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News Analysis
How Flat-Screen TVs Will Drive HDTV
When prices come down, both men and women will
want new televisions.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, DC (September 1, 2004) -- Have you ever been involved in a conversation like this?
Man: Honey, I want to get a new High-Definition TV.
Woman: Oh, no, you're not bringing one of those big monster TVs in here that's bigger than our entire living room. Forget it!
Sound familiar?
The debate is not new. Generally, males are more interested in buying new gear than women. It's not that females don't appreciate the benefits of new devices, but they are more conscious of how the equipment will interrupt the home's decor. Few women can walk
through a room without noticing that even a small bric-a-brac has been moved from its strategically placed location.
Males, however, are undeterred by the prospect of yards of Monster Cable crawling across a family room that features a 65-inch television and six black boxes stacked atop of each other. That's not clutter or intrusion, they say, it's heaven.
Deal Breakers
But this gender divide is putting a curb on the growth of
High-Definition TV. Both men and women are becoming more aware of high-def's incredible picture. However, the common perception is that most all new HDTVs are large, rear-projection sets that tend to dominate a room. Again, for men, big deal. But for women, it's a deal breaker.
However, the Plasma, or flat-screen, television could bring the sexes together overnight. At just four inches wide, the Plasma set actually looks good in the living room; it's a stylish piece of furniture as well as a video monitor. In fact, you can hang it on a wall like artwork. Consequently, research shows that women like flat-screen TVs as much as men do. Maybe even better.
So, is Mr. and Mrs. America now ready to go shopping?
Not quite yet. Most Plasma TVs are still too expensive for the average family, ranging from $2500 to $10,000 or more. And, some of those "low-end" $2500 sets come with a catch: they are not HDTV-ready, meaning they can't display high-def signals. Who wants to spend $2500 on a new set and not even bring home the latest technology?
However, this week, there was a report suggesting that Plasma prices may be coming down. Dell and Hewlett-Packard, the PC-related companies, are introducing new flat-screen sets at prices significantly lower than what traditional TV makers charge. Being new to the market, the PC companies are offering the discounts to make a splash.
The new competition from the PC industry -- coupled with improvements in technology and production -- should start driving Plasma prices down in the next year. And, in two years or more, the price of a large-screen HDTV-ready Plasma set could be the same as the current price for a rear-projection HDTV-ready set. For instance, Best Buy is now selling a RCA 52-inch, rear-projection HDTV-ready set for $1,299. Can you imagine how many would be sold if it were a flat-screen TV at that price?
Peace Maker
The drop in Plasma prices will have two effects on High-Definition TV.
1. Consumers will start to believe that all new HDTVs are affordable, sparking a sudden increase in sales.
Although the price of rear-projection and direct-view HD sets have dropped sharply in the last year, it hasn't sunk in with consumers yet. Most people still think that all new HDTVs are too expensive because of the hefty price tag of the Plasma set. They don't differentiate one new TV from the other; they hear prices like $5,000
for a TV and they think all of them are that expensive.
2. Both men and women will want a new HDTV.
The affordable Plasma TV will encourage both sexes to go shopping.The gender debate will come to an end -- that is, over the issue of buying a new TV.
© TVPredictions.com
How Flat-Screen TVs Will Drive HDTV
When prices come down, both men and women will
want new televisions.
By Phillip Swann
Washington, DC (September 1, 2004) -- Have you ever been involved in a conversation like this?
Man: Honey, I want to get a new High-Definition TV.
Woman: Oh, no, you're not bringing one of those big monster TVs in here that's bigger than our entire living room. Forget it!
Sound familiar?
The debate is not new. Generally, males are more interested in buying new gear than women. It's not that females don't appreciate the benefits of new devices, but they are more conscious of how the equipment will interrupt the home's decor. Few women can walk
through a room without noticing that even a small bric-a-brac has been moved from its strategically placed location.
Males, however, are undeterred by the prospect of yards of Monster Cable crawling across a family room that features a 65-inch television and six black boxes stacked atop of each other. That's not clutter or intrusion, they say, it's heaven.
Deal Breakers
But this gender divide is putting a curb on the growth of
High-Definition TV. Both men and women are becoming more aware of high-def's incredible picture. However, the common perception is that most all new HDTVs are large, rear-projection sets that tend to dominate a room. Again, for men, big deal. But for women, it's a deal breaker.
However, the Plasma, or flat-screen, television could bring the sexes together overnight. At just four inches wide, the Plasma set actually looks good in the living room; it's a stylish piece of furniture as well as a video monitor. In fact, you can hang it on a wall like artwork. Consequently, research shows that women like flat-screen TVs as much as men do. Maybe even better.
So, is Mr. and Mrs. America now ready to go shopping?
Not quite yet. Most Plasma TVs are still too expensive for the average family, ranging from $2500 to $10,000 or more. And, some of those "low-end" $2500 sets come with a catch: they are not HDTV-ready, meaning they can't display high-def signals. Who wants to spend $2500 on a new set and not even bring home the latest technology?
However, this week, there was a report suggesting that Plasma prices may be coming down. Dell and Hewlett-Packard, the PC-related companies, are introducing new flat-screen sets at prices significantly lower than what traditional TV makers charge. Being new to the market, the PC companies are offering the discounts to make a splash.
The new competition from the PC industry -- coupled with improvements in technology and production -- should start driving Plasma prices down in the next year. And, in two years or more, the price of a large-screen HDTV-ready Plasma set could be the same as the current price for a rear-projection HDTV-ready set. For instance, Best Buy is now selling a RCA 52-inch, rear-projection HDTV-ready set for $1,299. Can you imagine how many would be sold if it were a flat-screen TV at that price?
Peace Maker
The drop in Plasma prices will have two effects on High-Definition TV.
1. Consumers will start to believe that all new HDTVs are affordable, sparking a sudden increase in sales.
Although the price of rear-projection and direct-view HD sets have dropped sharply in the last year, it hasn't sunk in with consumers yet. Most people still think that all new HDTVs are too expensive because of the hefty price tag of the Plasma set. They don't differentiate one new TV from the other; they hear prices like $5,000
for a TV and they think all of them are that expensive.
2. Both men and women will want a new HDTV.
The affordable Plasma TV will encourage both sexes to go shopping.The gender debate will come to an end -- that is, over the issue of buying a new TV.
© TVPredictions.com
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 Chicago Tribune, The Associated Press and The Hollywood
Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
And click
TVPredictions.com
to read more news and features on TV
technology.
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