In my humble opinion, they were always among the best looking flat panel TVs - going back years. Not cheap, however, and not cheap to produce. And that’s part of the reason that Fujitsu General’s board of directors decided yesterday to exit the PDP-TV business.

John DiLoreto
Analyst and Editor for
Insight Media

The 100-person Visual Display Division of Fujitsu has focused its efforts in high-end value-added PDP products for the custom AV market in North America and the UK. However, during the past several years, consumers have seen pricing of PDP and LCD TVs plummet across the board, giving rise to less expensive brands like Vizio and Westinghouse, and lower-cost retailers such as Costco.

The result has been diminished profitability for the high-end guys, including Fujitsu. Just recently, I marveled at their 65-inch plasma TV at Magnolia. The image was exquisite, and I thought the product would be perfect for viewing HD movies in my family room from 10 feet, or so, away. But at $15K, that wasn’t going to happen any time soon…even if prices continue to fall as they have been.

Fujitsu expects that they will, and they are not alone.

Sony has also just announced that they will stop making their SXRD microdisplay rear projection TVs in February 2008, pointing to difficulties making the product profitably. Ouch. That was also one of my favorite display products, a hit at last year’s CES, coming in sizes up to 70 inches. Once again, perfect for my family room, but not quite in my price range.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine has been enjoying his 50-inch Vizio PDP that he bought over a year ago for $1,000. Not quite the best quality, not quite 1080p resolution, but great for his pastime of watching hi-def sports. He wins, I lose.

Of course, there’s a lesson here. Consumers should be careful what you wish for. That elusive ideal HD display you’re holding out for may not get there for a long, long time - especially if the manufacturer can’t make a profit delivering it.

Fujitsu, meanwhile, has said it will continue display operations for the domestic business in Japan and continue to provide after-sales service for its display products after the company’s March 2008 business closure.

Which makes me think: Maybe, I could pick up one of those 65-inch beauties on eBay. Perhaps, I won’t have to wait so long, after all. Just a thought. What’s yours?

Happy Holidays.

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