TV sales by type

[Dr Mordrid]

Compiled by NPD Group

2005:

CRT: 46%
LCD: 26%
Plasma: 5%
Other (projection etc.): 33%

2006:

LCD: 49%
CRT: 21%
Plasma: 10%
Other (projection etc.): 20%

59% of new TV's are now LCD or Plasma, the vast majority of which are of course HD. Most of the "Other" category are also likely HD.

Talk about an obvious trend line

My 2 cents;

1. people want big screens.

2. they're happy with how their new LCD computer monitors look/play video and that transfers directly to LCD TV sales in spite of issues some "pro's" may see with them.

3. Joe/Jane Sixpack are far more concerned with replacing $200-$300 lamps semi-annually, size (mainly for projections) & high power consumption (plasma & projection) than what "pro's" consider IQ negatives for LCD's; see #2.

4. ever see a plasma in a fluorescent-lit showroom next to an LCD? Ewwww....

[Elie]

I predict the following for 2007...

LCD 50%
Plasma 35%
CRT 5%
Other 10%

[Mehen]

I don't think Plasma will rise by that much, and with any luck the Other category will rise with the advent of new technology (SED should make its first appearance in 2007).

I am actually suprised the Other category dropped from 05 to 06, I prefer DLP over LCD or Plasma.

[agallag]

I agree. My DLP set looks nicer than any LCD or Plasma I've seen yet. Sure, it's bigger, but with the picture quality and substantial cost savings, I'll live with that for now.

[agallag]

...and even though my set is rather big, it's still very pretty. See here:

http://forums.murc.ws/showpost.php?p=547224&postcount=28

[Mehen]

That picture proves a good point too - do you really need it to be only an inch thick anyways? It is plenty thin enough for your space - I mean, who honestly hangs their plasma above their fireplace like in the commercials anyways?

Out of all the technologies out NOW, DLP would definitely be my #1 choice if I had to get a new tv.

[Dr Mordrid]

I predict the following for 2007...

LCD 50%
Plasma 35%
CRT 5%
Other 10%

LCD 65%
Plasma 15%
CRT 10% (post-Christmas sales of old stock)
Other 10%

Why so low for Other? Because people like the idea of hanging the set on the wall. Save for those enamored with projection for its virtues most people I talk to state three show-stoppers;

1. replacing those $200-$300 lamps on a regular basis.

2. the power consumption of said lamps.

3. their cases are freakin' HUGE. A whole lot of people, mainly wives like mine, can't figure out how to decorate around that big damn black/silver box & they do have a big say about the purchase

This makes projection sets a niche device, not a general purpose solution.

[TransformX]

LCD and I mean the spiffy new ones I see at the store, have one BIG minus that you don't need to be a pro to notice, if you care about it.
Dark color is crap. Watch a night/dark scene in a movie, a rock concert or anything with a dark backdrop etc. Instead of seeing things in the dark, seeing different shades of blue, black and many other colors, you see big black stains.

[Dr Mordrid]

And this differs from Comcast & most other cables dark area compression banding how?

Sorry, but most people are so used to that bit-budgeting defect in cable & many DVD's it matters mainly to those with satellite (hardly ever see it there) or people like you.

The people I talk to have the attitude that every TV system has its drawbacks and limited blacks are less objectionable than snow, interference, line twitter and the other foibles we've been used to for ages.

In return they give up red/blue smudging and get bright, saturated colors that draw their eyes from the blacks, much as the high brightness/contrast luma in DV video streams draw the eye from its poor color resolution which in NTSC is half that of broadcast video (slightly better in PAL).

BTW: ever notice that single CCD consumer DV cams aren't too sweet in the blacks either? Consumers accepted that too as part of "the DV tradeoff".

Like it or not, that's the street view.

[TransformX]

Well, when I do watch TV it's either DVD or satellite. Either way, for better or worse it's PAL.
Current set is a 32", wide screen 100hz Samsung CRT that my inlaws bought for us. Very decent TV other than weighting around 60Kg...

[Kooldino]

What are the benefits of plasma?

DLP looks good, but i hear that they have "lag" in regards to gaming.

[Elie]

Benefits of plasma as far as I heard...
1-the blacks are pitch back, which is extremely nice, compare to LCD
2-LCD suffers from ghosting due to speed limitations, whre plazma doesn't apperantly.
You have to buy an extremely expensive LCD set in the low 5ms rates for it to be good.

both LCD and plazma may have the same life span.

[Dr Mordrid]

OLED's are are running 2 ms with up to a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Seiko-Epson expects to market 40 inchers in 2007.

[rylan]

Yeah, Plasma has a far superior contrast ratio (due to good blacks) than LCD, along with excellent viewing angle, which LCD isn't very good at. Viewing angle normally isn't an issue though since most people watch tv from a fairly centered position. Response time on Plasma is also excellant, being essentially like a CRT. This is the biggest problem that I have with LCD, since watching sports sucks on an LCD due to the ghosting from the response. Plasma also has superior color reproduction than LCD, due to the CCFL bulbs in an LCD set. However, far more development money is being spent on improving LCD tv technology than plasma, so it won't be long before big LCD TVs are on par with plasma.

Oh yeah and as for OLED's, yes they are nice but are still several years out from being viable on a mass production scale, especially for large devices like TVs. The life of the blue organic material is still far from sufficient. If those sets come out, they will cost a LOT (much like Plasma did when it first came out) and have numerous issues (again like Plasma did in its early stage). I'd be watching SED more closely than OLED for tvs, assuming they can also get SED yields up for mass production.

[Kooldino]

both LCD and plazma may have the same life span.

Really? I heard that plasmas only last about 4 years...