New Gear From Pioneer Is 'Phat'
Significant research in youth market used to create new designs
LAS VEGAS, CES Booth #9817, Jan. 7 -- Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., a world leader in technologies for home and mobile entertainment, today announces a variety of new products designed to meet the needs of the 40 million youth consumers in the United States. With $350 million in purchasing power, the 15-24 year old age group is critical to the success of any electronics manufacturer. Pioneer undertook extensive research to develop new gear for this market segment that would be considered by their standards "phat" including specially designed home theater systems, car stereos and in-car audio/video systems.
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"It's important to understand the power and influence of today's youth. We conduct group sessions with Gen-Y consumers and gather their input when we design our products. Products designed by the consumer capture their attention and interest, and fit directly within their lifestyle, " said Tom Haga, president of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
"We conducted multiple group sessions with Gen-Y consumers and gathered their input through the entire development process of DEH-P8MP product," said Michael Townsen, vice president of marketing for mobile entertainment at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "We sat back and let them pick out the details of how the product should look and function to meet their requirements."
According to www.marketresearch.com, electronics equipment is a high priority for young male consumers. Research also shows that they are more fashion conscious than their fathers, which makes the aesthetic appeal of consumer electronics equally as important as performance.
Among the new offerings from Pioneer introduced today at the Consumer Electronics Show are:
Home Theater with Big Sound: Pioneer research shows that the youth market is strongly attracted to home theater systems with a lot of power and large front speakers. One of Pioneer's new home theater systems (HTP-240) includes an audio/video receiver and surround sound speakers that offer 700 watts of power. This system is a great complement to video game consoles to take advantage of the outstanding sound effects in today's newest video games. Another new system (HTD-540DV) includes the A/V receiver, speakers and a 5-disc DVD player that can play back .mp3 files, another critical element for the youth market.
"Kids love to show-off their gadgets to their friends, so cosmetics and lots of power are key features. Systems like the HTP-240 and HTD-540DV are optimized to deliver the power they demand -- right at their finger tips," said Dave Bales, manager of audio products for Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
In-Car Audio with a Boom: Pioneer's new in-car CD player (DEH-P8MP) is unlike any other in the market because of its unique cosmetic design. It has a single rotary commander in the middle of the radio instead of one knob at either end for volume and tuning control. This innovative seven way rotary commander was designed for ease-of-use, especially for searching .mp3 and WMA files and folders. The stereo features Pioneer's blue organic electroluminescent (OEL) display, which provides full-motion, 3-D images for a better visual display. It also has a built-in MOSFET60 (60 Watts X 4) high power amplifier.
"Our entire line of in-car CD players is very popular with young people because of our brightly colored 3-D graphics, but this particular model is geared for people who play a lot of compressed audio files and want to be able to search through high volumes of songs very easily," said Michael Townsen, vice president of marketing for the mobile entertainment division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
Find Your Way to the Phattest New Clubs: Pioneer's newest all-in-one unit for the car includes a complete DVD navigation system along with playback of DVD movies, CDs and compressed files. The AVIC-N1 makes any vehicle an information and entertainment center on wheels. Get step-by-step directions to any of 12 million points of interest including that "jammin'" new club or the "hang-out" shopping mall. At the same time that the driver is following the map to the mall, rear seat passengers can watch a DVD movie or play video games.
This new A/V and navigation system also features vehicle performance such as the vehicle's acceleration / deceleration (G), lateral G-force (cornering), angular velocity (turn rate) and slope (incline); all of which can be displayed on gauges on the touch-screen monitor. Young automotive buffs will love the ability to measure their car's performance compared to their friends' vehicles.
Video DJ: Hip-hop and electronica is currently the most popular form of music for today's youth market according to marketresearch.com, making DJs the ultimate celebrity. Pioneer has a full range of DJ digital turntables. The newest (DVJ-X1) enables the DJ to manipulate DVD video in the same manner they can spin and scratch music from vinyl records or CDs. Club-goers can see their favorite music video in forward, reverse, fast or slow motion with real- time digital video mixing. This totally new form of visual entertainment adds to the sounds of the traditional DJ in a way that will change the nightclub environment forever.
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is www.pioneerelectronics.com. Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video, computer and cable equipment for the home, car and business markets. The company focuses on four core business domains including DVD, display technologies, Digital Network Entertainment(TM) and components. Founded in 1938 in Tokyo, Pioneer Corporation employs more than 35,000 people worldwide. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Contacts: Aaron Levine, 310-952-2401 or aaron.levine@pioneer-usa.com Julie Jaqua, 323-761-7405 or jjaqua@gcigroup.comPhoto: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020628/PIONLOGO
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