Crystal Ball Shows Black Friday TV Prices October 28, 2008 — Traditionally prices for TVs and other consumer electronics have plummeted starting on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season. This year, an analyst has looked into his crystal ball and seen flat-panel HDTVs selling for a range of three-digit prices.

The analyst is Paul Gagnon of DisplaySearch, and here are his predictions, as quoted in The New York Times:

19-inch high definition LCD: $199
32-inch HD LCD: $399-$499
40-inch 1080p LCD: $799-$999
42-inch HD plasma: $599-$699
50-inch HD plasma: $899-$999

Gagnon's DisplaySearch numbers are actually a little more conservative than those from David Barnes, another DisplaySearch analyst, whose crystal ball revealed 32-inch LCDs for $350. But a spot check yesterday on Amazon (where I've been keeping a vigil for a 32-inch Toshiba 1080p Regza) showed nothing below the $500 mark.

DisplaySearch also reports that TV prices are already 22 percent lower than they were a year ago. Despite softening prices, there's no lack of demand. In the long run, HDTV sales will continue to increase at an annual rate of 20 percent through 2012, according to iSuppli.