It's Offical Plasma Is In Trouble!

[Struggo]

It's Offical Plasma Is In Trouble

By David Richards | Wednesday | 11/04/2007

Consumers are turning off plasma TV's in droves with researchers reporting that sales dropped 36% in February 2007. Instead consumers are turning to a new generation of LCD TV's with Companies like Sharp reporting a 50% increase in sales of LCD TV.

While the consumer electronics market also dipped as a whole, the decrease in plasma TV sales was a 16 percent dollar volume drop in February when compared to the same period last year. This was the first ever year-over-year decline in revenue for plasma units, according to the NPD Group.

NPD attributed the drop to continuing price declines that drove the category down more than 35 percent from February of 2006. The average price of a plasma TV in February was $1,688, according to the NDP, which represents the second lowest price in three years, just shy of November's $1,672.

"Unlike LCD TVs, plasma TVs have not been able to offset lower average prices by reaching high volumes in their larger screen sizes," said Ross Rubin, the NPD Group's director of industry analysis, in a statement. "While these lower prices have allowed plasma manufacturers to reach out to a broader consumer base with a differentiated display technology, it's still not enough to keep revenue on the rise."

However, they have tried to increase the quality of their displays. Panasonic, for example, on Tuesday announced plans to make a 42-inch plasma HDTV, the first HDTV plasma of that size.

February's decline also came despite a 30 percent uptick in actual unit sales, the NPD Group said. Best-selling screen sizes for the month included 42-inch plasmas followed by 50-inch models, which are continuing to grow in popularity. Fifty-inch plasmas were also the top revenue producers for the month, with an average price of $2,040.

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/TVs_And_Large...Plasma/A5J5P4R4

Then you have this,

Plasma Still Popular Research Shows

By Manisha Kanetkar | Sunday | 18/03/2007

Although recent figures from GfK have indicated sales of plasma TVs are set to decline, research from Nielsen Media found sales of plasma TVs achieved significantly higher year on year growth than LCD TVs did last year.

In the 12 months to September 2006, ownership of plasma TVs increased by 109 percent, when compared to the year ending September 2005. Ownership of LCD TVs increased by 40 percent in the same period.

However, the Panorama survey data from Nielsen Media Research did concur with GfK in predicting that plasma TV sales will now slow down, as LCDs become more popular with new TV buyers a move which JB HiFi Ceo Richard Richard Uechtritz.says is to be expected. "Plasma still has a place in the market and the plasma screen is better quality still than an LCD TV" he said "Vendors like Panasonic and Pioneer are set to roll out new offering that I believe will sell and appeal to the quality end of the market he added".

Len Wallis of Len Wallis Audio recently said "we are selling far more plasma than LCD TV's and I believe this is because a Plasma screen is still delivering superior quality".

"Over the past 12 months plasma TV penetration nearly matched that of the more expensive wide screen LCDs, however the latest intending buyers' findings suggest that the growth of plasma may slow to around 16 per cent over the next 12 months," said Associate director of Nielsen Panorama, Jody Loughlin.

"It would appear that the price advantage of plasma TVs helped maintain their appeal to many Australian consumers, and the price differential with LCDs outweighed perceived differences in viewing quality. However with LCD prices now dropping, and consumers' growing awareness of the two different technologies increasing, intending buyers' attitudes to LCDs appear to be shifting substantially.

"This could explain a significant shift to LCDs among those intending to buy in the next 12 months, with LCDs likely to grow by 64 per cent and wide screen LCDs by 46 per cent compared to the previous 12 months," she said.

The Panorama survey of 32,000 Australians also found that those intending to buy LCD or plasma TVs in the next 12 months will be heading to the mass retailers – with Harvey Norman topping the list.

The GfK figures were based on sales data provided by about 95 percent of mass electronics retailers, such as Harvies, but in doing so, fail to represent plasma and LCD sales via specialist retail channels such as Len Wallis Audio.

"What's disappointing about all these figures is that people are looking at the results and saying, well that must mean LCD is better than plasma, which is not the case, " says Len Wallis.

"You also have to consider that there is a huge number of sets sold in the under 42 inch category - and these have to be LCD as there aren't really any plasmas in this size. Also, an enormous number of sets are sold in department stores where LCD TVs are an easier sale as they tend to offer more of an all-in-one solution than plasmas. So there is a sense that larger stores are taking the easy way.

"At Len Wallis Audio, in the under 42-inch category we sell all LCDs, however in the over 42-inch category, I would say 95 percent of units sold are plasmas. It is not hard to show customers the benefits of going down the plasma route," he said.

WHAT THE?

BTW, I LOVE MY PLASMA

[AVroom]

I'd like to see more analysis and statistical trends before signing the death warrant for plasma. I'd suggest the stated drop in plasma sales reflects the level of uptake of relatively cheap plasmas over the past 18 months. Only so many people want or need a large screen of 42" plus, and we're nowhere near upgraditis for many recent plasma purchasers.

Meanwhile, fat-arsed CRTs are no longer competing against sexy, vastly improved LCD flat screens in the 37" and under category. Combined with much lower pricing of LCDs in recent times, it obviously means a glut of sales of smaller TVs.

1080p plasmas will take the fight to LCD in the 40"+ market mainly because the better resolution will compare much more favorably when the consumer is standing up close in shops. Compare the blacks and motion artifacts, and plasma will win easily. But then again, the Sony Bravia marketing machine is really, really good ...

[AndrewW]

February's decline also came despite a 30 percent uptick in actual unit sales, the NPD Group said.

WHAT THE?

BTW, I LOVE MY PLASMA

OK, so did you read the article you posted ?

Because to me that tells me this is another piece of sensationalist journalism, and all it's really saying is that the prices are coming down and the sales are going up.

Andrew.

[AndrewW]

Consumers are turning off plasma TV's in droves with researchers reporting that sales dropped 36% in February 2007.

the decrease in plasma TV sales was a 16 percent dollar volume drop in February

February's decline also came despite a 30 percent uptick in actual unit sales

OK, so the guy writing this article is really confused.

All three of those points cannot be true at the same time.

You can have a decline in unit sales and dollar sales.

You can have an increase in unit sales but decrease in dollar sales.

But you can't have all three.

Andrew.

[Geforce]

I think the two problems people have with plasma are the burn-in concern and the lack of 1:1 pixel mapping.

The burn-in factor seems to be much better these days, especially after the 200hrs run-in time. You still have to be careful though, like don't put something on pause for several hours.

What i would like to know about 1:1 pixel mapping is that if the native resolution for a plasma was 1920x1080 (like the upcoming Panasonic PZ model), does that mean it will be able to do 1:1 pixel mapping?

thanks.

[hunterdata]

The burn-in factor seems to be much better these days, especially after the 200hrs run-in time. You still have to be careful though, like don't put something on pause for several hours.

thanks.

This will cause burn in on CRTs and LCDs as well.... Burn in these days is a user fault not a product failure.

[pjc]

I think the two problems people have with plasma are the burn-in concern and the lack of 1:1 pixel mapping.

The burn-in factor seems to be much better these days, especially after the 200hrs run-in time. You still have to be careful though, like don't put something on pause for several hours.

What i would like to know about 1:1 pixel mapping is that if the native resolution for a plasma was 1920x1080 (like the upcoming Panasonic PZ model), does that mean it will be able to do 1:1 pixel mapping?

thanks.

I doubt 1:1 pixel mapping means anything to the people who are contributing to the sales figures. Burn in on the other hand is a very scary thing to the uneducated and a great way to sell your LCD

Philip

[digitalj]

I like my 42" Plasma, it's only 480p though, but it's mum's tv, when I end up buying my own (once I have the money) it'll be a 60" 1080p tv.

[AndrewWilliams]

It doesn't surprise me that LCDs are popular. People have watched the CRT PC monitor market get completely wiped out by LCDs. People perceive them as being high resolution, pixel-perfect sharp which is great for spreadsheets, CAD etc. What they don't realise is that when you're sitting back in an armchair, pixel resolution and sharpness are the least important factors in a good picture. The other reason LCDs are so popular is because they're easy to optimise for WOW factor in a showroom. The old moths to a flame scenario. LCD will continue to dominate but does that mean they're good? - Not to me. I'd prefer a plasma, CRT, DLP, LCoS etc. any day. In fact the more I learn about what makes good picture quality, the less I would want to buy an LCD.

[birdie1011503560221]

I'd like to see specific sales data comparing sales of both types, categorized by size.

The only option for smaller sizes is LCD. Hence, they will have greater volumes, and possibly higher sales $.

[fRuItCaKe.]

The "clay faces" and what I perceived as a form of macro-blocking killed LCD for me when we were looking.

We are very happy with our Pana plasma.

[50mxe20]

What a silly article.

It contradicts itself in so many places it's ridiculous.

It reminds me of some guy predicting the fall in the price of gold while it is going up.

[Owen]

LCD’s are a natural sales winner, as they have what most customers want.

They come is small sizes, they are slim, trendy and affordable, and they are bright and colourful. Bingo, sales success.

Most people would not know good picture quality if it bit them on the butt, and since most LCD’s are better then the cheap, small and often old SD CRT’s that they are replacing, they are happy.

Only recently my better half wanted to replace a perfectly good 86cm HD wide screen CRT with “one of those flat TV’s”, simply because it would look better in her room and take up less space.

I pointed out to her that very little if any space saving was possible, as the TV sits in front of a window and must sit on a stand that also houses the other gear.

I also pointed out that the picture quality would be worse, but she does not care about that at all, to her it’s all about fashion.

While this may be girly logic at work, I am sure that for many households, WAF is a dominant force in purchasing decisions.

Good thing my good lady has no say in what goes into the big boy’s toy room. A 70” SXRD in a room about the same size as a double bed room is not exactly wife friendly.

[big_marcelo]

While this may be girly logic at work, I am sure that for many households, WAF is a dominant force in purchasing decisions.

Good thing my good lady has no say in what goes into the big boy’s toy room. A 70” SXRD in a room about the same size as a double bed room is not exactly wife friendly.

I would love that!!!! well done buddy ... got away with it..... I would like a projector in my set up, but the WAF in our living room is not well set up for a projection screen ... even drop down .. so a 50" plasma will have to do ......

[50mxe20]

I would love that!!!! well done buddy ... got away with it..... I would like a projector in my set up, but the WAF in our living room is not well set up for a projection screen ... even drop down .. so a 50" plasma will have to do ......

Hear hear. Got it exactly.

[dodgyblue1503560789]

yep. the WAF is the sole reason why we bought the 507xda instead of the 60" SXRD, even though the room its in is about 7m x 5 m. . Also she hates LCD's because of the "fake" colors (her words).

[attilathepun]

I bought an LCD over a plasma for a variety of reasons, including:

a) resolution - at my price point, there weren't 1080p plasmas

b ) PQ - purely in my opinion, I preferred the PQ of the Bravia. Others will disagree (vehemently in some cases) but that doesn't change the fact.

c) burn in. I think this is a big factor for many people. Although there are ways to avoid/fix it (e.g. run in times, screen wipes etc) these strategies just aren't necessary with an LCD. As a regular gamer and sports watcher, burn in is just too big a risk to run.

The comments made by others about the sales of smaller sizes (32 inch seems to be a very popular student/bedroom size) helping LCD sales are obviously also correct.

[tom_tank]

I bought an LCD over a plasma for a variety of reasons, including:

a) resolution - at my price point, there weren't 1080p plasmas

b ) PQ - purely in my opinion, I preferred the PQ of the Bravia. Others will disagree (vehemently in some cases) but that doesn't change the fact.

c) burn in. I think this is a big factor for many people. Although there are ways to avoid/fix it (e.g. run in times, screen wipes etc) these strategies just aren't necessary with an LCD. As a regular gamer and sports watcher, burn in is just too big a risk to run.

The comments made by others about the sales of smaller sizes (32 inch seems to be a very popular student/bedroom size) helping LCD sales are obviously also correct.

I agree (Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons...) I spent 3 months comparing plasmas & LCD's for a secondary viewing area. I used CRT as my benchmark in all cases. The current generation Bravia's are now so close to CRT (even the wife agree's - & she's almost fussier than me!) It only takes the tiniest of backlighting to make blacks look REALLY black! Not to mention the lifelike picture quality.

I recently had the unpleasant experience of "borrowing" a new LG plasma (yes, i know they're not the best) & the blacks were pathetic. Also the reflection from the phosphor made for poor blacks during the day as well - This is true of many plasma's.

[wilsact]

I agree (Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons...) I spent 3 months comparing plasmas & LCD's for a secondary viewing area. I used CRT as my benchmark in all cases. The current generation Bravia's are now so close to CRT (even the wife agree's - & she's almost fussier than me!) It only takes the tiniest of backlighting to make blacks look REALLY black! Not to mention the lifelike picture quality.

I recently had the unpleasant experience of "borrowing" a new LG plasma (yes, i know they're not the best) & the blacks were pathetic. Also the reflection from the phosphor made for poor blacks during the day as well - This is true of many plasma's.

What size is the LCD you have, and the LG plasma you borrowed??

Have yet to see a 42" or above lcd that can compete with plasma on blacks, or any other aspect of picture quality!

Plasma is just superior to my humble eyes in these bigger sizes.

Seems that the guys at Len Wallis agree, and I would trust their expertise any day over you local one in all retailer!!

[markallwood]

I would suggest that the real reason that more people are purchasing LCDs, is that they are going into shops and acting like all consumers do. They go in with a budget, compare everything that is available, then make a decision on what is the best product for their needs.

In 90% of these sales, I suspect people are going into stores, comparing LCD to Plasma picture quality, and preferring the LCD offering.

Whilst some people on here might state that "Most people would not know good picture quality if it bit them on the butt" and others will put forward their opinions on what defines good picture quality, the reality is that most people are comparing the two products at a similar price point, and preferring the picture quality of the LCD.

Consider the Betamax v VHS debate, which has some parallels here. Many were dismayed when betamax was knocked out of the market; after all, the video quality was better than VHS. People said that this was a marketing victory against Betamax, but the real reasons for VHS victory were technical....the betamax tapes didn't record as much tv.

If there is a victory for either LCD or Plasma, I don't believe that marketing will be the reason. Consumers will weigh up the advantages and disadvantages, and choose accordingly.

[AndrewWilliams]

Not really. Most people just buy the display that stands out. That's usually the brightest one with the most vivid colours. They rarely check out things like shadow detail, posterization, colour uniformity & accuracy.

It's the same with audio gear. Do you really think that the average person chooses the equipment that gives the flattest frequency response?

[Owen]

I agree (Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons...) I spent 3 months comparing plasmas & LCD's for a secondary viewing area. I used CRT as my benchmark in all cases. The current generation Bravia's are now so close to CRT (even the wife agree's - & she's almost fussier than me!) It only takes the tiniest of backlighting to make blacks look REALLY black! Not to mention the lifelike picture quality.

If you put then best LCD in the same room with your Hitachi CRT RPTV, you will soon see how bad the blacks are in comparison.

I have my Hitachi in the same room with my new SXRD, and even though the blacks on the SXRD are miles in front of any LCD, they look poor next to the Hitachi.

I have to have the room lighting at a level I could read the newspaper by before the blacks on the SXRD look comparable to the Hitachi, simply because the CRT based Hitachi can make absolute black, even in a totally dark room.

When you have the TV’s side by side it’s easy to see the difference, and on darker video content I miss the depth of image that only true blacks can provide.

Most direct view CRT displays are not very good when it comes to blacks when properly adjusted, certainly not as good as the Hitachi CRT RPTV can be.

My benchmark for blacks is when a black screen is completely invisible in a totally dark room. Digital displays are a long way from that standard.

I recently had the unpleasant experience of "borrowing" a new LG plasma (yes, i know they're not the best) & the blacks were pathetic. Also the reflection from the phosphor made for poor blacks during the day as well - This is true of many plasma's.

I agree with you that many Plasmas do not have good blacks (most actually), but the best of them (Panasonic) are well ahead of any LCD.

I don’t believe that black level plays any part in the discission making process of the average consumer. If it did, LCD’s would not be as popular as they are.

When you see the way most people have their TV’s adjusted, usually very bright with exaggerated colour, its little wonder LCD’s appeal. They simply provide more of what people seem to like, e.g. very bright and over coloured images with excessive contrast and sharpness.

Only today I saw an example of this in the form of a new 66cm wide screen LG CRT TV owned by a friend. The image was adjusted to be overbright (Contrast set high), with grossly over saturated colours. The image was also edge enhanced (artificially sharpened) to give it more pop and apparent sharpness. The effect reminded me of a typical LCD in a showroom and is typical of the default settings used by manufacturers to attract customers.

Manufacturers are not stupid and they know what sells to the average Joe.

When presented with an accurate and true to life image, free of exaggerated contrast, colour and artificial sharpness, the sort of image videophiles strive for, most people would be unimpressed and wander off to buy something else.

I was in a retailer not long ago and guy was standing in front of a LCD of around 40” that he was planing to buy. I suggested that he check it out in a darker environment to evaluate the blacks, as LCD’s are not the best in that department.

He looked at me like I was mad (which I am ) and ignored me. I suspect the finer points of image quality had not even entered his mind.

[Santa1503559644]

And to think we've only been through all this a few hundred times before!

BTW: Owen ... I've got first dibs on yer HDTV at the better half's firesale!

[nis200979]

I was in a retailer not long ago and guy was standing in front of a LCD of around 40” that he was planing to buy. I suggested that he check it out in a darker environment to evaluate the blacks, as LCD’s are not the best in that department.

He looked at me like I was mad (which I am ) and ignored me. I suspect the finer points of image quality had not even entered his mind.

And most retailers have a different channel/source on different TVs, so it's often hard to even get the same material to audition.

Where I work I show a bright LG DVR 1080i demo, LCD looks great, then a BD demo 1080p (Swat) with dark and fast scenes and customers quickly see the differences - such as blacks, refresh rate, skin tones. (In addition to FTA HDTV of course)

Unfortunately most retailers don't have HD wiring to a central source, and can't show the sorts of demos that customers deserve.

I could influence 90% of customers to LCD or plasma purely with the source material I display, but I'd rather show both types of HD material, point out the differences, and let the customer decide.

My sales ratio of 40"+ TVs, probably 10% Pioneer PDP, 60% Panasonic PDP, 20% X Series LCD, and 10% others. Plasma is king to most independant buyers. BTW, I don't have Monsters Inc showing all day.

[stahc]

owen...............i think most of us here are mad......................and quickly off topic..how is it up in the mountains.........starting to cool down yet