Flat-panel TVs see sharp price drop
Associated Press
SEATTLE
If you’re in the market for a new flat-panel TV, it’s a good time to buy.
TV prices usually drop from year to year, and the decline will be sharp this season thanks to a supply glut. Consumers have been holding out all year for better deals, leaving lots of unsold televisions on the shelves. Prices for high-definition LCD TVs will fall more than twice as fast as they have so far this year as manufacturers and retailers clear out inventory, analysts predict.
New sets also will be cheaper because TV makers have been getting great deals on the most expensive parts, the glass LCD panels.
However, DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon expects prices for those components to level off early next year, so discounts won’t be this steep again until the holidays next year, or even later.
That means that if you pull the trigger on a new set in the next few months, you probably won’t be kicking yourself next year for not waiting a little longer.
Already, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has slashed prices for some older models. Among the deals: a 32-inch Vizio set that went to $298 from $348. Amazon.com Inc. and Best Buy Co. are starting to advertise deals, too.