News: HP is entering the consumer electronics arena

Inspired by Gateway & Dell, and thinking that they can leverage their buying power in Taiwan and China, HP is wants to be in your living room. This fall, HP will begin to ship the following products: The LC2640N (26", $2499) and LC3040N (30", $2999) (PC World is claiming that this unit is 40", but given the Model# LC30 and the price, I believe that 30" is more likely -thx Joe-) LCD TVs. They will both have the same specs, with a resolution of 1280x768 and support for DVI inputs.

PL4245N (42", $4999) HD-Plasma TV with native 1024x768 resolution and PE4240N (42", $2999) Plasma TV with a low resolution of 852x480. Both models are said to have a sleek design, and are rated for 50000 hours of use.

A home projector will also be featured. The EP9010 Projector will be a Projector/DVD/Speakers(2.1) that weighs 23 pounds. The lamp is rated for 4000 hours and the noise level is 34dbA. The advantage of the combo form factor, -HP claims-, is that you'll be able to move it and enjoy a movie in a different room without reconnecting a bunch of cables. I'm not so sure about the moving part, it seems more like a justification after the facts to me :) Plus, the projector is quite ugly.

Price: Unknown