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microdisplay

Report: Rear-projection's 60-inch niche

A press release describing a new report (PDF) says that rear-projection HDTVs, including DLP-based microdisplays, now serve only a niche market of people who want 60-inch or larger televisions. The report by Quixel research shows that in the second quarter of this year, the 60-inch and larger screen sizes accounted for 86 percent of sales of all rear-projection HDTVs; up from 32 percent in 2007. The firm's spokesman says that the reason has to do value. "The market has changed and there is no value for 42-inch, 46-inch, and 50-inch MD RPTVs, but there is great value in the screen sizes above 60 inch," said Tamaryn Pratt, Quixel Research principal.

Plasma TVs becoming more affordable

Sales of plasma TVs are humming along, but declining prices led to the category's first-ever year-over-year revenue decline. While that's not such good news for manufacturers and retailers, it's fantastic for consumers.

Unit sales of plasmas brought in $181 million to retailers in February 2007, a 16 percent drop from the $216 million in sales the same month last year, according to data collected by The NPD Group.

Although the number of plasma sets sold was up 30 percent over the same period, the average selling price was $1,688, representing a 35 percent decrease.

"We'… Read more