Post by dkennedy on Jun 14, 2006 7:56:49 GMT -5
NEW BREAKTHROUGH CAN CUT COST OF THIS HI-DEF TV SET BY HALF
June 13, 2006
By Don Kaplan, New York Post
OUT of the blue, reseachers have developed a new technology that could put big-screen, high-definition TVs within reach of just about every wallet.
The technology, from Canadian tech firm iFire, would allow manufacturers to create super-sharp TVs less than two-inches thick that could hang on the wall - and cost less than $1,000.
The tiny company already has created 34-inch TVs that weigh in at just a few pounds, and 37-inch screens that would cost consumers half of what the cheapest similarly-sized TV sells for now.
"We can see them on the market by 2007," says iFire vice president Don Carkner.
Carkner says that the technology, called TDEL (thick film dielectric electroluminescent), is neither LCD nor plasma TV - but a new method that can create thinner, cheaper flat panel TVs using lightweight materials and simple electronics.
The new TVs would be much cheaper to build than LCD and plasma TVs that are currently on sale for prices starting at $2,000 - and climbing sharply from there.
The company is currently searching for a manufacturing partner willing to build a factory or two.
But technology experts say iFire is facing an uphill battle against major manufacturers who have already invested billions in developing LCD and plasma displays and probably won't want to nurture a technology that could one day render both obsolete.
"These other technologies [LCD and plasma] are not going to give up easy," says Barry Young, a senior vice president at DisplaySearch, a market research and consulting firm that focuses exclusively on the flat-panel display industry.
Young says that the clock is ticking for iFire.
The price of LCD and plasma manufacturers are dropping every year and they may be able to sell the same-sized TVs for nearly the same price by 2010.
"The question for iFire, is: how soon can they get to market?" says Young.
That could prove to be tough, says Forrester Research vice president Josh Bernoff. "The distance between a new technology and the ability to manufacture it efficiently can be very long."
The major set manufacturers yesterday could not immediately provide officials to comment.
June 13, 2006
By Don Kaplan, New York Post
OUT of the blue, reseachers have developed a new technology that could put big-screen, high-definition TVs within reach of just about every wallet.
The technology, from Canadian tech firm iFire, would allow manufacturers to create super-sharp TVs less than two-inches thick that could hang on the wall - and cost less than $1,000.
The tiny company already has created 34-inch TVs that weigh in at just a few pounds, and 37-inch screens that would cost consumers half of what the cheapest similarly-sized TV sells for now.
"We can see them on the market by 2007," says iFire vice president Don Carkner.
Carkner says that the technology, called TDEL (thick film dielectric electroluminescent), is neither LCD nor plasma TV - but a new method that can create thinner, cheaper flat panel TVs using lightweight materials and simple electronics.
The new TVs would be much cheaper to build than LCD and plasma TVs that are currently on sale for prices starting at $2,000 - and climbing sharply from there.
The company is currently searching for a manufacturing partner willing to build a factory or two.
But technology experts say iFire is facing an uphill battle against major manufacturers who have already invested billions in developing LCD and plasma displays and probably won't want to nurture a technology that could one day render both obsolete.
"These other technologies [LCD and plasma] are not going to give up easy," says Barry Young, a senior vice president at DisplaySearch, a market research and consulting firm that focuses exclusively on the flat-panel display industry.
Young says that the clock is ticking for iFire.
The price of LCD and plasma manufacturers are dropping every year and they may be able to sell the same-sized TVs for nearly the same price by 2010.
"The question for iFire, is: how soon can they get to market?" says Young.
That could prove to be tough, says Forrester Research vice president Josh Bernoff. "The distance between a new technology and the ability to manufacture it efficiently can be very long."
The major set manufacturers yesterday could not immediately provide officials to comment.