New kid on block in consumer electronics has a familiar backer.

THERE'S a familiar name behind the latest "no-name" powerhouse in consumer electronics.

Launched at the annual Consumer Electronics trade show in Las Vegas last week, Digitrex brand LCD televisions, DVD players, set top boxes and home theater systems will begin to flood Circuit City stores this month. The brand's distributor, City of Industry-based newcomer ED Digital, is in talks with other big-box retailers according to Steve Jean, vice president of marketing.

ED Digital may seem new, but the company is backed by Chinese manufacturer Jiangkui Group, one of the leading producers of consumer electronics and home appliances. Jiangkui formerly manufactured under the Apex brand and distributed its products through Ontario-based Apex Digital, which has been on the brink of shutting its doors since its Chief Executive David Ji was taken hostage in China last year over unpaid invoices.

Apex quickly rose to prominence as the top selling TV and DVD brand at Best Buy Inc., Circuit City Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., attracting industry attention and accolades for its low prices--try DVD players for $29.

Ji was taken hostage while on a business trip to his supplier, state-owned Changhong Electric, which operated in a joint venture with Jiangkui Group to produce and distribute electronics through Apex.

Ji remains in Chinese custody. Changhong and the state claim the Apex executive bilked them out of $470 million in unpaid invoices in 2004 for televisions shipped to the U.S. Apex stopped distributing television sets last year. Repeated phone calls to the Ontario-based company were not returned.

ED Digital, on the other hand, seems to be all-systems go. Amid a press blitz at CES, the company unveiled its new family of products and a High-Definition Network LCD television set that uses Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Connect technology.

Classic Downloads

Classic TV shows and hard-to-find movies are coming to a computer near you in bite-size downloads, thanks to Santa Monica-based iWatchNow Inc. The new company launched its video-on-demand Web service this week, serving up old favorites such as "Bonanza," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Lone Ranger," "Dragnet," and the original "Felix," "Superman" and "Popeye" cartoons.

The company is offering the shows for 99 cents per commercial-free episode. Shows with commercials can be viewed at no cost. Downloads are also compatible with the video iPod. iWatchNow developed its own media player software, which must be downloaded and purchased for $3.99 in order to watch the shows. The player can work on PCs, Macs, and Linux-based computer systems, according to Chief Executive William Sager.

The company is focusing on classic programs and hard-to-find movies, rather than the popular hits. "There's not a business for carrying Harry Potter online because there's 400,000 DVDs of it in Ralphs or Blockbuster," Sager said.

The classic shows and rare movies are the first phase, according to Sager. The library includes documentaries, how-to videos, cooking shows and music videos. Sager is a former TV and film executive who also worked at Pasadena incubator IdeaLab Inc.; President Randy Naft founded Jupiter Communications Inc. and Liberty International Entertainment Co.; and Chairman Caesar Collazo has a software engineering background in streaming video technology. The company is self-funded by its executives and unnamed partners.

Staff Reporter Hilary Potkewitz can be reached at 323-549-5225 ext. 226 or by e-mail at [e-mail].