14 DAY TRIAL // One would expect a consumer product to be sent out at the sound of trumpets, or at least the words of a press release, but Sony and LG figured they may as well just push out a number of new 3D TVs.
3D TVs may not be overly widespread right now, what with their high prices and reliance on special eyewear, but this hasn't stopped panel vendors form making more of them anyway.
In fact, since they have such prices that only high-end (mostly) customers can afford them, developers often decide to make them large and feature-packed, since the need for an extra amount of cash won't thin out the number of prospective customers all that much.
Whether by this tactic or not, the new LG and Sony LCD 3D HDTVs definitely have high price points, in line with their sizes.
LG has two of them up for order, although actual shipments won't commence except after two or three weeks (they are plasma screens).
One of them, the bigger and better one, has a screen size of 60 inches and sells for $2,199 (60PZ750), while the other one settles for 'just' $1,599 and has a diagonal of 50 inches (50PZ750). Both feature Smart TV support.
Sony has a few more of them, only they will start selling by May, 2011. The LED-backlit 55-inch XBR-55HX929 is the first among them, set to sell for a solid $3,799.
At the other end is a 46-incher with Gorilla Glass protection (its price is $2,099). It is dubbed HX720 and, like the one above, belongs to the Bravia line.
Basically, consumers with enough financial backing now have a wide selection of LCDs and Plasma screens to choose from.
What remains is to see if any other company decides to raise the stakes or at least match them. After all, competition might finally drive these huge prices a bit lower while prompting the making of even more advanced TVs.