Totally ignoring that sales of smaller-screen, less expensive HDTVs rose dramatically in 2009, the TV makers are determined to try to  persuade recession-weary consumers to spend more (much more) on televisions and related products.

Instead of using their technological savvy to produce more affordable and energy-efficient sets, which would help people cope in tough times, the TV makers are acting as if it's the go-go 80s and people are throwing money around like there's no tomorrow.

Really, think about it.

To get a 3-D system in place in your home, you would have to first buy a new set, which will likely cost at least $3,000. (That's $3,000 on top of the money you spent on your other new HDTV that everyone said you needed to keep watching television when the nation switched to digital signals.)

Then, you have to shell out from $50-70 each for the 3-D goggles; if you're lucky, you have a small family. And, finally, you probably will have to get a new set-top that enables you to receive the 3-D signals. (If DIRECTV or Dish Network is sending you the set-top, they will likely bind you to a long-term contract that will require you to pay a steep penalty if you ever dare want to switch to another TV provider.)

To launch these expensive sets -- and their related products -- at the beginning of 2010 is the height of arrogance. TV makers, most of which are headquartered overseas, are showing they have a deaf ear when it comes to the economic plight of their customers, at least those in the United States.

I can't help but think that this arrogance will ultimately catch up with them.

In fact, it reminds me of those U.S. automakers who for decades tried to persuade Americans to buy expensive, large, gas-guzzling automobiles rather than spending their time and money on making more efficient models.

In 2011 and 2012, maybe the Obama administration can expand the government bailout program to foreign-based TV makers.

25 HDTVs Under $499!

LG 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV: $399

Samsung 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV: $286
 

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Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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