Posted Thu Jun 23, 2011 at 09:00 AM PDT by Michael S. Palmer
Plasma HDTVs sure did get off to a rocky start. Early models created (and exacerbated) worries of higher weight, cost, and energy usage versus similar sized LCDs. And let's not forget the pesky problem of "burn in," a technical flaw which hasn't been a problem for years, yet still plagues customer awareness. But the truth is Plasmas have always offered better black-levels than LCDs, as well as a better ability to display fast motion imagery without the need, as LCD did, to add awkward technology that makes movies and television look and feel off.
Perhaps consumers are starting to be less afraid of perceived issues, and more aware of the improved picture quality available in the current generation of plasmas, which include 3DTVs. The Plasma Display Coalition, which includes manufacturers like Panasonic and LG, announced yesterday that over 1 Million plasma HDTVs were sold between January and May of 2011. For those lacking photographic memories, that's a 25 percent growth rate over the same period in 2010, as well as a 12 percent revenue gain (it seems margins are thinner). LCD sales for the same period, it seems, are only up 2 percent.
Source: Market Watch
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