Washington, D.C. (August 26, 2007) -- Type in the phrases "Plasma TV" and "theft" in Google Search and you get 235,000 hits. The words "LCD TV" and 'theft" get 353,000 hits.

And while many of the hits are unrelated to robberies, there are dozens of recent police reports on flat-screen sets being stolen from people's homes. For instance:

* A 42-inch Akai Plasma was taken on August 19 while a resident slept in his home in Green Bay.

* Eighteen Plasma and LCD flat-screen sets were robbed this month from a time-share resort in Newport News,  Virginia.

* A person broke into an Appleton, Wisconsin home on August 11 and stole a 50-inch Plasma set and a safe filled with coins.

* An Orange County, California couple came back this month from a European vacation to find their Plasma set gone.

And the list goes on.


To prevent this from happening, you might want to mount your set on the wall.

The flat-screen HDTV has become a status symbol in millions of American homes because of its lightweight, sleek frame. But the very feature that makes it so desirable to consumers is also making it a target for thieves.

Unlike yesterday's tube TV, which could weigh up to 200 pounds, flat-screen sets can be quickly picked up and removed, weighing as little as 60 pounds. The LCD or Plasma set is also often the centerpiece of a living room, sitting on a stand (unlocked or chained) in clear view of the robber.

The visibility and weight factor makes the flat-screen set an easy choice for home invaders looking for a quick grab.

Retail stores that carry flat-screen sets are also under attack. Audio Connection, an electronics outfit in the Fort Myers, Florida, area, tells the local NBC station's web site (NBC-2.com) that it's had three break-ins since it mounted a flat TV on a store wall.

"We've had three break-ins since that TV has been on the wall and it's made it through all of them," said Chris Dalio, a store employee. "You can tell they were trying to get the TV. There are hand prints all over it."

The Fort Myers sheriff's office tells NBC-2.com that flat TV theft is a growing crime there.

Official statistics, though, are harder to come by. The FBI issues periodic reports on robberies, including the broad category of televisions, stereos and other gadgets. The last year the report was published (2005) actually showed a small decline in electronics theft. (By the way, only about 3.8 percent of stolen electronics are ever recovered, according to the FBI.)

But the increasing number of news and police reports detailing LCD and Plasma robberies must be frightening to an owner of a flat-screen set.

And several industry companies are responding to those fears by promoting products designed to prevent flat-screen theft, such as wall-mounts which include security locks to prevent the TV from being taken off the wall.

"It's meant to mount the unit to the wall so it can't be removed, unless you unlock it," says Audio Connection's Dalio.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.

© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________

Swanni (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.

Click TVPredictions.com to read more news and features on TV technology.