As the holiday season approaches, don't expect LCD television prices to drop much.
Greater TV demand in China is causing glass prices to rise, the New York Times' Gadgetwise writes. As a result, the cost of LCD panels has increased, according to a DisplaySearch forecast. In addition, manufacturers will try to score more on sales with new features, such as 120 Hz and 240 Hz technologies and LED lighting.
Both of these factors will cause the average selling price of LCD TVs to erode slower than usual, DisplaySearch says.
In "developed markets" such as North America, where customers are quite sensitive to sale prices, LCD profits will take a hit, but DisplaySearch expects manufacturers to make up for that in China and other emerging markets.
Overall, DisplaySearch sees "signs of life returning to the TV market" after a "disastrous" fourth quarter last year. LCDs will remain king as consumers demand more TVs smaller than 40 inches and less plasma televisions. Overall, LCD revenues are expected to decline even as shipments increase, but DisplaySearch says its revised forecast looks better for manufacturers than before.
So, what if you're just a consumer? You might as well start keeping an eye out for good deals now, because you probably won't see anything staggering during the holidays.
