LG Electronics has consolidated its home appliance and consumer electronics businesses in the U.S. as a way to better capitalize its brand name, according to the company.

The realignment creates a new structure in its sales and marketing divisions, which will be led by John Herrington in his new role as president of sales. Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing and strategy, will lead the combined marketing organization. Logistics and supply chain functions for consumer electronics and appliances have been consolidated under Kevin Holian, vice president, supply chain.

All sales divisions, including national and regional accounts, sales training, customer support, sales analysis and channel merchandising, will report to Herrington. Marketing divisions, including brand management, public relations, product development, product management and consumer insights, will report to Reiner. Reporting to Holian are national distribution, transportation, reverse logistics and planning departments.

“This new structure will transform the way we do business by creating a single face to our retailers and by integrating our branding messages to reach consumers more effectively,” Teddy Hwang, president, LG Electronics USA, said in a statement.

As a new year gets underway, the annual International CES is set to begin in Las Vegas this week.

With the weak economy, this year's event is expected to be smaller than most of those in past years, while remaining one of the largest trade shows in the world. The event begins Jan. 8 (Wednesday) and runs through the 11th (Sunday.)

Stay tuned on our home page for a special section, with special team coverage, videos, blogs and much more live from Las Vegas starting on Tuesday.

LG and Netflix had already gotten together on a Blu-ray player that made instant streaming of movies possible. Now, it's cutting the player out of the equation.

The companies announced Monday that they will soon introduce "Broadband HDTVs," which will allow for direct streaming of content, including Netflix queues, directly to the TV without the need for any sort of set-top box. The TVs, along with new Blu-ray Disc players and other products, will be unveiled by the company this week at International CES in Las Vegas. The products are set to appear this spring.

"Embedding the Netflix streaming software in the television is a natural progression of our partnership with Netflix and our innovative product line," LG Electronics USA President Teddy Hwang said as part of the announcement. "This is an LG industry-first, which provides another flexible option for consumers seeking to access exciting content directly through their HDTV."

CompUSA and TigerDirect, along with parent company Systemax, announced last week that they will host a Build Your Own PC Race for Charity at International CES this year. The event is scheduled to take place on the night of Jan. 8 at the Wynn Hotel and Resort.

The race will entail participants racing to build a computer based on the AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core processor.

"While the buzz at CES revolves around new products and technologies, TigerDirect.com and CompUSA have been able to use the time over the last 12 years to bring journalists and various technology companies together to raise over $2 million for non-profit organizations and schools around the country," Systemex's CEO, Gilbert Fiorentino, said as part of the announcement.

For more information, visit www.charitypcrace.com

Polk Audio on Monday announced its latest SurroundBar product. With the SurroundBar SDA Instant Home Theater, Polk wishes to emphasis ease of setup, as well as compatibility with flat-screen TVs.

Coming later this month at a suggested retail price of $499, the product will be unveiled at International CES this week in Las Vegas.

"The market has been calling for a solution as straightforward as this one," Mark Suskind, Polk Audio's Vice President of Product Line Management, said as part of the announcement. "Polk's new IHT makes home theater audio easy, simple and affordable for any household."

www.polkaudio.com

A consumer coalition has petitioned the FCC to cut the cost charged to manufacturers for digital TV technology, believing that such a cost would result in lower costs of the sets themselves.

According to the Washington Post the group, called the Coalition United to Terminate Financial Abuses of the Television Transition (CUTFATT), filed a petition last week with the FCC. The group asks that the U.S. adopt a "patent pool" system similar to one used in Europe.

CUTFATT has not released a list of its members, although Vizio announced Friday that it supports the effort.

Following the lead of hhgregg in accepting Circuit City gift certificates, a local appliance store in Ohio has begun a similar program.

According to local news station WTVG, Appliance Center of Toledo, a local business in the Toledo area, is now allowing customers to redeem Circuit City gift cards for up to 50 percent of their value. Circuit City has closed stores nationwide, but has not done so in the Toledo area.

Walmart has found itself in yet another high-profile feud- this time, with historians.

The retail giant plans to build a SuperCenter in Locust Grove, Va.- which happens to be near the spot of a key Civil War battle. A coalition of more than 250 historians, including filmmaker Ken Burns, author David McCullough and others, have written a letter to Walmart's CEO opposing the move, the AP reported.

The company has responded that the store would be more than a mile away from the entrance to the battlefield. The Battle of the Wilderness, which took place there in 1864, was the first battlefield clash between Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.

Thanks to a law that went into effect on the first of the year, the state of Oregon is now offering free recycling of electronics products, including televisions and computers.

According to the Associated Press the program, which was created by an act of legislation in 2007, will be supervised by the state's Department of Environmental Quality, and accepts recycling of up to seven items at a time at no charge. Not included in the program are keyboards, speakers, printers or scanners.

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-28/123102476525180.xml&storylist=orlocal