Price drops are allowing more immersive gaming experiences for Americans.
A nearly 40 percent plunge in pricing during the last three years has made LCD TVs featuring light-emitting diode (LED) backlight technology more cost competitive with televisions using older lighting technology—and has allowed them to become markedly less expensive than plasma televisions. Gamers are picking up more LED TVs in America and experiencing bigger interactive adventures.
The average retail price for LED TVs sold in the United States dropped to $1,251 in the fourth quarter of 2012, down 38 percent from $2,031 in the first quarter of 2010, according to the IHS TV Price and Specifications Tracker from the TV Systems Intelligence Service at information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). By the fourth quarter of 2012, the average price of an LED TV was just $620 more than for an LCD TV using conventional cold-cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlighting, down from $1,127 in the first quarter of 2010. Meanwhile, average LED TV pricing was $364 lower than plasma pricing in the fourth quarter of 2012, down from $289 more expensive in the first quarter of 2010.
“LED TVs, with their thinner screens and lower power consumption, have become a more affordable alternative in recent years compared to older display and backlighting technologies,” said Veronica Thayer, TV systems analyst at IHS. “Prices have come down as more models have entered the market. Second- and third-tier television brands are offering more LED TVs, ratcheting up the competition and reducing prices. Television makers also are offering LED TVs with smaller displays, contributing to the overall decline in pricing.”
