Syntax Groups New Olevia 42-inch LCD TV

[Audioholics]

<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/news/pressreleases/OleviaLT42HViLCDTV.php"></A><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/news/pressreleases/OleviaLT42HViLCDTV.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 117px; HEIGHT: 100px" alt=[OleviaLT42HViLCD2] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/OleviaLT42HViLCD2_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>Syntax Groups Corporation today announced the new 42-inch Olevia widescreen HD built-in LCD TV, its first model to include ATSC+HDMI as well as NTSC TV tuners. <FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>Key features of the Olevia LT42HVi include: </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>1366 x 768 native resolution, </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>8 ms response time, </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>1200:1 dynamic contrast ratio, </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>800 nits brightness, </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>ATSC/QAM tuner, and </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>HDMI with HDCP compatibility. In addition, the speakers can be mounted horizontally, vertically, or removed entirely. Competitively priced at $3699, the Olevia LT42HVi is scheduled for availability in June 2005 and comes with a unique free first year on-site service plan.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>[Get the Details]</FONT></P>

 

[steinoch]

I'm curious to hear if anyone thinks that LCD's or plasmas are reasonably priced. We're talking almost $90 an inch in the case of the Olevia and yes that probably is competitively priced...but not necessarily justified.

I would say that Costco(wherehouse store) is selling a Maxent 26" LCD with a stunning picture (and enough in/out to use as a TV, PC, etc.) for under $800. That is w/o a doubt competitively priced. I figure approximately $31/inch. My Mits 48511 is approximately $41/inch. One of the finer projectors on the market Panasonic PT-AE700U I'll under estimate at $18/inch. Yet we are still looking at over $100/inch on most LCD and plasmas.

How much more do we think that it cost to make an LCD or a plasma. Or is it like the pharmaceutical companies over charging for a new medication with hopes of being compensated for R & D. Well companies still make money on asprin(cheap as dirt) by selling in large quantities. Maybe more companies, like Maxent, will recognize the monitary benefit of selling mass quantities of less expensive LCD and or plasmas to the gen public soon. Then we can decorate our walls with monitors...would'nt that be fun?

Off soap box.
Late!

 

[Duffinator]

I'm curious to hear if anyone thinks that LCD's or plasmas are reasonably priced. We're talking almost $90 an inch in the case of the Olevia and yes that probably is competitively priced...but not necessarily justified.

I would say that Costco(wherehouse store) is selling a Maxent 26" LCD with a stunning picture (and enough in/out to use as a TV, PC, etc.) for under $800. That is w/o a doubt competitively priced. I figure approximately $31/inch. My Mits 48511 is approximately $41/inch. One of the finer projectors on the market Panasonic PT-AE700U I'll under estimate at $18/inch. Yet we are still looking at over $100/inch on most LCD and plasmas.

How much more do we think that it cost to make an LCD or a plasma. Or is it like the pharmaceutical companies over charging for a new medication with hopes of being compensated for R & D. Well companies still make money on asprin(cheap as dirt) by selling in large quantities. Maybe more companies, like Maxent, will recognize the monitary benefit of selling mass quantities of less expensive LCD and or plasmas to the gen public soon. Then we can decorate our walls with monitors...would'nt that be fun?

Off soap box.
Late!

From the highlighted part of your quote it cost a significant amount more to make an LCD or Plasma panel than any of the other technologies you mention. Keep in mind that CRT technology has been around for what, 75 years, and LCD and Plasma for close to 30. But the technology to build large screen (27" and larger) LCD and Plasmas has only been around for less than a decade. There are three main LCD manufacturers, Samsung (and Samsung/Sony), LG Philipps, both in S. Korea and AU Optronics in Taiwan. The three make a majority of the large screens available today along with a few others including Sharp. Syntax uses the LG screens. They are now on their 7th (I think) generation plants and the technology involved in making newer plants that can produce the large panels necessary for the larger TV's is very expensive. The manufacturers are investing billions of dollars into their manufacturing capacity. None of the major manufacturers of the panels are making any money off of them at the moment. In fact Pioneer just announced the closing of one of their plants because they are losing money. That's not to say the TV manufacturers aren't making money but many are not.

You can hang a 40" Mitsubishi CRT from the wall but who want's too? You can hang the 42" Syntax from the wall and it will look very cool but you are going to pay. As with any newer technology you are going to pay for it until it becomes the standard, just as CRT's have been for over half a century. Fortunately there are people who will pay to be early adoptors of new technologies. And that's a good thing. If these people weren't out there you would never see new techonolgies become mainstream because they would always be too expensive for the average consumer. The prices have already dropped significantly and will continue to do so. Will they ever be as inexpensive as a CRT? Maybe, but not for many years to come.

I suggest you google LCD and Plasma and read up on what it takes to manufacturer the panels and then determine how much is cost to make an LCD or Plasma screen. Start here:

http://www.auo.com/auoDEV/?ls=en

 

[e73bass]

Syntax Grroups/Olevia 42" LCD

I have never heard of Syntax/ Olevia----Is it quality stuff? i'm used to high end video/audio and want to make sure that I am not looking at junk that though it is cheap----will not last. I want a TV that will give me 10-15 yrs
of svc.

 

[steinoch]

Yes, I can appreciate that the cost to build a product will be reflected in the price, but I think this is the excuse that all these companies are using to justify over pricing the units. LG can put out a 32" LCD for approximately $60/inch and I'll bet there not losing money. This may be an unfair example consider where several of the manufactures get there screens.

As for Pioneer, Most of can't say for certain but the move was likely made b/c there is more yeild in the high-end product. Many are willing to pay a great deal more for products b/c they are known to be "the best." E.G. Decor@ appliances which cost 1000's more than competitor--GE--with only minimal gain in quality and or cost of build. I would be hard pressed to believe that pioneer wasn't making money of there units...just not making enough money.

I ADMIT! I am impatient. I read many of the articles over the past two years predicting a dramatic decline in prices of plasma and large screen LCD's yet other than a few monitors the price hasn't changed significantly. What happened to the large screen LCD's for under $1000.

I predict that the prices will drop in absence of any new manufacturing technology. Perhaps LG will lead the way. We shall see.

 

[Duffinator]

As for Pioneer, Most of can't say for certain but the move was likely made b/c there is more yeild in the high-end product. Many are willing to pay a great deal more for products b/c they are known to be "the best." E.G. Decor@ appliances which cost 1000's more than competitor--GE--with only minimal gain in quality and or cost of build. I would be hard pressed to believe that pioneer wasn't making money of there units...just not making enough money.

That was one comment in their press releases last week. But make no mistake about it, Pioneer is LOSING MONEY and to cut costs they closed two of their plants. Pioneer does not have enough market share to impact the price of PDP's by limiting production.

 

[Duffinator]

I have never heard of Syntax/ Olevia----Is it quality stuff? i'm used to high end video/audio and want to make sure that I am not looking at junk that though it is cheap----will not last. I want a TV that will give me 10-15 yrs
of svc.

Their 32" and 37" displays use the LG panels and I believe their 42" does as well. I recently checked out their new 32" at CompUSA and was surprised by the quality of the picture. It's not up to Sharp quality but close. I think there's room for smaller manufacturers to move into the flat panel market and make a decent product. A few years ago I would never have considered buying a Samsung product. But they now make some great DLP TV's along with several other products. So don't let the relatively unknown name of Syntax scare you off.

 

[Audioholics]

Keep in mind when doing the math that panels over 32" incur a price jump as manufacturing plants are fewer and the process is more difficult to date. As more and more plants are brought online you will see prices continue to fall as screens get larger. There have been significant drops in 30" and lower LCD panels to date - and that trend should continue.

 

[PaulF]

Steinoch, a couple of things you should keep in mind. You have referred only to the diagonal size of the screen which in itself does not accurately represent the relative build cost. As the screen size increases, the area increases in a square law relationship.

Assuming 16:9 aspect ration, a 26" screen will have an area of ~ 289" square, a 42" screen an area of ~ 754" square. A 2.6 fold increase in screen area.

Also one thing you can't tell by looking at a product or it's specifications is the factory yield. High end and low end products can both have good or bad yields. If a screen has too many dead or stuck pixels the screen may be scrapped by the manufacturer. The percentage yield will greatly impact product costs as this needs to be accounted for in the price of the units sold. In addition, if a 26" screen and 42" screen have the same percentage yield, the scrapped 42" product will add significantly more cost because of the amount of material involved.