Best Buy tunes into HP televisions

Hewlett-Packard's flat-panel televisions will start appearing in Best Buy stores in April, marking HP's first national retail deal for its TVs.

HP plans to sell a total of five LCD and plasma models at Best Buy, said Jan-Luc Blakborn, director of digital entertainment at HP. One of the TVs in the mix is a 37-inch LCD TV with built-in wireless networking that HP announced at CES in January.

HP has been selling flat-panel televisions for two years, as part of the PC industry's attempt to push into consumer electronics. Until now, HP's televisions have been available only through its Web site or regional retail stores, Blakborn said.

Best Buy sells dozens of high-definition televisions from traditional consumer electronics companies such as Sony, Panasonic and Philips. HP will continue to use its Web site and regional retailers to distribute its TVs but is excited about working with the largest consumer electronics vendor in the country, Blakborn said.

The models available at Best Buy will include a 32-inch LCD TV, a 37-inch LCD TV, the 37-inch LCD TV with wireless, a 42-inch plasma TV and a 50-inch plasma TV. Pricing will be announced in April.