Word: flatly
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...their television sets," says Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD Techworld. The romance had been getting a little stale. Even as the number of channels has multiplied, the market for TV sets has been stagnant, at about 2.4 TVs per household, for years. Now those pricey, sexy flat-screens are steadily replacing bulky conventional televisions. Unemployment be damned, Americans are trading...
Gateway's low-end plasma set, introduced in November 2002, put big-screen and flat TVs within reach for more middle-class families. Its $3,000 model is the leader in its category. "In mid-2002, we saw that the television market was becoming way more digital than analog," says Matt Milne, Gateway senior vice president for consumer products. By going to some of the same suppliers it uses for its PCs, the company slashed prices, and the rest of the industry scrambled to follow. The move could not save the ailing PC company's retail stores--188 will...
...spearheaded an American-brand revival, as companies like HP, Dell, Motorola and even Zenith (a U.S. brand now owned by a South Korean company) try to grab market share. "It's driving traditional Japanese consumer-electronics companies crazy," says Peter Kastner, chief research officer at the Aberdeen Group. Although flat-panel TVs are produced exclusively in Asia, U.S. companies like Gateway and Dell are developing strong brands that will allow them to go after other product categories dominated by Japanese makers. American tech companies are working behind the scenes: Corning makes glass for the displays, and Texas Instruments has created...
Television's flat pack is creating a dizzying array of choices for anyone seeking to buy a new set. Consumer Reports published its first ranking of flat-panel televisions in March, in response to thousands of letters from readers begging for a little guidance, says Gerard Catapano, who supervised the magazine's test. While there were some standouts in each category--conventional TVs, plasma, LCD and rear-projection--there was no clear winner. Each technology has its inherent drawbacks. The best picture-tube and rear-projection televisions, for example, can weigh more than 200 lbs. Plasma sets (named...
...future, the biggest question mark is high-definition programming. Not every flat-screen television comes equipped to handle the new HDTV format, which many consumers will want this summer when cable TV goes high def. And there are HD-ready conventional televisions that produce picture quality rivaling that of even the best plasma screens, at a much lower price. On the flip side, an HDTV set can sometimes make regular programming look worse. Catapano's advice: Start with the size you want, and match it to the technology that fits it best. Then it's up to your budget...