Shelling out hundreds of dollars on a television is hardly wallet-friendly, but LCD and plasma sets have been flying off the shelves all year, with some retailers saying TV sales are better now than they were during the holiday season.
But there's also a recession twist: Some industry watchers say that people are upgrading their TVs because they're spending more time at home during the economic downturn.
"Consumers are increasingly using the home as a place to look for entertainment," said Riddhi Patel, an analyst at research firm ISuppli Corp. "And TV becomes the main medium. . . . People are saying instead of taking trips during the summer, they may as well stay at home and buy a TV."
Tight competition among retailers, both brick-and-mortar and online, has driven prices for some TV sets down sharply. Patel said flat-panel television prices in the first quarter were 23% lower on average compared with the same period last year.
But there's also a recession twist: Some industry watchers say that people are upgrading their TVs because they're spending more time at home during the economic downturn.
"Consumers are increasingly using the home as a place to look for entertainment," said Riddhi Patel, an analyst at research firm ISuppli Corp. "And TV becomes the main medium. . . . People are saying instead of taking trips during the summer, they may as well stay at home and buy a TV."
Tight competition among retailers, both brick-and-mortar and online, has driven prices for some TV sets down sharply. Patel said flat-panel television prices in the first quarter were 23% lower on average compared with the same period last year.
