High in the Hollywood Hills, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ione Skye and Jennifer Tilly sipped drinks and played poker a few days before the Emmys.
The actors were gathered at a $10-million mansion to raise money for charity. But they were also lending their star appeal to Olevia.
Olevia, a little-known brand of high-definition television sets, could benefit from the celebrity interest. During the next several months, its maker, Syntax-Brillian Corp. of Tempe, Ariz., hopes to raise the brand's profile by getting the name in front of the entertainment industry executives and sports fans who drive HDTV sales.
To help build buzz among trendsetters, Olevia televisions have been appearing at invitation-only Hollywood parties and sporting events. Two 65-inch Olevia models flanked an entrance to the Shrine Auditorium during last week's Emmy Awards, and several dozen giant flat-screen TVs were mounted on the walls. And the company is launching a $10-million ad campaign aimed at the 97 million Americans who tap into ESPN each week.
The publicity blitz is a high-stakes gamble for Syntax-Brillian, which is trying to morph from a provider of low-cost TVs into a global electronics giant capable of challenging such companies as Sony Corp. and JVC for a share of the fast-growing HDTV market.
The transition from analog to digital broadcasting has triggered a surge in demand for TVs capable of providing the highest-quality picture.
Sales of HDTV sets are expected to reach $37 billion in 2010, up from an estimated $24 billion this year, according to DisplaySearch, an industry research firm based in Texas.
Syntax-Brillian's story demonstrates how technology, lower trade barriers and more sophisticated supply networks have made it possible for a small, well-connected operation to build itself into a global player in a relatively short period.
Today, all of Olevia's televisions are manufactured in Taiwan. But in 2007, the company plans to start making Olevias in China under contracts with a number of Chinese television companies. And next month, Solar Link Technologies, a subsidiary of Taiwan's giant Pro Chen Group, is to begin assembling TVs for the U.S. market at a facility in Southern California's Inland Empire.
Syntax-Brillian Chairman and Chief Executive Vincent Sollitto said that by building its largest TVs in California and shifting production of higher-cost components to China, the company can keep costs down while preserving a red, white and blue image.
