Monday, January 30, 2012

TV Prices Tumble as 2012 Rolls on

Forecasting mag Kiplinger is looking at the young year with an eye towards television pricing and it's continuing drop.
With a reported 60% plus US homes already in possession of an HDTV, there isn't all that much of a market for new sets. Apparently, 3D isn't really catching on either.
So far, 3D isn't the next big thing. Although many new sets are capable of displaying 3D shows, the technology hasn't caught on with buyers, probably due to the scarcity of 3D content and the fact that 3D TV viewers must wear special glasses. I think the 3D thing is still a work in progress, says (Ben) Arnold (of NPD Group)
Read more:http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/lower-prices-big-screen-television-HDTV.html#ixzz1kxedaKl4Become a Fan of Kiplinger's on Facebook
It's honestly not hard to imaging why 3D hasn't grasped the public by the throat, but Mr.Arnold puts it pretty succinctly in Jeff Bertolucci's piece on Kip's website. I honestly think the biggest stumbling block is the 'glasses' thing. People flat out don't want to wear special anything just to watch TV (or a movie for that matter). Come on guys, we went through all this back in the '50s didn't we?

On the flip side, it's good to see Plasma sets making a comeback- and at some very consumer friendly prices. I've long thought plasma was the superior format to LCD or anything else for that matter just for it's range of color if nothing else. Now that the tired old argument of 'but it has burn in' is all but dead at this point, it's ripe for a comeback.

Read the full story here.