Pioneer's decision to
axe the Kuro earlier this year set off a wave of gloomy predictions about the future of plasma, but we've never really bought into it -- and it sounds like the product planners at LG, Samsung, and Panasonic haven't either. HD Guru asked reps from each company for their thoughts on the state of the plasma market, and the responses were pretty similar across the board: plasma remains the connoisseur's choice overall, and it still makes up just about half of 50-inch and bigger sales. Of course, that means that plasma's niche is shrinking and moving higher-end while LCDs more or less take over the rest of HDTV market, but until something like OLED develops into a true competitor we think plasma's around for a while. Check out the full company responses at the read link.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
corey smith @ May 13th 2009 2:19PM
i honestly have a hard time recommending lcd over plasma to my customers. my younger, buttheaded customers usually wont even sneeze @ plasmas, but the rest who are mostly 30 yrs and older go for plasma.
John @ May 13th 2009 3:09PM
So I'm interested, how do most of the casual shopper conversations go as far as flat panels? Do people pretty much come in with their mind made up, or are they truly at the mercy of what salesman pushes them to what type of panel? Also, what do the young customers say as far as LCDs are concerned? I'm surprised, given plasma is cheaper than LCD for the same size. You'd think they're the ones looking for a bargain, unless they're strickly interested in a sub 42" screen.
kevon27 @ May 13th 2009 3:27PM
Engadget should do a secret shop of flap panel TV's at major store with sales people. We will be able to see if people really don't want plasma's from the get go or are they being lead away from plasma's by the sales people.
DrXym @ May 13th 2009 3:58PM
Going to > 50" is probably the only way to escape from competing with LCD. The arrival of LED LCD and the various energy rating initiatives are going to kill plasma in that market.
kevon27 @ May 13th 2009 4:30PM
Plasma could replace RP-DLP tv's. 60" and up plasma's should start selling for $1200 and up.
corey smith @ May 15th 2009 1:21PM
@ John, sorry i took so long to respond-
well, after i greet a customer, most of them usually ask either 1) i need a good 46 to 50" LCD for around 1500 or 2) what's the best deals I have this week. they almost always are leaning to towards lcds because of crap they read on the internet and scare tactics from big box retail clerks. but once i dispell all the rumors they hear about and show them how cheap they run, most of them dont look back @ lcds, unless they need a small kitchen or bedroom TV. many of my younger customers are computer nerds, so they think theyll burn a plasma in. i dont try to argue with them, so ill show them a good V series or sammy 650. but i get some younger customers who want a good deal and are curious about different tvs, so they'll test my knowledge about plasmas before they trust me.
kevon27 @ May 13th 2009 2:24PM
Why not just re-invent the plasma industry and drop the name plasma and call it by a new fancy technical name?
Pip @ May 13th 2009 5:13PM
After seeing the incredible reviews on the new Panasonic THX certified plasmas, I am curious if LCDs and other types can even get a THX certification? Is this something only plasmas can accomplish reliably?
Andy Sullivan @ May 13th 2009 7:23PM
With LCD's venturing into the 55" range now it seems they are targeting plasma. The Vizio 55" is MSRP'd at only $1999. Maybe not a great display but still an option for the over 50" buyer and much lighter than plasma. The big three think plasma will be around for quite awhile but you see absolutely nothing from them to combat the negative information being spewed by sales people. When is the last time you saw a plasma commercial on TV?
longhairbilly @ May 15th 2009 8:13PM
I wonder how many of the LCD buyers don't buy a plasma because they think plasma tv's still have burn in issues. I know several guys who won't even consider a plasma because they think it still has problems with burn in.