PriceSCAN Blog

To give you an idea what kind of a price shock iFire's innovation could produce if pricing is as advertised, consider that, right now, the cheapest. 37" LCD set on PriceSCAN.com, the Syntax Olevia LT-37HVS, goes for just under $1,100. Many other models sell closer to $1,500. It's a similar story with plasmas. Now at the rate screen prices have been falling, it would not be surprising to see larger LCD and plasma sets selling for significantly less in 2007, so the degree to which iFire impacts the market will depend sensitively on just how far below the $1,000 level TDEL can be priced. And as the Post points out, with many manufacturers already committed to other technologies, persuading firms to adopt TDEL may be problematic, especially in the face of the falling price of LCD and plasma. Still, if iFire's technology pans out, it represents a very compelling value proposition.
The very existence of new technologies with the potential to produce flat screens substantially cheaper than current levels puts downward pressure on prices, lest a manufacturer employ that innovation to undercut the market. The bottom line is that whether or not TDEL flies, its potential may well speed the rate at which the price of other technologies sink.