Flat-Panel Party Ends: Prices Rising For First Time Ever

The tumbling price of LCD monitors and TV sets has come to an end, and LG.Philips' vice president of TV panel sales, Champ Shin, is pleased as punch. Here's what he told Reuters today:

"The prices will likely be stable for the time being. In the strong season, there's even some chance for a (price) rise."

However, it looks like he missed the memo: prices are already up, rising in April for the first time since the LCD-Plasma price slump began. Market research data from iSuppli suggests the consumers' flat-panel party is over.

"Average pricing for LCD panels used in desktop PC monitors has increased by 2 percent in April compared to March, while notebook LCD panels have risen by 1 percent. Pricing for 32W-inch TV panels has held firm this month after consecutive monthly declines."

LG.Philips, which rules this market along with Samsung, is perhaps just clapping louder so it can start making a profit again, but the point is well made: the mad rush to throw up LCD panel manufacturing lines is over, and the technology has been in living rooms long enough to give manufacturers an idea of its long-term potential.

It comes down to one thing, which is the fact that LCD and Plasma will soon be without effective competition. DLP is still selling, but let's not kid ourselves: the flat-panel market is ripe for cartelization and price-fixing.