Light Engine. The exclusive Thomson electromechanical design of Profiles HDTV will bring consumers an ultra-thin design on giant projection screens.

"Thomson continues to raise the bar for excellence in home entertainment featuring cutting-edge performance for fully integrated RCA Scenium DLP HDTV Sets that can be mounted on a wall, rivaling the quality and convenience of plasma and LCD models," said Mike O'Hara, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales & Marketing for Thomson's consumer products division. "Our product development team is responding to consumer demand for slimmer, more attractive home theatre systems. Thomson's Profiles HDTV presents consumers with a stable and mature technology choice for flat panel projection displays that serve as the centerpiece of an advanced home theatre system."

The Profiles HDTV Sets are part of an expanded line of more than a dozen new RCA and RCA Scenium Digital Cable Ready HDTV Sets that will help Thomson meet the U.S. government mandate for integrated tuning/decoding of terrestrially-broadcast digital TV signals. The new integrated ATSC and Digital Cable Ready models will be offered later this year in a broad choice of screen sizes ranging from widescreen 40-inch Sets up to 61-inch ultra-thin Profiles HDTV models. The entire range of Thomson's 2004 HDTV products includes rear projection DLP (Digital Light Processing) and CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) rear projection HDTV Sets and HDTV Monitors as well as direct-view HDTV Monitors and flat-panel LCD HDTV Monitors and Plasma HDTV Displays.

Also new for reception of HDTV broadcasts and satellite transmissions is the RCA DTC210, an advanced high-definition DIRECTV set-top receiver that will be available in February at a suggested retail price of $599. The new RCA DTC210 offers consumers the ideal combination of features and connectivity for the utmost in high definition enjoyment. The multi-format receiver delivers a stunning high-definition picture from both DIRECTV and over-the-air broadcasts, includes both conventional and secure digital connections, and offers many of the features that DIRECTV customers are accustomed to such as advanced program guide and one button record.