When will HDTV/LCD/Plasma/DLP Prices Fall?

P

PennHORN

25+ Posts
I have gotten the HDTV bug and I want to upgrade from my 36 inch analog JVC. Plasma and LCD HDTV prices are still outrageous. I am not going to spend $5,000 on a TV. The absolute maximum I will go to is $2,500.

How did buying a TV become so damn difficult with all of the different technologies out there. I liked the 44 inch Zenith rear projection LCD that I saw at Best Buy but I have read some online reviews saying negative things about it. Another thing that scares me is I have read a lot about these expensive TVs crapping out way too early. It is funny that something so expensive is no where near as reliable as the good old analog TV.

I want a new TV but I am thinking it might be better to wait a year both financially and technology wise. What price can I expect for a 36-50 inch HD non-CRT display and what technologies should I wait for. Will prices drop. It doesn't seem to have dropped much at all with flat screens.
 
I think that in general the prices tend to drop in the spring time. I believe that is when most of the new models come out, just in time for tax refund checks.
 
I found the Sony Wega 50inch HDTV LCD for just over what you want to pay.

FRIGGEN LOVE IT.

Only problem is I now hate watching regular tv.
 
right now, there is a little rush among manufacturers dropping prices on DLP. not sure if it has hit the stores yet. if buying a DLP, wait a couple weeks. they will be a few hundred dollars cheaper than right now. i bet prices drop pretty good on LCD & Plasma in a year.
 
I don't think there are new technologies in the TV front upcoming, but there will be significant improvements to existing ones.

The next big push will be the introduction of 1080P-native TV's. This will be across the board (plasma, DLP,LCD, D-ILA) and prices for these sets will start way up there. Also, there are more heavy hitters at the forefront this year in the DLP and LCD-RP market now (Mitsubishi and Hitachi respectively), along with JVC's D-ILA. So you may see the current run of 720P-native (or close to that standard) TV's drop in price more than they have in the last two years. I'm guessing a year from now for when you'll begin to notice the change.

Luke Duke's right though. There are some very decent RP CRT's out there you can get for under $2500, but you won't find any digital TV's at that price anytime soon, unless they're smaller than the tube you have now.
 
Pioneer has discontinued their RP Elite line to focus on on plasma/flat screen displays only, so you can prolly pick up a ~60 inch Elite on clearance for near what you are looking to spend.

BTW, Pioneer Elite rocks.
 
I have the Panasonic 50 inch LCD. Awesome picture, nice looking, but only drawback I've seen is bulb life. My bulb went out after 5 months. Of course it's still under warranty, but after the year is up the bulb isn't covered.....it costs $299.00 Bulb life has been an issue for all major brands (Sony, Hitachi, Samsung, Panasonic, etc.) Check out the message boards at ecoustics.com, lots of useful information.

Another thought. I work for Samsung and in an internal paper I saw that Samsung is going to manufacture a HD CRT unit that will be half the depth and weight of current HD CRT's. The picture of it looked really sweet. I think will be out by early next year. The picture will blow away any LCD, DLP, or Plasma pic out.....and won't have bulb issues (since CRT technology has been around for years (I've got a 10 yr old 32in CRT that still is good).........AND will be much cheaper than the current HD LCD. They may not be as thin as a Plasma and only slightly thicker depth than the current LCD and DLP units, but better pic, no bulb issues, and cheaper...I think the next choice is simple. Sorry if this turned into a Samsung ad.....just my thoughts.

Other than the bulb, I love my TV.
 
Sharp fall in large plasma TV prices by '07
Study sees prices dropping from US$5,100 this year to about US$1,000 by 2007

By Tang Weng Fai , Business Times
14 Oct 2003

ASIAN dominance of the worldwide production of large plasma TVs will last well into 2007 even as demand for these products filters into households at ever lower prices, a recent study by iSuppli Corp/Stanford Resources has found.

Blended average selling prices for large displays are expected to fall from about US$5,100 this year to about US$1,000 by 2007 for diagonal dimensions between 34-inches and 60-inches.

The falls in prices are expected to trigger, over the same period, revenue growth at annual compounded rates of 29 per cent, while unit shipment will see growth of 48 per cent yearly.

Names like Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi, Samsung and LG Philips now dominate the large plasma displays in the 34- to 60-inch and above range.

This year, Japan still dominates the market with 71 per cent of all production based from Japanese makers; another 24 per cent of production will come from Taiwan and Korea, with Europe and others making up the balance.

Consumer take-up rate of these large displays have matched the expectations of the industry to the extent that they are fast becoming mainstream.

According to data from Stanford Resources, worldwide unit shipment in the second quarter of 2003 reached 389,785, a 122 per cent increase over the same quarter last year and a 30 per cent growth quarter-to-quarter. Worldwide sales of display units in Q2, 2003 generated US$1.14 billion in revenue.

For the five-year forecast period to 2007, Stanford Resources expects to see average selling prices decrease at the rate of 12.3 per cent a year from falling component prices as well as greater economies of scale.

Consumer shipments of plasma displays continue to outsell those for business applications, with the 40-inch to 44-inch category occupying 58 per cent of all units produced for Q2 of this year.
 
i was told by a guy pretty high up in the electronics business this week that plasma prices will go down 30% a year for the next 3 years.
 
Wow from the way you guys talk nobody should buy a TV for years and by that time the new technology will be at the same price point as the current stuff. This is the whole computer thing with trying to stay up with current technology. Yes there maybe a small decrease in the price of sets after the first of the year but we aren't going to see anything like 30%. If you look at the current prices of LCD sony they are the same price as when they were closed out for the last model. With DLP you are going to see an increase in price with the newer HD2+ chips. If you keep waiting things are going to keep changing and you will never purchase a TV as technology will always be changing.
Buy a TV and start enjoying it.
 
Hlaustin, they have to drop dramatically with all the new capacity coming on line. And they will never move the volume they need until prices fall a lot from here.
 
I have been this industry for over 10 years now, like everything prices have to fall yes. But to sit here and say wait until something like 2007 come on now that is insane.
The market is very good to get a good LCD, DLP or D-ILA set, hell even a good 43" plasma, full HD, is under 5000.00 now.
 
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