Westinghouse Digital To Launch Big Displays, Channel Program

Westinghouse Digital Electronics plans to launch large displays at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and roll out a new partner program for North American VARs in the spring.

At CES in Las Vegas, Westinghouse Digital is slated to unveil 47-inch and 56-inch displays, which ultimately will be part of a digital signage solution that the Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based company aims to sell through channel partners. Leading Westinghouse Digital's channel effort is Vice President Of Marketing Rey Roque, a former top channel executive at Samsung.

Westinghouse Digital has inked distribution deals with Tech Data, ASI and appliance distributor Almo, among others, according to Roque. "We're in discussions with two more distributors," he said. "What we want to do is build up our infrastructure in 2007 to deal with the B2B space."

Westinghouse Digital is the electronics and peripherals unit of the global technology giant, known for its lightbulbs as well as a major presence in the defense industry. However, Westinghouse Digital has no discernible market share in the U.S. commercial display space -- a fact that Roque and the company aim to change.

"I think resellers are going to be pleasantly surprised by the traction of the brand," Roque said. Currently, his marketing and channels unit consists of about 20 staff members, a number that Roque said he expects to grow by about 25 percent.

Roque essentially is building Westinghouse Digital's channel program from the ground up, something he did while in a similar position at Samsung. Westinghouse Digital's product line is heavy on large, 1,080p monitors ranging from 37 inches to 47 inches, and the company also has a line of LCD monitors ranging from 17 inches to 22 inches.