Why we need consolidation of HDTV technologies

Sorry, but we don't really need you, plasma.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

In what could be the final blow to rear-projection HDTVs, Sony has announced that it will abandon its production of those sets and focus all of its efforts on "what people really want"--LCDs.

Of course, the news doesn't quite end there for LCD proponents. Rumors are swirling that Matsushita--Panasonic's parent company--is looking to get out of the plasma business and focus its efforts on developing LCDs. Not only would this move prove to be devastating to another LCD competitor, it could create an industry landscape that's dominated by LCDs and totally bereft of any other technology.

And in the end, is this consolidation of technologies really what we want? Is it really what we need? The answer may not be that clear cut--after all, do we really want LCDs for the next 10 years? Regardless, we need one technology--the best technology--to lead us into the next decade.

Let's be honest--was anyone actually expecting rear-projection HDTVs to last? Of course not--they're expensive to produce, offer little in terms of overall benefits, and pricing is such a concern that most people have all but forgotten they exist. Oh, and let's not forget the biggest issue--they're too darn big.

I don't know how many times a week I'll get a letter from a reader asking me what the difference is between plasmas and LCDs. Worse, I've found that the average person really doesn't know the difference, and going to the store to decide on a set can be daunting.

Instead of wasting our time trying to figure out why a plasma might be better for sets over 42 inches in size, or deciding on which manufacturer makes the best LCD, I truly hope we're entering a time where only one technology stays afloat and others sink away.

Consider this: as plasma TV sales have dropped a whopping 16 percent year over year, LCD sales have grown at a rapid rate. And with the latter's advancing technology, the old belief that LCDs can't compete with plasmas on larger screens is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

And while LCD is performing well today, there's no guarantee it will in the future. With that in mind, there could be many more technologies poised to hit store shelves years from now (can you say SED, FED, and LED?). And when that happens, the same sort of caveats that preclude you from buying one technology instead of another will be present.

Listen, I'm all for advancements in technology and I welcome new displays. But in the end, why can't we find one technology that works well and keep improving upon that? After all, wouldn't it reduce confusion at the store and help everyone make the most informed decision possible?

You better believe it.

[passat242]

I have an 05 sony sxrd rear projection
I do a lot of research
rear projections stil have the best overall picture quality, period!!!!!!!!
sony has continued to shrink the size of there rear projections.
this is a marketing decision by sony.
i dont care how damm big the tv is

overall picture quality is my goal
you can take lcds and stick em. remember beta was always better then vhs!!!!!!!

[Soyokaze]

I have to agree with Don's "unification" theory. It will benefit everyone: consumers won?t be as confused when buying a TV (which so many are recently), and the corporation is going to make more sales because of it. I don't want to worry about my TV becoming obsolete when I'm already worried about my PC hardware and the next-gen media war. Pick one technology and improve upon it for the future.

[bradhocum]

I own a Sony 70 inch XBR-SXRD rear projection TV. I looked at every option before my purchase. I paid around 5 grand. This article says rear projection is expensive? At 70 inches, plasma & LCD would be off the charts. Sony's 70 inch LCD is over 30 grand. Pioneer has a 1080p plasma at 50 inches..it was 8g's when it came out. In my opinion...rear projection is the only way to go if you must have a big tv and can't afford to spend 15-20k!

[rucknrun]

I agree. I have been crazy happy with my rear projection DLP HDTV. To get 62 inch plasma or flat screen a year ago I would have had to spend 6 grand. I don't agree with this article.

My rear projection is only 16 inches wide and weighs 100lbs. My wife and I easily carried it in.

[zlguocius]

Surely whether consumers are "better off" (however that's defined) with one type of television versus many is an empirical matter, not to be settled by arm-chair speculation.

[richard petty--2008]

The author mentions how common it is that people don't know the difference between an LCD and a plasma TV. Very true. The average person doesn't want to know, doesn't even want a choice. That would be a hassle.

Remember the one single technical question people asked twenty years ago: Is it IBM compatible? Boom! Shopping done.

This is a Walmart nation -- it just is. Image quality is irrelevant; only price matters.

FYI, TV thickness is a red herring and is totally irrelevant because the vast, vast majority of people do not hang their TV's on walls. Reality: people buy these thin LCD TV and then put them in entertainment cabinets or pedestals that are 2.5-feet deep. Duh.

I've been studying the market for years and image quality/performance of the average LCD TV, although improving, trails plasma and DLP rear projections. That puts LCD TV's in third place in image quality.

This is a Walmart nation. We want the largest for the least. Here are the factors that do not matter: image quality, warranty, user interface, connectivity.

And as far as the American consumer's concern for the potential of any other display technologies that may arise... they could not possibly care less.

[neATL]

I'm a DLP owner myself and find this article a bit misleading and somewhat an advertisement for LCD technology. Like the other person mentioned, rear projections are known to have some of the best pictures for screens bigger than 42". I love my 56" 1080p rear-pro set. My friends who paid the same price for a smaller, 720p LCD set love my TV as well. Size? Size only matters if your room is small or you?re trying to hang it on the wall. I don't have either of those problems. My DLP set fits snug into my wood TV cabinet. The thing only weighs 43lbs so its very easy to move around. 3 Years ago I paid $2500 for it, today I can get a 72" 1080p DLP for little less than that. I'm not trying to win the award for this prettiest TV set. I just want the best HD quality. Rear-pro TVs get me there and for a MUCH cheaper price.

[Olu070]

This article is asinine. I've got a 50" Plasma TV and a 40" LCD TV. The Plasma BLOWS away the LCD TV in image quality and viewing angles. Why on earth should we settle on the poorest quality image format?

[logicbus]

Gee, if we're gonna focus on a single technology, why not just push CRT for the next ten years?

[milrtime]

Rear projection are expensive to produce? They are quite a bit less expensive, for larger sizes especially, than a comparable plasma or LCD.

Plasma, LCD, and rear projection all have their advantages/disadvantages. I will agree that the average consumer would be willing to buy either one if it were the only one available and live with it. But, most people reading this website are at least somewhat informed (I would think) and would prefer to have a choice.

[Dalkorian]

What a dumb communist article. "We don't need a choice, we need it to be simple enough for the average retard to figure out." What crap. What we don't need is some behemoth corporation deciding what is best for us and cramming the cheapest disposable trash down our throats.

[philpalm1]

I thought the author was going to mention some of the HDTV formats and plugs will have more consolidation. Basically the Plasma, LCD and other hardware will continue to evolve and choice will remain as a constant price tag towards innovation.

Sure there will be causualties but controversy helps to sell articles so your job is fortunately still safe to hold.

[sandor_f]

I am a strong advocate for the Samsung DLP televisions. TI has really created a great thing here, and in the real world, unless the television is mounted on the wall, 8 inches difference in depth is moot, especially when the prices of the lcds and plasmas are still so much more.

example -

61" Sammy 1080p DLP 12" deep $2069

63" Sammy 1080p plasma 3 1/2" deep $5999


certainly, if you are mounting on a wall an lcd or plasma is a better choice, but a Sammy 1080p DLP will give a better picture for 1/3 the price. How can you beat it?

[normx004]

Hey, why not just have one kind of car? And come to think of it, its really confusing for consumers to have lots of different kinds of computers...so let's settle once and for all on either Windows or Linux or Apple, or...but wait! Maybe people LIKE to have choices. Maybe that's why a free market economy is BETTER than a planned economy. If people don't want plasma or DLP, they'll make that clear to the manufacturers by not buying them. That's how its supposed to work!

[kennethlawson]

In a Wal-Mart world consumers are only interested in is it cheap , pretty and dose it work, they really don't care weather its LCD or plasma, or OLED, as long a its cheap and looks good and works, This goes back to the old VHS urs Bata war of the early 80's I've read that Bata actually looked better then VHS but the VHS was the clear winner, This issue brewing now in far more complicated the the video tape issue, also there is the issue of what your plugging into the tv, some tvs will handle sd better then others, and a vast majority of Wal-Marters will plug in a sd signal at least at first and are they going to be happy with it until they get a HD sourse.

[meh130]

This is unfortunate, for two reasons. One, rear projection DLP, LCD, and LCOS sets are simply the best bargain out there. You can get a 50" 1080p set for just over $1000 now. Two, Sony's SXRD rear projection TVs are simply awesome. The best TV I have ever seen was a giant SXRD RP in a SonyStyle store. It was playing a Blu-ray disc of some movie. It was just awesome. And my own 50" SXRD continues to blow me away every single day.

RP sets have screwed up economics. The cost difference between a 37" and a 70" is minimal. The "guts" are basically the same. It means RP is expensive in small sizes, but that also means RP sets are very cost effective at large screen sizes.

As for the comment about the size of RP sets, I don't even understand the comment. The only advantage a flat panel has over an RP is you can hang it on the wall, but hanging it on the wall is not an option for very large sets due to weight. And if you put it on a stand, for the stand to be stable, it has to be a couple of feet thick. Sure, in the 40" size realm, LCDs are a better space option.

Finally, what really pushed RP over the rail for Sony is the 120 MHz LCDs, which overcame much of earlier LCD issues, and the price of LCDs seems to be coming down as fast as RPs.

My hope is this will drive the price of 42 inch LCDs down to around $500, and 37" LCDs down around $400. These are the price points needed to make HDTV truly pervasive in the U.S.