Hot Market for HDTVs

Plasma 42-inch flat-panel TVs that cost $10,000 to $12,000 a decade ago can be bought for less than $1,000 today, according to Express News.

Those dramatic price drops have made digital television sets one of the hottest sellers this holiday season. Also driving demand is the wide availability of high-definition programming, prompting consumers to upgrade to an HDTV to get lifelike picture quality and movie-theater sound.

"We're beyond the early-adopter stage, we're into the mass-market stage," said Paul Gagnon, director of North American TV research for DisplaySearch, based in Austin.

Best Buy Co. on Tuesday reported that drops in television prices of 30 percent or more this year have led to lower profits for the giant electronics retailer.

But consumers have benefited. This year, they will buy 11.9 million digital televisions, up from 8.3 million a year ago, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. The bulk of those sales are HDTVs, which have wider, rectangular screens and deliver greater detail and sharper colors than analog televisions. They are available in a variety of formats, including direct view, rear or front projection.

Consumers are upgrading to digital because by February 2009 the nation's 1,600-plus television stations will move from analog to digital transmission, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Most TV stations are already airing digital programming today in addition to broadcasting on analog channels. But on Feb. 17, 2009, they will cease broadcasting on analog channels.