Special to the Director's Cut BlogBy Jennifer Lindgren, WKYC Reporter
CLEVELAND -- As fast as technology changes, that's not necessarily a bad thing if you're in the market for a new television. Prices on one particular type of flat screen are expected to hit a record low, just in time for the holiday season.
When it comes to buying a new TV, Jim McKay says it helps to know what you're looking for. "The bigger, the better! But not too big," McKay said.
Price matters to McKay as well, and he says he has noticed a change this fall. "I know they're a lot cheaper than they were," he said.
By the end of October, technology researchers say LCD TV prices will be twelve percent lower than in 2009, which was a slow year for sales. Walmart, HHGregg and Best Buy are already selling 32" LCDs just under $300, and big screens are expected to drop in price as well. "That probably was $2,000 last year," said Larry Haines, pointing out a 50" LCD on sale for $1,660 at HHGregg.
Haines, who is a territory commercial manager for HHGregg, says big screen flat panel prices could drop as much as 20 percent by the end of 2010. "You'll see some things stay the same, but there will be some nice surprises for consumers this year," Haines said.
Haines thinks the change has less to do with an excess of product: he says with the last couple of years down in sales, manufacturers didn't make as many televisions this year. He thinks it has more to do with the advancements in technology. Haines says LED, with its brighter, sharper lights, took off a year ago, making the slightly duller LCD less desirable among some buyers.
While prices held steady through the summer, Haines says, as Black Friday approaches, prices will fall again.
At HHGregg, Jim McKay decided between a plasma and an LCD flat screen television. "They seem cheaper, money wise, not technology wise," McKay said.
Haines says new, 3D televisions and Internet televisions should help keep the price of LCDs down through the end of the year. Prices are expected to rise again in 2011.
