May 29, 2007
Is anybody buying a television that isn't a plasma or an LCD?
With all the high-def TV sales that have been going on, I was wondering: Is anyone buying anything besides plasmas and LCDs. Turns out, the answer is an emphatic "yes."
According to Tamaryn Pratt with Quixel Research, in 2006 there were 2.3 million rear projection sets sold in the U. S. The total sales for all advanced televisions (everything except traditional CRT, or "tube," televisions) was about 16 million sets.
Why are people buying these sets? According to Pratt: size, performance, and value.
Size - Mitsubishi has a 73" rear projection television, while there are a few very large LCDs and plasma, their cost is prohibitive for most.
Performance - in 2007 over half of the rear projection sets sold will have the higher - 1080p - resolution.
Value - at any size, rear projection sets have a lower average selling price than a flat panel set.
If you are not going to hang the set on the wall, you might want to take a look at a rear projection television. They are not the big black boxes of just a few years ago. Most are not very deep and have very good picture quality. The sales leaders are Sony, Samsung and Mitsubishi.
What type of set are you currently watching? Or planning on buying?
Posted by Bob Gatton at 9:59 AM | Comments (20)
May 8, 2007
Outdoor Televisions
More thoughts on outdoor living: why stop with sound? Sunbrite makes a line of LCD televisions that are designed to be installed outdoors.
Another option is a series of protective enclosures from Chief Manufacturing. They offer enclosures for flat panel televisions from 32" to 65". Besides shielding the set from the elements, they also protect the television from theft. For more information, click here to download the brochure.
Have you ever had a customer ask for a television on their deck or patio? How did you do it?
Posted by Bob Gatton at 8:55 AM | Comments (0)
May 2, 2007
Outdoor Speakers That Aren't Boxes
After taking a look at the HGTVpro.com series of articles and videos on outdoor living -- Outside the Walls -- they left out something: entertainment. How about some sound? On homes of this magnitude, there will probably be whole house audio, why not extend the system outdoors?
There are many speakers designed to be used outdoors, including weather resistant boxes and faux rocks with speakers inside them, but you might want to take a look at an alternative -- a planter with a speaker in the base from Niles Audio. They look great and sound great. For more information, click here to download the spec sheet.
You may not be familiar with Niles Audio, but in my industry they have a solid reputation for making innovative, high quality products.
What type of outdoor speakers do you prefer? Have you come up with a creative solution to hide them?
Posted by Bob Gatton at 5:33 PM | Comments (1)
