Have any members got an insight into likely prices for LCD/plasmas over the next 2 to 3 years? Just how cheap will they get? Is it worth buying a decent CRT now or is it better to muddle through and buy a flatscreen in a couple of years time?

[DRGL]

CRT's are disappearing-FAST! I still prefer CRT but if your in no rush i would sit back and wait. Plasma has already dropped in price by loads-this trend will continue IMO.

[MAD ANDY]

was just about to invest in a plasma or lcd but i'm just not impressed with the pictures and the pixelation that comes with them, then i looked at the Toshiba 36" CRT and was blown away. Any investment is going to lose money, so why not pay less now for a CRT than more for a plasma and get a better pic with the CRT! thats what Im doing anyway! :D

[TV Headache]

Personally I can't see why the downward trend in flat TV prices would suddenly stop or level-out in the coming years. LCD pannel manufacturers have been adding capacity like crazy and people like LG Philips have been saying that over-supply will lead to further pannel price reductions in the market. Additionally it seems like there could be new technologies on the way which make even LCD obsolete because they are cheaper to produce. (see http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-...ws.php?id=7985 )

Having said that, CRT still offers the best picture quality, and only the top (i.e. most expensive) brand's LCD and plasma TVs seem to come close, so you'll be waiting a few years yet before you can buy a flat TV that is both cheaper and better quality than CRT.

[Astaroth]

Whilst CRT does still give the best picture at standard resolutions there are still other benefits of the flat panel screens - with the advent of HD these will become more apparent.

I believe that the price will continue to drop as supply continue to grow however I do think that their prices will level off a little given that when HD comes out there will be a significant increase in demand - not over night but over the next couple of years.

The biggest drops (proportionally) will continue to be in the high spec machines as manufacturing processes get cheaper and as the gap between the top and bottom spec panels gets smaller

[TV Headache]

I generally agree with the above but my feeling is that afordable HD content is some way off. Sky will be offering it as a premium service and HD DVD is likely to be similarly priced for a while at least so while HD will increase demand, its effect will be on the top end of the market and may not knock-on to the rest of it for a few years.

So I'd still advise anyone to buy a good-value CRT now, enjoy the standard definition picture quality, keep an eye on the HD situation and then trade-up to a high resolution TV in a few years.

[FlyingBig]

The reason Plasma/Lcd is so attractive to me is that you know that you will get perfect or near perfect geometry with them, i am sick to the stomach of CRT's and their Geometry flaws.

[TV Headache]

Originally Posted by FlyingBig

The reason Plasma/Lcd is so attractive to me is that you know that you will get perfect or near perfect geometry with them, i am sick to the stomach of CRT's and their Geometry flaws.

That's a fair point, but it's also worth pointing out though that no CRT has perfect geometry and most of us don't notice this if we're watching normal TV, unless we get a real duff set, and those can always be rejecteed if they're beyond adjustment.