Last time I checked there were only four models in a store close to where I live. LCD HDTV televisions were everywhere. Two years ago, if you visited the same store you would have seen only a few of them and a lot of conventional television sets for sell. Over the last two years the popularity of these high end tvs has exploded to a point that is not rare to find electronics stores that no longer sell conventional television sets. Before the LCD boom in the high definition market, sets with Plasma screens took over some of the space that was assigned to tvs.
Plasma sets at the time were rather expensive and were heavily criticized for their short lifespan and their proneness to burn in. HDTV televisions at the time were very expensive and were not affordable to the majority of people. Some time later, LCD HDTV televisions were slowly introduced into the market. These high end television sets performed much like Plasmas but at the time were smaller, cheaper and could keep consumer happy for many more years than a Plasma tv could. These factors helped propel LCD technology to were it is today, the leading technology in the world of high definition television.
Even with the recent advances in Plasma technology the battle was decided. This year more manufacturers abandoned Plasma and decided to produce only LCD sets. Some like Pioneer, decided to stop producing HD sets entirely for now. There are other technologies beside these two but have not made as much impact. Recently, LED screens are appearing in some stores but their impact in the market remains uncertain. From the looks of it, it appears that they are formidable competitors.
LED screens are nothing new since they have been used for years as computer monitors. How they compare to other technologies is whole different ball game and has not yet to be tested enough and for enough time to give a concrete opinion. Reviews from consumers will tell the story some time from now.
