Flat-panel TV sales set to take off

With thicknesses measuring only a fifth of bulky cathode-ray-tube televisions, ultra-fashionable flat-screen TVs came into the limelight in their debut last year. A sleek, slim-screen TV will certainly add style to any living room. But the high price tag has paralyzed many potential buyers.

That may change soon. After the free-fall in flat-panel TV prices in the past year, the gap between flat-display sets and conventional cathode-ray tube models is shrinking to close to a sweet point.

Consumers can now pay as little as NT$49,000 for a 30-inch liquid-crystal-display (LCD) model from the local brand Teco Electric & Machinery Co (東元) -- about 30 percent less than the price a year ago. The price is now near a more acceptable two and a half times that of a 29-inch boxy cathode-ray tube set with a similar screen size as Teco's model.

"We found recently that some of our customers have finally taken action and bought a thin and relatively lightweight TV set after numerous price comparisons," said Chen Shih-fong (陳石峰), a senior salesperson at flagship store of Tsann Kuen Enterprises Co (3C, 燦坤) in Taipei's Neihu district.

It's often difficult for people to pick a set for their living rooms from the large number of TV models on the market with nearly identical specifications. The price range is vast and new brands have mushroomed, in addition to the already numerous existing TV vendors. So how should a customer choose?

"Buy the one with the best picture that fits your budget," Chen advised. Prices for a typical 30-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) set can range from NT$50,000 for cheaper models to NT$130,000 for an Aquos set from Japan's Sharp Corp, he added.

buyer's guide

There are three major flat-screen TVs using different technologies to generate pictures: LCD-TVs, plasma-display-panel (PDP) TVs with screen size starting at 42-inches diagonally and rear-projection TVs with a minimum size of 50 inches.

"When shopping, bring along one of your favorite DVDs for testing," said Steven Chin (秦瑞芳), chief-editor of DVD Info, a Chinese-language monthly providing reviews on latest movies and high-tech electronics. "Try to look at the sets under conditions as similar as possible to those of your living room."

Preferences for a screen's brightness, contrast, and sharpness are highly subjective and personal, explained the 35-year-old Chin, who has worked in the video and audio industry for 15 years.

People who spend most of their time watching movies may prefer lower contrast ratios, which translates to a softer picture with less punch and detail, Chin said. Those watching standard TV programs on flat-screen sets may require a sharp and bright picture, he added.

"Trust your eye, not the specifications, since not all seemingly important figures really matter," Chin stressed.

An easy way for people to assess the picture quality is to focus their eye on the edge of an object on the screen and see if it has a sawtooth effect, or any signal interferences such as "drizzles," he said.

The Japanese firm Panasonic's 30-inch LCD-TV set is one of the budget models and has typical specifications but delivers a much clearer picture than most, Chin advised. The price for this model has dropped to near those offered by Taiwanese firms.

The model is now selling for NT$68,900 at the nation's two largest electronics chains, Tsann Kuen and Daiichi Corp Taiwan (泰一電器) -- a sharp drop from NT$89,900 just months ago.