Plasma TVs becoming more affordable
The hottest topic of discussion around the country is the government's plan to raise fuel prices in early October. It is feared the higher fuel prices will affect businesses, and in the audio-video market prices have shown a slight uptick.
It is generally thought that prices will go up shortly after the fuel prices are raised. Prices at several hypermarkets have already increased.
However, several players in the audio-video market, like Samsung, LG, Sanyo and Hitachi, do not plan to jack up their prices. Why? Simply because they want to take over the market share of their competitors, or, in other words, because they want to survive.
It is also interesting to note that the prices of wide-screen TV sets like plasma TVs and LCD TVs are expected to continue to drop until they reach a level that will allow them to compete with, and even, if possible, surpass CRT flat television sets.
Despite the rupiah weakening against the US dollar and the planned fuel price hike, there are still some good deals to be had. A plasma TV made by LG, the MT-42PX10 (42 inches), can be had for just Rp 20 million. At this price you can also purchase the AOC PD4265, which is a 42-inch plasma television set with PiP, HDTV ready, DVI and a 10,000:1 ratio contrast features.
The 42-inch 42PF9946 Philip plasma TV has just been cut in price from Rp 25 million to Rp 22.5 million.
Wide-screen television sets are the center of attention this issue because of their allure. Aside from the three sets referred to above, there are several others that may interest you. An Akira 32-inch LCD TV, the LCT-32CHSTP, sells for Rp 13 million, while a 43-inch LG projection TV, the 43NB10RB, and a 43-inch Samsung projection TV, SP-43T8HF, cost Rp 10.1 million and Rp 9.1 million, respectively.
A 42-inch new-release plasma TV by Panasonic, the TH-42PA50H, is now available at an introductory price of Rp 27.3 million. All these prices have been significantly cut by anywhere from Rp 400,000 (Samsung SP-43T8HF) to Rp 13 million (LG MT-42PX10).
Turn your attention to the 29-inch (CRT) flat TV market and you will find some equally attractive offers. The Philips 29PT3233 has just been lowered in price by Rp 200,000 to Rp 2.9 million, and the Philips Matchline 29PT7332, a premium TV set with a 100 Hz digital feature, has been discounted by Rp 490,000 to Rp 5.1 million.
An LG Flatron television set, the RT-29FD61R, is being aggressively introduced to the market at a price of Rp 3.1 million. Another attractive offer is the Sony Wega KV-DA29M61, which has been cut in price from Rp 7.05 million to Rp 6.5 million. Likewise, the Sharp Czar 29ZF5588, which is a flag carrier for Sharp, has been slashed in price by Rp 100,000 to Rp 3.9 million.
If you are in the market for a (CRT) flat television set with a screen measuring 21 inches diagonally, you will notice that the stiff competition has led to some dramatic price movements. The Panasonic Tau TC-21FJ20M (AV stereo) is becoming increasingly more competitive at a price of Rp 1.52 million, competing closely with the JVC AV-21WX14 (AV stereo), which sells for Rp 1.525 million. Compare these two with the brand-new LG RT-21FB70R (full stereo), which costs Rp 1.485 million! It must be obvious which is your best choice.
There are also some surprises in the market. The prices for 21-inch television sets by Sony are quite attractive. The Sony Wega KV-SW21M50, for example, has been cut in price by Rp 45,000 to Rp 1.93 million. The Sony KV-HW21M50, after being slashed in price by Rp 45,000, is now available at Rp 1.95 million, while the Sony KV-BZ21M50 sells for Rp 1.75 million. Sharp's prime product in this market segment, the Czar 51ZF508W (full stereo), has been discounted by Rp 290,000 and is now available for Rp 2.16 million.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for a handycam, you may want to consider two attractive offers from Samsung, for its VP-D101i (Rp 2.5 million) and its VP-D323i (Rp 2.8 million). Both use cassettes in the mini DV format. In the case of the VP-D32i, it can also take digital still pictures. Clearly, the price of the VP-D323i is a record low for a handycam that also take digital still pictures.
Latest prices of home entertainment products
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.RM 7.80"
.TB.30" 2.20" 5.3"
Brand/Type Specification Price (Rp)
LG MT-42PX10 Plasma TV, 42 inch 20,000,000
AOC PD4265 Plasma TV, 42 inch, 20,000,000
HDTV ready,
PiP, Contrast Ratio 10,000:1
Philips 42PF9946 Plasma TV, 42 inch 22,500,000
Akira LCT-32CHSTP LCD TV, 32 inch 13,000,000
LG RT-43NB10RB Projection TV, 43 inch 10,100,000 - 11,000,000
Samsung SP-43T8HF Projection TV, 43 inch 9,100,000 - 10,000,000
Panasonic TH- Plasma TV, 42 inch 27,200,000
42PA50H
Philips29PT3223 CRT Flat TV, 29 inch, 2,900,000 - 3,100,000
AV stereo
Philips 29PT7332 CRT Flat TV, 29 inch, 5,100,000 - 5,590,000
Full Stereo, Digital
100 Hz, DVD input
LG RT-29FD61RCRT Flat TV, 29 inch, 3,100,000 - 3,900,000
Full Stereo, DVD input
Sony KV-DA29M61 CRT Flat TV, 29 inch, 6,500,000 - 7,920,000
Full Stereo, DVD input
Sharp 29ZF558W CRT Flat TV, 29 inch, 3,900,000 - 4,000,000
Full Stereo, DVD input
Panasonic CRT Flat TV, 21 inch, 1,520,000 - 1,725,000
TC-21FJ20M AV stereo, DVD input
JVC AV-21WX14 CRT Flat TV, 21 inch, 1,525,000
AV stereo, DVD input
LG RT-21FB70 RCRT Flat TV, 21 inch, 1,485,000 - 1,719,000
Full Stereo, DVD input
Sony KV-SW21M50 CRT Flat TV, 21 inch, 1,900,000 - 2,000,000
AV stereo, DVD input
Sony KV-HW21M50 CRT Flat TV, 21 inch, 1,950,000 - 2,459,000
AV stereo, DVD input
Sony KV-BZ21M50 CRT Flat TV, 21 inch, 1,750,000
AV stereo
Sharp 51ZF508W CRT Flat, 21 inch, 2,160,000 - 2,625,000
Full Stereo, DVD input
Samsung CS-17M16 CRT Flat, 17 inch, AV stereo 995,000
Philips FW-D570 DVD Mini Compo, 3300 watt PMPO 2,800,000 - 3,000,000
JVC MX-JE5 DVD Mini Compo,Surround- 2,600,000 - 2,650,000
Speaker, 2200 watt PMPO
LG LM-V332 VCD Mini Compo, 1400 watt PMPO 975,000
LG DZ-9300P DVD Player 435,000
Coby TF-DVD7050 Tablet DVD, TFT 7 inch, MP3, 1,750,000
Built-in Speaker (2)
Coby TF-DVD7300 Tablet DVD, TFT 7 inch, 1,650,000
Built-in Speaker (1)
Coby TF-DVD7100 Tablet DVD, TFT 7 inch 1,500,000
Samsung VP-D101i Handycam, Mini DV, 2,500,000 - 3,100,000
16X Optical Zoom
Samsung VP-D323i Handycam, Mini DV, 2,800,000 - 4,500,000
Still Picture
JVC GR-D250AG Handycam, Mini DV, 2,900,000 - 3,150,000
25X Optical Zoom
Optoma EP738 DLP Projector, SVGA, 8,500,000
1800 ANSI Lumens, 2.4 kg
Optoma H30 DLP Projector, 800 ANSI- 16,500,000
Lumens, 3000 hours,
contrast ratio 2000:1
Epson EMP-TW200H LCD Projector, 1300 ANSI, 1,140 pounds
3000 hours,
contrast ratio 1000:1
Sim 2 Domino 20H DLP Projector, $5,000
contrast ratio 2000:1,
Resolution 1024x576,16:9
Canon Xeed SX50 LCOS Projector, $4,000
2500 ANSI Lumen,
Resolution 1400x1500,
contrast ratio 1000:1
D-ILA DS+25 DLP Projector,SXGA+, $14,500
2500 ANSI Lumen,
contrast ratio 2500:1
Sanyo PLC-XF60 LCD Projector, XGA, $12,500
6500 ANSI Lumens, contrast-
ratio 1300:1, HDTV ready
BenQ PB6100 DLP Projector, 1500 ANSI- 12,000,000
Lumens, contrast ratio 2000:1
Toshiba TDP-S81 DLP Projector, 2200 ANSI- $1,499
Lumens, SVGA (800x600),
2,6 kg, Document Camera
Toshiba TDP-S25 DLP Projector, 1800 ANSI- $870
Lumens, SVGA (800x600)
Toshiba TDP-SC25 DLP Projector, 1800 ANSI- $1,100
Lumens, SVGA (800x600),
Document Camera
Toshiba TLP-T721 LCD Projector, 2400 ANSI- $2,899
Lumens, XGA (1024X768),
4,6 kg, Document Camera
Toshiba TLP-T791 LCD Projector, 3000 ANSI- $3,499
Lumens, XGA (1024x768),
5,3 kg, Document Camera
ACER PD 113 P DLP Projector, 1700 ANSI- $899
Lumens, SVGA (800x600), 2.0 kg
ACER PD 116 P DLP Projector, 2100 ANSI- $1,099
Lumens, SVGA (800x600), 2.4 kg
ACER PD 525 DLP Projector, 2600 ANSI- $1,650
Lumens, XGA (1024x768),
2.4 kg, PiP,
contrast ratio 2000:1
ACER PD 725 DLP Projector, 2800 ANSI- $2,749
Lumens, XGA (1024x768),
3.4 kg, PiP,
contrast ratio 2000:1
Survey was conducted at "Senen Electronic" Atrium Plaza - Senen, "Victory Electronic" Orion Plaza - Glodok, AGIS, Carrefour and certain projector boutiques in Mangga Dua Mall between Sept. 15 and Sept. 20.