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Topic: LCD-TV

January 9, 2007, 6:44 PM

Posted in: Flat-panel displays

LCD TV

Scott Fulton, BetaNews: You would think, with the transition date to digital television broadcasting in the US just over two years away, that consumer demand for the devices necessary to help them make the exodus would be on the upswing. For a while, they were. Then last December, analyst firm iSuppli noted an unusual trend: The worldwide growth in LCD-TV decelerated to 57% annually in 2006, and will peak at about 20% this year.

Now, in fairness, we're talking about a market that rocketed from out of the base of nothingness just in 2005, so the growth curve was bound to flatten. But the 20% number was a bit of a shock. This at a time when prices for LCD flat-panel monitors are plummeting, the last CRT manufacturing facilities worldwide are shutting down, and the US Government is joining others in investigating whether LCD manufacturers actually conspired...to keep prices artificially high. So which is it? Is market demand being driven down due to high prices, or driven up due to low prices? You'd think the answer would be clear-cut.