Large screen LCD TV’s are not selling in Australia as well as Plasmaclaims Malcolm Middleton the Managing Director of LCD TV and the distributor of Bauman Meyer LCD TV’s. This view is also supported by Samsung globally.

He caims that the most popular LCD TV’s are sub 40″ with consumers gravitating to large screen Plasma over LCD TV. Said Middleton “The market in Australia is going very well and we are growing however retailers are finding that consumers still prefer the large Plasma Vs a large LCD TV as they are percieved as being more cost effective. A classic example he says is the Sony Bravia 40″ LCD TV. This he claims sells for over $4,500 which when compared with a 42″ plasma from a leading manufacturer at sub $3,000 is seen as being expensive”.

What Middleton is claiming is also supported by Samsung who are set to roll out a full range of new LCD TV’s. In the US overnight they showcased 30 models from which local Samsung management  will choose the appropiate models for  Australia.

Samsung are a leading force if not the leader in LCD TV. They manufacture the Sony panel for the high end Bravia in a joint venture with Sony as well as panels for the Reality LCD TV and the Bauman Meyer LCD TV.

A Samsung LCD TV

Among the models revealed by Samsung are five 32W-inch models, one 37W-inch model, six 40W-inch models, three 46W-inch models, one 52W-inch model and one 57W-inch model.

In addition, 2006 marks the first year that 1,080p resolution will be aggressively marketed in the LCD TV line. A total of 10 models will feature 1,920 by 1,080p capability this year.

Jonas Tanenbaum, Samsung flat-panel products marketing director, said 32W-inch and 40W-inch screen sizes will be market drivers as they are proving the most popular and as a result are getting special emphasis in the new Samsung line up. In both screen sizes, the company is giving dealers a breadth of performance and feature steps for a good, better, best offering, he said, adding that many dealers are carrying two and in some cases three models in key screen sizes.

This year, Samsung’s step-up large-screen LCD TVs feature a proprietary Super Pattern Vertical Alignment (S-PVA) panel that allows 178-degree off-angle viewing.

Special attention has also been given to cosmetic styling, Tanenbaum said, explaining that top Samsung managers have directed the company to enhance the visual appeal of cabinetry in the LCD category.

An example of this direction is found in the company’s 96 model series, with gloss-black bezel and base, and down-firing below-screen speaker ports.

The 40W-inch and 46W-inch models incorporate 1,080p resolution, Cold Cathode Florescent back lighting (CCFL), digital CableCARD slot, USB input and a nine-in-two memory-card reader.

Samsung also showed models in its currently shipping 92 Series, which offers panels with 1,366 by 768 pixel resolution, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, dual HDMI inputs, component video inputs and a 178-degree viewing angle. Screen sizes include 32W inches, 40W inches and 46W inches.

Playing to the importance of cosmetics, Tanenbaum said he has seen strong demand for new all-white, high-gloss 52 series models, designed for kitchen and bathroom placement. The series, with 26W-inch, 32W-inch and 40W-inch screen sizes, was crafted in white lacquer cabinets with rounded contour edges.

A similar 51 series, dubbed Bordeaux, is offered in black lacquer cabinets to appeal to consumers looking for living room or family room placement.

Meanwhile, Tanenbaum said Samsung is also seeing strong business for its plasma products, despite recent price drops in LCD.

“Today, our entry 40W-inch LCD TV is slightly below the price of our entry 42W-inch HD plasma,” said Tanenbaum. “We are testing that right now. We don’t have any magic crystal ball that can say which display type consumers are ultimately going to want, but right now both products are high in market share, and demand for our plasma product remains very strong. We see that continuing at least for the near- and midterm.”

Many of Samsung’s new plasma models employ the company’s FilterBright anti-reflective technology, designed to improve contrast performance in brightly lit environments.