Flat-Panel TVs Gain Popularity By BRYAN KEOGH Wall Street Journal
August 2, 2006; Page D3 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115448413998224216.html?mod=technology_main_whats_news Television owners are increasingly switching from their clunky old tubes to flat-panel models, with liquid-crystal displays fast becoming the dominant platform for most consumers, according to a survey released yesterday. Nearly 40% of TV-set owners surveyed by independent researcher NPD Group said they plan to buy a new TV set in the next year, with 15% leaning toward LCD and 12% toward plasma. "We continue to see a very strong interest in flat-panel technology, particularly LCD technology," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at the consumer and retail research firm. The number of plasma and LCD TV sets sold has grown more than 500% in the past two years. Consumers purchased 4.2 million flat-panel displays in the year ended in June, according to NPD. More sophisticated consumer behavior is driving the increased interest in flat-panel technology, Mr. Rubin said, spurred by heavy marketing and falling prices. The average price of a plasma television has dropped 43% in the past two years to $2,626, while that of LCD sets has slipped just 7%, to $969. ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
