Martin O’Donnell pointed out a CNet report that says superslim cathode-ray tubes will hit the television set market soon at significantly lower prices than flat-panel displays. Pioneered by LG.Philips Displays, these superslim CRTs are at least 20 to 30 percent less deep than traditional CRTs, are expected to be priced at $250 to $500 when assembled into a television and sold at retail in the United States. Superslim CRTs are already being produced in 21 and 30-inch sizes and will go on sale as televisions in the first quarter of 2005 in South Korea and in the second quarter the USA.
According to Riddhi Patel, an analyst with market-researcher iSuppli, “CRTs are not going away anytime soon. They will account for 70 percent of the market in 2008.”
If 21 and 30-inch CRTs can be made into TVs for $250 to $500, they will be stiff competition for low-end LCD televisions.
I looked for a photo that would help tell the story of these new CRTs, but none of the ones I’ve found so far really gave me the impression of the size difference between them, existing flat panels, and traditional CRTs.