Posted on 02/22/2011 1:24:45 AM PST by Las Vegas Dave
Washington, D.C. (February 20, 2011) -- Big screen Plasma HDTV were the big winners of this year's Super Bowl TV battle, according to The NPD Group.
The research firm says unit sales of Plasma sets jumped 45 percent during the week leading up to this year's Super Bowl, which was played on February 6. (The increase is compared to last year's pre-Super Bowl week.) Actual revenue from Plasma set sales rose 11 percent this year compared to last year's Super Bowl week.
In contrast, LCD unit sales rose just 1 percent for the 40-inch and above category, NPD reports. The 40-42 inch segment sales fell 24 percent while 46-47-inch sales increased 16 percent and sets over 50 inches increased 53 percent.
In recent years, LCD sets have easily outsold their Plasma rivals. But the NPD study is more evidence that Plasma may be making a comeback. Consumers are opting for Plasma because many comparably-sized sets have lower prices than LCD -- and industry consensus suggests that Plasma offers a better overall picture.
"Value and size sold TVs this Super Bowl season," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. "Consumers looking for value chose aggressively-priced, but low-featured plasma TVs in the 40-50-inch screen size range. Feature-focused consumers went big as LCD TVs with 60-inch and above screens accounting for 17 percent of all the LCD sets sold with screens bigger than 50 inches, compared to nothing in that segment last year."
The NPD said 50-inch plasmas accounted for 50 percent of all plasma units and dollars sold during Super Bowl week. The average price of a 50-inch plasma was $670, which was down more than $170 from last year, and the average sale price for 42-inch plasmas dropped $100 to $451.
Swanni Sez Commentary: My only comment here is to repeat one of my predictions for 2011; it seems like it's coming true already:
"The LCD has been tops in overall set sales for a few years now, easily defeating rival Plasma. However, in 2010, we started to see the gap narrow as more people came to realize that Plasma's picture is (generally) better than the LCD picture. Additionally, Plasma makers lowered their prices, making the set even more attractive to recession-weary shoppers. Look for Plasma's momentum to continue in 2011 -- and the model may even start to threaten LCD as the number one TV category."
I wrote that paragraph on December 29, 2010.
Just what we need; more imports.
Must be price then.
My son is shopping for his first TV and wants a plasma. Picture quality is the issue as well as bang for the buck. Hopefully plasma will be around until they develop giant rollable screens that’ll have a better picture than plasma and projectors.
Had a friend in town this past weekend that was commenting how great the picture is on my 4 year old plasma. He just got a fairly highend LCD last year and noticed the difference at my house. It is timely to see this article because so much focus has been on LCD and LED
It is price, along with features. A 50 inch Samsung or Panasonic can be had for $650 or less if 720p isn’t a problem. Power consumption is just as a good as an LCD and the weights are comparable. Burn in is no longer a problem. Refresh rates are 600hz, and picture quality is better.
I heard plasma has poor side viewing quality,but better picture,unknown t.v. life.I took the low road and got a cheap 1080p, 120mhz refresh rate tv,42inch for 450.00 .Thats bang for a low buck.Dont forget to check lifespan expected.New stuff will come out soon like 3d.
Plasmas are super for sports, even the older models. I find them easier to watch. I thought LCD would catch plasma by now but they have’nt to my eye. I’m glad plasma is still in the game. I thought the tech might die when the Kuro went under.
Side viewing is pretty good on my Pioneer plasma, certainly better than CRT but less than a projector. Life span seems to be about the same as a CRT which is long enough for me. I like to have a new set before the previous one dies. I ‘m a bang for the buck shopper which means I rarely get tech that’s really new. Plasmas have been around for decades now which means they can be cheap enough for frugal shoppers.
I heard plasma has poor side viewing quality
***********************************************
We went plasma about 1.5 years ago because of the side viewing .. our room is wider than deep , lcd was unacceptable for our room..
You are exactly right in my case. I have purchased three 50 inch Samsung 720p plasmas in the last couple years (one got stolen). At around $750 at the time - can’t beat ‘em.
Could not be more pleased.
I’ve got a 50” plasma. Noticably better picture than LCD’s or DLP’s. I wouldn’t even think of trading it for any of the others.
I've got a 60" Pioneer Kuro and I've yet been able to find an LCD equal to it........
Plasmas were the rage due to their size and quality but price was a negative factor. As LCD's increased in size, their low price enticed the "big tv" hunters to buy them up. But now that the plasmas have dropped drastically in price, the "big TV" hunters are opting for the quality that goes along with the plasmas.......
Have your friend run through the settings. I missed something when I first got my LCD. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why it looked so much better in the store. Then a friend got a Vizio that was about 2/3 the cost of mine and the picture was amazing, and again making me wonder why mine looked so lousy in comparison.
I flipped to the menu on mine and changed a single setting and the change was dramatic. Sharp Aquos 52" (almost 2 years old). I think the setting was changing the picture to cinema from where I had it set. In the past, I had tinkered with all the obvious settings (color, contrast, etc...), but they just didn't work.
TV displays are set by default to look good in a large, fairly brightly lit store. If you're going to invest in a good TV, spend the $30 or so to get a "test pattern" DVD that you can use to tune the settings to match the room it is in.
Forgot to mention the one I use: “Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up” — it’s from 2001, but the basic advice on the DVD is still sound and the most important parts are the audio and video test patterns and the instructions on how to use them.
There are probably similar titles for BluRay with tunings specific for HD setups, of course.
I have a 3 year old, 50 inch Panasonic plasma. I have no complaints.
No, that's LCD's that you're thinking about. You can see the full picture on a plasma from any angle.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.