Flat-panels to kill off rear-projection TV sales by 2011
Rear-projection TV: heading toward extinction.
(Credit: CNET)Will rear-projection TV sales plunge to near zero within the next 48 months? That's what a new study from IDC Group claims. With ever larger plasma and (especially) LCD flat-panel HDTVs becoming ever more affordable, IDC sees sales of RPTV sets--those utilizing DLP and LCoS microdisplays--dropping to under 30,000 units by 2011. That's a dramatic drop from the peak of 3.51 million sold in 2004 (according to the CEA).
None of this is shocking news, of course--the trend toward flat panels has been increasingly irreversible as large plasmas and LCD screens continue to break key price-point barriers. For the consumer, however, it's the best news of all: LCD and plasma prices continue to drop, and even larger rear-pro TVs will approach fire-sale prices as they have their last hurrah.
SOURCE: CNBC video interview--Becky Quick discusses the IDC report with Ruben Roy, Pacific Crest Securities semiconductor analyst, and Eric Haruki, IDC research director.
John P. Falcone covers home theater and network entertainment products. He's been writing for CNET since 2002.
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Who knows...will the flat screen TVs come up with a long lasting arc light in the not to distant future? If not, then speaking of the death of the RP TV is maybe just a little premature.
much better image quality. 2 years after buying a 50" DLP it still has a better
picture than any plasma less than twice its price. As long as they keep the bulbs
lasting longer and continue to make them thinner they will be around. If they
could get the latest sets 4" smaller, they'd be the same as a "flat panel" which is,
in reality, about 4" deep itself.
There are plenty of sites around to read about the information w/ avs probably being the best.
Good luck.
The picture quality is MUCH better and it no longer suffers from burn in due to new technology implemented.
The weight of the plasmas have also decreased due to a thinner glass. The lower viewing angles on the LCD's are now at 178 degrees and the new Response times are bringing them to Plasma quality.
Larger is not always better as well and with the proper information the appropriate size is chosen as per the viewing distance.
The Plasma's power consumption on paper looks huge but when in actual use the power consumption is equaled to an LCD.
As to the panel Life, the life is 27 years and that only lowering the brightness to 50%.
Our lowest priced Plasma/LCD in the 1080P is as low as $1400 in the Canadian market with prices not at par with the U.S. market even though the price should reach par once the manufactures take note of our CA dollar reaching parity with the U.S. dollar.
In speaking with the Manufacturers representatives their profesional opinion is that they are fading away so fast that retailers are complaining they are taking up precious space on the floor.
So Yes I do believe they are on the out and very, very soon. Perhaps even before 2011.
The weight of a rear projection system is around 100lbs. increasing roughly linearly with screen width.
Lucky Goldstart's 71" Plasma TV weights 191 lbs.
Sony's 70" LCD weighs 204lbs.
Samsung's 71" DLP weighs 117Lbs.
The new 103" Panasonic Plasma TV weighs 485 lbs.
New rear projection sets have LED light sources, reducing power used and extending bulb life to as much as 20 years.
The picture quality is MUCH better and it no longer suffers from burn in due to new technology implemented.
The weight of the plasmas have also decreased due to a thinner glass. The lower viewing angles on the LCD's are now at 178 degrees and the new Response times are bringing them to Plasma quality.
Larger is not always better as well and with the proper information the appropriate size is chosen as per the viewing distance.
The Plasma's power consumption on paper looks huge but when in actual use the power consumption is equaled to an LCD.
As to the panel Life, the life is 27 years and that only lowering the brightness to 50%.
Our lowest priced Plasma/LCD in the 1080P is as low as $1400 in the Canadian market with prices not at par with the U.S. market even though the price should reach par once the manufactures take note of our CA dollar reaching parity with the U.S. dollar.
In speaking with the Manufacturers representatives their profesional opinion is that they are fading away so fast that retailers are complaining they are taking up precious space on the floor.
So Yes I do believe they are on the out and very, very soon. Perhaps even before 2011.
those on a budget who also want decent sound (and who don't already have a
surround-sound system), RPTVs have an advantage in that their deeper
cabinets can, and usually do, accommodate a subwoofer which gives a wider
range of sound compared to flat-panels which can't accommodate a
subwoofer.
While the built-in sound systems of RPTVs may not equal a full-blown
surround-sound system, they ain't so shabby either given the audio
processing technology these days which do a fairly decent job of simulating
surround-sound.
Last month I won a contest at work and received a Panasonic 50" Plasma TV, the TH-50PX75U. Do not get me wrong, it is a great picture, but it does not give me same feeling when I watch as the Sony does. I don't know if it is the Sony's 1080p vs the Panasonic 720p, but it just isn't the same. I think the Sony LCoS picture is more realistic, standard def is still quite good as I enjoy watching a movie from the VCR on this TV. I don't have that same feeling with the plasma, and this is Consumer Reports #2 plasma tv.
Do I think RPTV is dead? I think people are trying to reclaim floor space in their homes, as many people with the 300 pound RPTV of old did. But if consumers were more concerned with picture over space savings the RPTV would still be in front.