Introduction:
If you do searches on facebook or twitter (the new places to do marketing research), you can see that consumers are looking for advice about buying a flat panel TV today.  Users need to determine what resolution they need, how well the television produces a wide contrast ratio compared to the room lighting, and whether the sound system is adequate, whether you can connect the LCDTV to the internet. There are even new features coming out and heavily marketed, such as LED backlighting, Consumers need to how to separate important features from marketing gimmicks. When discussing the current glamorous products in consumer electronics, flat panel LCD TVs have to be part of the conversation. The current race in the industry is who will commercialize the biggest glass size, and the current commercially available big screen belongs to Sharp. Samsung recently started generation eight glass panel production which makes the 55 inch LCD panel cost effective. LG just started production this year to also produce 55 inch glass.  This glass size is the leading edge for LCD televisions.

What is the sweet spot for 2010?  DisplaySearch put the global share of TVs with 40-inch screens and higher at 23 percent, up from 19 percent in Q308 and 18 percent a year ago. For the year, LCD shipments were at 105 million, up 33 percent over the previous year. LCD TV picked up market share in every region, particularly in China and Eastern Europe. LG LCD TV market share is expected to increase to 15% this year from 10% in 2008.

The leader in the LCD TV market is Samsung at 19.9% market share. Second place belongs to Sony at 14% market share. Displaysearch reported that LG Electronics, Sharp and Philips joined Samsung and Sony in the top five companies in LCD TV sales by selling 10.74 million, 9.58 million, and 8.11 million LCD TVs, respectively in 2008. The picture in the US is different though. Vizio’s share of North American LCD TV unit shipments rose to 21.6 percent in the January-March period of 2009, up 7.8 percentage points from the previous quarter. Samsung fell to No. 2 with a 19.9 percent share. Sony Corp (6758.T) was in third with a 16.6 percent share, followed by LG Electronics (066570.KS) and Sharp (6753.T).

The withdrawal of Pioneer and Vizio from Plasma flat panel TVs (leaving just LG, Panasonic and Samsung) may be an early sign of the consumer trend towards LCD TV over plasma. Samsung took the lead from Sharp in 2006. Samsung’s new series with LED technology helped push its market share of LCD sales in the second quarter of 2009 to 21.3 percent, up from 17.8 percent, according to iSuppli. Only Vizio sells more LCD sets. In its quarterly summary, iSuppi projected LED-backlight technology will account for 3 percent of worldwide shipments this year but up to 37 percent in 2013.

Manufacturers/brands:
Dynex, Insignia, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Envision, Hitachi, Proscan,RCA, Sceptre, Westinghouse

Current Trends:
Current LCD TVs sport a slim, minimalist look with a glassy black finish, and can be mounted on a wall or on a no-swivel pedestal. Designers continue to play with the edging to make it smaller. Since speakers are standard, the top and side trims will continue to shrink while controls congregate on the bottom. Side buttons are not as user friendly for larger mounted models that may be built into the wall or at least mounted high. But that is why they invented remote controls. Over the next three years, the LCDTV models will begin to migrate to 60 inch panels, 480 hz frequencies, and ultra low dispersion.

What is the deal with 120Hz specification? When you read about 120Hz technology it is all about motion blur. The goal is the higher the frequency, the less blur. The newer 120Hz panels refresh the images on the screen faster than conventional 60Hz sets, allowing LCD-TVs to present video with smoother motion, a particular advantage for viewing sporting events. As LCD-TV makers have attempted to promote sales of 120Hz sets, availability has risen, with more than 480 LCD-TV models sporting this feature in November 2008, up from 290 a year earlier. Do you need a 240Hz LCD TV? Maybe not, new technologies coming to market include models with a scanning backlight – a technology used to reduce motion blur without the largely inefficient frequency boosting frame interpolation. Other future trends include the merger of the digital TV and internet capability in one unit. Toshiba, for example, is using Yahoo software and Intel processors to enable customers to access movies, music, sports, and other content from the Web. LG Electronics is making movies and TV shows available through Netflix’s online rental service.

240Hz Image Processing:

Manufacturers have improved the way that LCD TVs handle motion by introducing sets that use 120 Hz technology; simply put, the set’s circuitry doubles the number of video frames, smoothing out the motion. Some manufacturers have gone a step further, introducing 240 Hz TVs that quadruple the number of frames. 240Hz processing is designed to merge frame to frame transitions to an imperceptible level, so the viewing experience evokes smooth, high definition experience.  240Hz is a technology known to be the most effective anti-blur tools available to eliminate blur and jitter. For 60Hz video signals,  240Hz image processing adds three new frames that are inserted between the orginal 60 frames, which totals 240 frames per second (60 X 4 ). The Sony XBR9 and Z5100 have the Motionflow 240Hz technology.

Panel Display:

Samsung is rolling out backlit LCD TVs across more of its product line. The backlighting helps improve the contrast ratio. Otherwise known as local dimming, the technology individual LEDs behind the screen that can be dimmed or turned off as needed. The backlit LCD technology helps Samsung and Sony market  1,000,000:1 contrast ratio numbers.  Generally, when part of the screen goes dark and another is bright, standard fluorescent LCD backlights must rely on the LCD panel itself to block out the light and create dark areas. The result is the less-than-stellar black-level performance for which many LCDs have been noted.  Experts note that the screen will only be as black as when it is turned off. Generally, newer LCD models are thinner, use less energy, and can offer brighter colors.

LED Backlighting:

Several manufacturers, including LG, Samsung and Toshiba, have introduced LED TVs. The LED TV is typically marketed along with claims for breakthrough picture quality. LED picture quality helps with the range of picture brightness. There is no such thing as an LED TV; they are simply LCD TVs that use LEDs, rather than fluorescent lamps, to light the screen. The key phrase for all this is Local Dimming. When it comes to reproducing millions of colors, LCD HDTV’s ability is famous, however truly lifelike picture quality is dependent on one color: black. The deeper the blacks an HDTV can display, the sharper the image.  The LCD TV’s ability to generate black levels is tied to its light source. Fluorescent backlights illuminate the display at all times, but LED technology allows the strength of the backlight to be varied.  This allows an LCD panel to be dimmed, and even shut off completely in specific screen areas when deep black areas called for in the picture. These type of LCD HDTVS will be marketed as LED LCD HDTVs. Several models with this technology are Samsung A950, B7000, and B6000 slim designs. The Sony XBR8 and KLV40ZX1M have LED technology.  Sony has created the LED edge-light backlight technology.

Depending on the type of LED configuration used, some LED-lit LCD TVs — those that use a so-called backlight array — create richer blacks than standard LCD TVs, approaching the level that plasma sets have already achieved. But beware: if you opt for an LED-lit LCD today, you will probably pay a hefty price premium compared with a standard set. The Toshiba Regza SV670, for example, is a 46-inch LED-backlit LCD. It has a suggested retail price of $2,300. A 46-inch plasma from Panasonic costs as little as $1,100.

OLED Television

Sony was the first Television Manufacturer to enter the market for organic light emitting diode, or OLED, television with the release of a 11 inch screen TV model XEL-1 in 2007. This TV still comes with a 2500.00 price tag, currently the same price level as TVs with screens 50 inches and above.That models screen was only 3 millimeters thick. Sony has recently pushed out the launch it its successor, a 27 inch OLED TV, until 2010 due to the cost of manufacturing. Sony has lost money in the LCD TV division since 2003. Sony tends to push the technological edge, but struggles to turn a profit. Sony TV division lost $1.3 billion in its most recent fiscal year.  Sony was also late to the market with LCD Televisions, and is lagging in market share. Display Search has reported that Sony lost market leadership in televisions to Samsung and LG in terms of revenue. OLED competitors could be LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, who could assume leadership in the promising technology, touted as the future replacement of liquid-crystal displays (LCD). LG Electronics may launch a 15-inch OLED TV in Korea and other oversea markets. OLED displays are already designed into mobile phones and smaller MP3 players. OLED displays are thinner and consume less power. They also display color better and respond better to moving images than LCDs. OLED displays do not need a backlight behind the screen, allowing it to be flexible and bendable. Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM-OLED) displays, which use self-glowing materials, have better picture quality, consume less power and are thinner than widely used liquid crystal displays (LCD) that need backlight units. Research firm DisplaySearch expects the market for OLED TV to reach 2.33 million units in 2013 compared with estimated 320,000 units in 2011, according to data provided by LG. However, LCD display prices are falling dramatically even while LCD quality improves and is considered the biggest threat to OLED’s future.

Aggressive Pricing:
Vizio has a strong sales channel and aggressive pricing, therefore Vizio has garnered significant market share over the past several years in the US. Vizio has benefitted from active marketing from BestBuy and Walmart. U.S. consumers have become familiar with the Vizio brand at a time when U.S. consumers have increased awareness and comfort with LCD-TVs. In the past, because of the newness of the product, U.S. consumers gravitated toward premium, established brands and specialty electronics retailers. Vizio’s success selling inexpensive LCD-TV sets through mass-market retailers reflects a major shift in consumer attitudes.  In the past, because of the newness of the product, U.S. consumers gravitated toward premium, established brands and specialty electronics retailers. Vizio’s success selling inexpensive LCD-TV sets through mass-market retailers reflects a major shift in consumer attitudes. Vizio market share gains is evidence that consumers are not as brand conscious but prefer televisions that they perceive to have good picture quality and that are less expensive compared to the competition, rather than seeking models with a lot of extra features.

Three Dimensional TVs?

At the recent 2010 CES show, several flat panel HDTV manufacturers, including LG Electronics demonstrated a three dimensional (3D) TV. The current drawback to 3-D Tv sets, is that you have to wear special glasses, currently designed as battery operating specs that use alternating shutters or polarized lenses to trick the brain. And unlike regular TVs, 3-D TVs are best experienced with dim lights at all times. Gathering a group of friends for a superbowl party eating snacks and getting up a few times to get something to drink will not work with a 3-D setting.  Instead, it will be like, ‘let’s sit down and watch this movie,’ with the eyes focused on the screen all the time. Three dimensional image features will become standard within ten years.

Westinghouse is carving out its LCD TV niche in the smaller TV category. During CES Westinghouse announced three new LCD HDTVs. The 19-inch PT-19H340S, the 22-inch PT-22H340S, and the 22-inch 1080p PT-22F380S. Each display includes support for 720p (1,366×768) resolution, a 16:9 aspect ratio and a purported 5ms pixel response time.

Internet Integration

Many new HDTVs from most manufacturers, including LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Vizio, offer proprietary Web-based content, like news, weather, YouTube videos, the Picasa photo site and access to certain movies and TV shows from Netflix and Amazon’s online download services. To receive it, you’ll need an HDTV that has an Ethernet connection. New models are beginning to appear that offer wireless connections, perfect for those whose Ethernet access is in another room. Even if you’re not interested in accessing Web-based content on your TV, an Ethernet connection can prove useful when a manufacturer needs to upgrade the digital TV’s operating system to, for example, address incompatibilities between it and a set-top box.

Some day, manufacturers will be able to use your TV’s Internet connection to remotely diagnose any problems with the set. Technicians from the electronics maker Sharp can already remotely adjust picture quality over the Internet.

LCD TV Basics

Types of LCD Flat Panel Televisions are generally grouped into three main types:

Standard Definition LCD TV (SDTV) has a 480i resolution and is best for 19 inch and smaller TVs.

Enhanced Definition LCD TV (EDTV) has a 480p resolution and is best for 24 inches and smaller TVs.

High Definition LCD TV (HDTV) has a resolution range from 480p, 720p, 1080p, and 1080i. These are best for 26 inches and larger TVs.

The “I” and “p” stand for the type of picture scanning found in the picture tubes. As follows:

i – interlaced video which means the picture scanning on the screen starts at the top, works its way to the bottom and starts over.

p – progressive scan is the better of the two for quality viewing. Picture scanning on the screen starts at the top and skips every other line as it works its way to the bottom. Then it goes back to the top and fills in the missing lines and then starts over. Experts would recommend progressive scan for viewing sporting events.

LCD TV Advantages

Power Consumption – Due to their design, LCD TVs consume less power than Plasmas. This can sometimes be considered a hidden operating cost when purchasing flat panel TVs.  It may be that governments will make this more transparent as they have with major appliances. Other sites have reported that the EU (European Union) is actually considering banning the sale of larger Plasma televisions due to the harm they are doing to the environment. If having a low electricity bill and being green as a result is of concern to you then LCD it is.

Weight – LCD TVs weigh considerably less than Plasma television sets. LCD TVs up to 22 pounds can be treated like a flat panel monitor and attach to a desk mount.  Larger TVs can be wall mounted or set on a media center. One person could potentially lift a 40″ LCD by themselves, such as moving it from the floor to the top of a cabinet. However, it would take two people to move an equivalent-sized Plasma TV. Experts have also warned about not moving Plasma TVs too much due to the delicate inside electronics. If you are a person that moves from place to place, a LCD is a better choice.

Lifespan –   A Plasma screen can last for between 30,000 and 60,000 hours of television watching, while an LCD screen specifications can range between 60,000 and 80,000 hours depending on the brand before needing to be replaced. The amazing thing is to actually calculate 60,000 hours into years and it is seven if you left the tv on 24 hours a day. A salesperson would say that an internal component on your TV will probably break well before the lifespan of the screen becomes an issue and not be just trying to make the sale.

No Risk Of Screen Burn – It is widely reported that Plasma TVs can suffer from screen burn if an image is left on for an extended period. When the picture changes, rather than the image disappearing as it should, a ghostly after-image can remain. This ghost image was witnessed personally on a 42 inch LG plasma at a hotel fitness room. I could see the espn logo burned into the screen. The risk is greater on high-definition pictures or video games, meaning LCD is probably a better option for anyone who will be using the TV for either of these activities.

When to choose Plasma? – While LCD TVs have captured the public’s imagination and the bulk of TV market share, plasma TV still has a leg up when it comes to perceived image sharpness, the richness of its blacks and, often, price. Smaller sets, those below 40 inches in size, are only available as LCD models. In larger sizes, 50 inches and up, plasma tends to be cheaper than LCD.

HDMI Inputs:

HDMI is a single cable solution that Modern HDTVs as well as the additional audio and video components you’ll join to them that is becoming the standard connection method. Unlike other cables, HDMI combines audio and video; Blu-ray signals will only pass through an HDMI plug. S Video cables do not carry the audio signals, and a second cable is necessary. Before you decide on a purchase, figure out how many HDMI inputs you’ll need on the TV. Generally, more is better, especially if you have game consoles, Blue-ray players, etc. If you plan on connecting a Blu-ray or DVD player, an audio receiver, a digital video recorder and a video game console, that could be as many as four. Some manufacturers offer a side-mounted HDMI input, handy for the occasional times you want to plug in a digital video camcorder.

Where to buy?

Walmart and Best Buy are the top two US retailers in terms of LCD TV sales. Therefore they have buying power.

Just a few years ago, consumers interested in purchasing an HDTV were looking at pricetags that cam close to $10,000? As prices for LCD and plasma HDTVs fall due to production capacity expanding for higher glass, flat panel TVs sales continue to climb. You can stand outside many big-box retailers and you’ll see waves of customers rolling TVs to their cars.

Dispelling the myths about plasma

Early plasma sets were plagued with problems of image burn-in, high power consumption and a relatively short display life. But today’s sets have conquered those issues. Plasma panels from Panasonic, for example, offer 100,000 hours of life before the image has dimmed to 50 percent of its original brightness. If you watch TV four hours a night, every day of the year, that milestone wouldn’t be reached for 68 years.When it comes to picture quality, plasma TV remains the benchmark, generally achieving higher black levels (and hence higher perceived resolution), better motion rendition and better viewing angles than most LCD TVs.

“The best LCD sets are now approaching plasmas in their ability to display black levels,” said Jim Willcox, Consumer Reports’ senior electronics editor.

Viewing Angle

If you typically watch TV with family members on the floor, or have friends sprawled across the couch to watch the big game, LCD TVs, with their limited angle of view, may not be for you. As you move away from the center of the screen, LCD TVs tend to lose their contrast and color saturation. “LCD viewing angles have gone from poor to good, but there are still a number of sets that are only fair,” said Mr. Willcox.

MOTION DETECTION LCD TVs have traditionally had more trouble displaying motion than plasma sets. If you generally watch sitcoms and news shows, that won’t be a problem. But if you’re into fast-moving sports you’ll want a set that won’t turn a slide into first base into a blurred mess.

Can most people see the difference? Unless you’re buying a gigantic TV, probably not, according to executives at the top TV manufacturers. But it makes for a nice marketing strategy. Before you pay extra to buy a 240 Hz set, watch a favorite DVD on TVs that use that and the less-expensive 120 Hz technology, and see if you can tell the difference.

Screen Resolution

While 1080p TVs have become almost standard issue, if you’re on a tight budget you can still save money by buying a lower-resolution 720p or 1080i resolution set.Whether you can see the difference in screen sharpness depends in part on how far you sit from the set. If you’re watching a 30-inch HDTV screen from 20 feet away, they’ll all look the same.Various charts are available to show you how far you should sit from a particular size screen in order to maximize the perceived resolution.

Thinness

Today’s flat TVs have slimmed down, with some plasma and LCD sets not much more than an inch deep.The thinner they are, the higher the price. And unless you’re planning on mounting the TV on the wall, thinner sets may give you bragging rights, but with their higher prices, they’ll also give you a thinner wallet. Also, the thinner the set, the more difficult it is to get decent sound out of the speakers that generally need to face downward to conserve space. Experts can complain that downward facing speakers do not work well because they sound as if you’re speaking to someone while facing away from them. A surround sound theater system may be needed when buying a LED HDTV.

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