Question for those who follow the LCD market

[lionheart4life]

Do you think LCD prices will fall sharply any time soon? I'm looking to upgrade my current CRT monitor which does the job for everything I need it for but takes up a ton of space to an LCD. I've got my eye on the Samsung 941BW 19" widescreen which is $180 after rebate from newegg for the next week. I'd really like the 205BW or 225BW models but they're still more than I can justify paying at this point.

What I want to know is should I jump on this deal with the rebate or will prices drop significantly in the next couple months? I'm not a big PC gamer so this new monitor would be more than sufficient, but the one I'm using now also isn't too bad either.

 

[SOSTrooper]

Prices on LCD havent really drop for the past year, so it wouldn't surprise me if they'll maintain their prices for a longer while. They usually drop when bigger and better models or alternatives are available to the masses, but choices are slim and prices are high for 24" or bigger LCDs. So there's no real reason for the 17" to 22" to drop. You'll see deals here and there, but overall prices will probably be stable for another year. As soon as those 24" drop in prices, the smaller LCDs will drop subsequently. So if you want an LCD now, just get it now, nobody can know for sure when they'll be significantly cheaper.

 

[Vinny]

I think the 19" and under LCDs have dropped sharply. By the end of next year, they're expected to drop even more due to advances in LCD technology and more supply.

 

[forgrim]

From someone who knows the market pretty well, LCD's in general will fall in prices all over the board (LCD tv's due to demand + competition). However, the prices can't drop any further due to production costs and marginal profit. At a certain point, companies won't make money on LCD monitors so the price won't drop much since there would be no point in creating a product that makes no money.

http://www.digitimes.com/displays/a20061218PD206.html

is a good pricepoint. However, that's for LCD Tv's, and monitors will follow the same trend (i believe), but like i said, can't drop much further on say 19 inch monitors.

 

[lionheart4life]

Thanks for the input. I'm really strongly considering getting the monitor, but I might wait for the video card I ordered to get here first to make sure it can run the right resolution for it.