LCD TVs to see drastic price drop in 2007

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 19th 2006 at 1:30PM }

If you've been holding out to experience 360 gaming in HD -- the way it was meant to be -- then you may want to wait just a little bit longer. A market research company specializing in flat panel displays -- creatively named DisplaySearch -- forecasts that prices for LCD HDTVs could drop as much as 40% in 2007. As more people adopt LCD TVs and parts become cheaper, 32" LCDs could possibly be had for as little as $400 (currently, they run anywhere from $700 to $900). 37" sets could drop to $799 and 42" sets might fall as low as $999 (currently, both 37" and 42" sets can run well over $1000). We've been waiting to upgrade our HD setup for a while now, and frankly, a $400 32" HDTV would be too good to pass up. Let's hope these prices fall sooner rather than later.

Has anyone out there found any killer deals on HDTVs lately?

Tags: hdtv

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

dirtey6 @ Dec 19th 2006 1:38PM

I got a Westinghouse W4207 from BB on Black Friday.

The size is great (42in), it doesn't do 1080p, the black levels aren't exactly stunning and there's not built in tuner. But I use sat TV (no need for tuner), I don't care about 1080p and the black levels don't bother me.

We got this set for 999, which is the same ballpark of the Vizio/Olevia 42inchers when found on sale.

Plus, my father in law got this for me-so it was free. Mmm-mmm.

Also, DVD upconvert over XBox360 VGA cable is stunning, so I have not complaints whatsoever with this set.

Pope @ Dec 19th 2006 1:47PM

I got a Olevia 542i LCD HDTV w/ RCA Upconvert DVD Recorder and HDMI cable for $1200.00 dollars on ShopNBC.

TV is GREAT!!!! GREAT Picture even on SDTV thru S-video on Directv.

I'll be upgrading my set-top box to HD receiver very soon, so i'll see ESPN in HD. (Caught Sunday night Football in HD and i thought i was on the field, seriously!!)

360 looks amazing especially playing RS:Vegas. takes it to another level!

No Complaints at all!!!

DannyOB@360insight @ Dec 19th 2006 2:13PM

As for the UK, you can get a relatively unknown brand 32" HDTV for as little as £400 on dabs.com and amazon.co.uk. I'm on the verge of upgrading my set, I'm holding off till the January sales and am hoping to pick up an even bigger bargain than can be had online.

JRock3x8 - 2o2p @ Dec 19th 2006 2:31PM

why is it that there's no HDMI for the 360 yet?

Adam @ Dec 19th 2006 2:36PM

I got an open box 27" Toshiba LCD w/ built-in DVD player, ATSC and QAM tuners, HDMI, VGA and a really nice picture (for a bedroom set) for $380. Retails for $850-900. :)

Mike B @ Dec 19th 2006 2:49PM

Xbox 360 will never have HDMI output. It's converters are analog. But a TV set with 1080p over component or VGA input and you will be set. The new samsung models all have these features.

aragorn @ Dec 19th 2006 2:59PM

ummm... a lot of lcds already go for those prices... but the problem is that they are of a black market name brand, and I simply don't trust them.

I'm hoping when they say that, they're thinking of better brand names... particularly panasonic.

doc @ Dec 19th 2006 3:15PM

just bought a 32" for $599 at circuit city. It's an olevia and the picture is great and once you see your dashboard with any HD tv it wakes you up. Plus it makes renting any HD movie from marketplace is worth it too.

J korn @ Dec 19th 2006 3:24PM

The tv I have which is a samsung 23" lcd hdtv monitor is on sale at best buy for $699, which is a great value considering the quality of Samsung tvs. It's got a 3000:1 contrast ratio and an hdmi port, 2 components, a vga, couple composites, and an s vid input. Plus it works great as a pc monitor, and the glossy white colors makes it look badass. I highly recommend it.

Seiggy @ Dec 19th 2006 4:35PM

I just bought a 32" Niko LCD off newegg.com for 599$ after rebates and this thing is amazing...great black levels, 720p native resolution, with support up to 1080i, and more outputs than you can shake a stick at...only complaint I've had is the sound is a little tinny, but throw my 500W 5.1 at it and it sounds perfect yet again...also built in tuner, and color temp adjustments...and VGA support for PCs...yay for LOTRO on a 32" LCD

Angel @ Dec 19th 2006 5:19PM

Picked up a 52-inch Panasonic LCD online on Thanksgiving for $999. Has HDMI, VGA, component of course, plus SD card reader. Wish it had one more HDMI or DVI, but for $999 it's a great price. Gears of War looks very nice on it.

Ciaran @ Dec 19th 2006 5:48PM

We paid about £1200 for a 37" plasma screen and you can't even play it for long before the HUD logos burn into the screen... :(

epobirs @ Dec 19th 2006 7:02PM

For the last year there have been a coterie of naysayers insisting HDTV was too expensive and the adoption rate would be too slow to allow the Xbox 360 and PS3, as well as the HD movie disc formats, to reach a big market before hitting a saturation wall.

Those folks just couldn't appreciate what is happening in the manufacturing sector. It's a positive feedback system. Lower HD display prices make the HD content (games, movies, TV) more enticing. And in turn the growing body of HD content readily available at retail raise interest int he purchase of an HD display.

I expect HD display adoption to accelerate sharply over the next three years as the content choices improve and prices drop. If you build it and offer it for the right price, it will sell.

epobirs @ Dec 19th 2006 7:07PM

#12

Despite improvements, burn-in remains a concern for plasma displays. Plus they're hoorible pigs when it comes to power consumption.

The best bet for a display that will be used heavily for gaming is DLP. Burn-in is a physical impossibility for the technology. It has its own trade-offs but I believe the advantages outweigh the deficits.

Hoffer @ Dec 19th 2006 7:21PM

How is this news? There has been drastic price drops in HDTVs for a couple years now. Why would we think any different for the years to come.

costco shill @ Dec 20th 2006 12:57AM

I hate to sound like a tool from a commercial but the Vizio 42" LCD FROM Costco Rocks. It has a built in ATSC (HDTV)Tuner and PIP. You can watch the game and play Gears on split screen. It's $1199 and well worth the coin.

GhostDoggy @ Dec 20th 2006 5:43AM

Anyone get the feeling that these blogs have too many contributors that are of the type that never actually leave their homes? This article reads as if its a year old or something.

Hello, mr coffee calling to wake up the reporters of this fine, but overly late, news bit.

Richard Mitchell @ Dec 20th 2006 9:09AM

Look, if you think this news is old, go tell the research group that just released the report that specifically deals with 2007. Apparently they just wasted a lot of time.

Yeah, prices go down over time, that's not news. I get it. But a research firm giving particular numbers as to exactly how much those prices could drop, that is news.