LCD overtakes plasma in 37-inch TV segment; now to the 42-inch segment
Tags: HDTV, LCD, Plasma, Panasonic, Sharp, Westinghouse, 1080p
I predicted at the beginning of the year that this was the year that we'd see LCDs start to eclipse plasma displays. Well, according to DigiTimes, it is happening. They note that LCD has overtaken plasma in 37-inch TV segment already according to Pacific Media Associates (PMA). The question the article poses is when this will take place with 42-inch TVs.
The reason this trend may be a lot harder to track is that 42-inch plasmas are pretty different beasts than 42-inch LCDs. The best selling 42-inch plasmas are EDTVs, sporting only 852x480 pixel screens. On the other hand, even at 30-inchs, LCDs commonly deliver at least 1388x768 HDTV resolutions, and at least some of the 37-inchers already on the market -- for example, the Westinghouse LWM-37w1 -- already boast 1080p resolutions of 1920x1080. Yet, these panels compete already on price. The bottom line: you may see 42-inch LCDs really come into their own when 1080p TVs start to be more common next year. At that point, instead of commanding a price premium, LCDs may be cheaper than plasma at the same resolution.
I predicted at the beginning of the year that this was the year that we'd see LCDs start to eclipse plasma displays. Well, according to DigiTimes, it is happening. They note that LCD has overtaken plasma in 37-inch TV segment already according to Pacific Media Associates (PMA). The question the article poses is when this will take place with 42-inch TVs.
The reason this trend may be a lot harder to track is that 42-inch plasmas are pretty different beasts than 42-inch LCDs. The best selling 42-inch plasmas are EDTVs, sporting only 852x480 pixel screens. On the other hand, even at 30-inchs, LCDs commonly deliver at least 1388x768 HDTV resolutions, and at least some of the 37-inchers already on the market -- for example, the Westinghouse LWM-37w1 -- already boast 1080p resolutions of 1920x1080. Yet, these panels compete already on price. The bottom line: you may see 42-inch LCDs really come into their own when 1080p TVs start to be more common next year. At that point, instead of commanding a price premium, LCDs may be cheaper than plasma at the same resolution.
posted by Carl Howe at
1:10 PM
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