Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Sony and Sharp Backing LCD TVs Over Plasma?

Posted by michael on from the betamax dept.

LostCluster writes "Several reports out of Toyko are indicating that Sony intends on dropping out of the plasma TV business and ramping up productions of LCD TVs instead. Meanwhile rumors have it that Sharp is planning on investing US$1.9 billion on an LCD production plant."

8 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. Will this bring prices down? by jmcmunn · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have been looking at LCD Tv's for my home for the past few months. Unfortunately up until this point the plasmas have been slightly more in my price range for the size I am looking for. Will this shift to LCD technology cause the plasmas to come down in price, because they are "outdated" technology, or will we see the LCD prices come down because there is more production?

    Also, any Slashdotters have recommendations on going with a plasma vs an lcd? Power usage, heat, image quality, overall life of product?

    1. Re:Will this bring prices down? by caswelmo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I love (but am not "in love with") circuit city employees (not managers). I've had great luck with their people knowing about the products and telling me stuff that would probably be considered bad for their managers to know about. That's why I drive a little bit extra to go there instead of Best Buy or similar stores.

      One time I had a Circuit City guy tell me all about home theater options. He told me the Sony stuff pretty much sucked for the price. He then offered me alternatives. I left and thought about my choices some. It was nice to get the real scoop on the products.

      When I came back the next day the salesperson that helped me was actually a manager. He started pushing Sony so I told him what the person had said the day before. He got all indignant and wanted to know who that salesperson was. He said that Sony could punish the store for that sort of thing. When I asked him if they were forced to lie about all of their products & weren't actually interested in helping the customer get the best item, I was met by 10 seconds of silence. When he started into backtrack mode I politely informed him that since he was an asshole I would just go purchase my product online. That started an array of managers and owners trying to "help" me. It was awesome.

      The regular employees are great though.

  2. Not profitable? by FiReaNGeL · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Jeez... if it's not profitable at the insane price plasma TV sells, I guess it won't be profitable anytime soon...

    Early adopters might get burned on this one... we don't even know how long they last yet. How can a plasma screen fail? LCDs get annoying stuck pixels, CRT just pass out... what about plasma? Do we have an estimated life expectancy on those?

    --
    Eureka Science News - automatically updated
  3. well... by selderrr · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... reports ... indicating ... intends ... rumors ... planning ...

    let's wait for real info shall we ?
    Plasma is in a stadium now where LCD was a few years back : cool technology but stuck in the circle of expensive->low sales->expensive->...

    Give it some time.

    --
    When will I end this grieving ? When will my future begin ?
  4. Seems to make sense by ocelotbob · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Plasma TVs always had the appearance of being a niche item to me; only useful for when the cost and logistics of making a big LCD got overly prohibitive. I've got a feeling other makers are going to follow suit as well as LCD technology allows for larger, better screens than before. It just seems more beneficial to have one line that scales than two very separate technologies that require you to diverge your resources.

    --

    Marxism is the opiate of dumbasses

  5. Brightness and noise by gilesjuk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Will LCD avoid the need for cooling fans or will the required brightness for a larger screen mean brighter backlights and therefore more heat?

  6. We went with LCDs by Therlin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We were looking at installing some displays around the offices to show news, PR, etc (you know, that "modern look" you see everywhere).

    After some reasearch we chose LCDs due to the aging and burn-in issues of Plasma TVs. An LCD would be more expensive, but give us a much better life.

    Other offices went with Plasma TVs instead. Fast forward a few years, now they are complaining about brightness issues, logo burn-ins, etc and they are budgeting to replace them. Our LCDs are happily chugging along.

    So these news, true or not, do not come as a surprise to me.

  7. Re:Kibbee by plague3106 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Ok, i actually own a Sony WEGA 36", and its NOT 250lbs. Its still heavy, weighing in at 100lbs, but lets not over exaggerate here.