Television Sets

The latest in television technology is on display at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, with super-thin screens, three-dimensional imagery, wireless connections and ultra-sharp picture quality. Too bad you can't afford it. All of this state-of-the-art TV tech -- much of it not yet available -- is extremely expensive, which is even more of a consideration for buyers in these recessionary times. But it's fun to dream.

The future of television could be sitting in an Irvine laboratory. To illuminate images, these sets use light-emitting diodes behind the screen, resulting in TVs that can be far thinner, brighter and more eco-friendly than other flat-panel models. LED-backlit TVs -- an evolution of the standard LCD set -- have been on the market since 2004. But the sets in this lab have something that could catapult the technology into the mainstream. A far lower price.

The influential lobby group Consumer Electronics Assn. is fighting what appears to be a losing battle to dissuade California regulators from passing the nation's first ban on energy-hungry big-screen televisions. On Tuesday, executives and consultants for the Arlington, Va., trade group asked members of the California Energy Commission to instead let consumers use their wallets to decide whether they want to buy the most energy-saving new models of liquid-crystal display and plasma high-definition TVs. "Voluntary efforts are succeeding without regulations," said Doug Johnson, the association's senior director for technology policy.

That 52-inch, flat-screen television on the family room wall may have a terrific picture, but there's a big drawback: It's an energy hog. State regulators are getting ready to curb the growing power gluttony of TV sets by drafting the nation's first rules requiring retailers to sell only the most energy-efficient models, starting in 2011.

On a recent evening, only one customer lingered in a local Best Buy's cushy Magnolia showroom, where the chain store shows off its high-end, state-of-the-art televisions. He was sitting on a leather sofa, fast asleep. In these tough times, shopping for a TV has become less about state of the art and more about state of the economy. Luckily, it's a good time to snag a bargain, experts say. This is a time of year when TV prices traditionally stabilize.

If you're still using old-fashioned rabbit ears to watch television, you may be in luck for a few more months. The mandate to switch from old-school analog to new-school digital over-the-air TV is likely to be postponed from Feb. 17 to June 12, if a Senate bill passed Monday makes it through the House, which is scheduled to vote this morning. But it's not quite that simple.

The transition to digital television next month has been hailed as the biggest advance in over-the-air TV since the advent of color, but it's shaping up as a black eye for the government and risks leaving millions of viewers without a picture. On Thursday, President-elect Barack Obama asked Congress to postpone the federally mandated switch to all-digital broadcast television, called DTV, scheduled to take place Feb. 17.

Buyers of this year's most advanced televisions might notice a curious new feature -- a little jack that connects the sets directly to the Internet. For now, the capabilities are modest. Viewers can't surf the Web as they can on their computers, but they can use their remote controls to get updated local weather forecasts, personalized stock quotes, on-demand access to a handful of TV shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and thousands of YouTube videos.

In less than nine months, old-fashioned broadcast television will go the way of typewriters, vinyl records and 35-millimeter film. Like just about everything else, it's getting upgraded to digital. If you haven't been paying attention -- and who could blame you, it's not even football season and the government-mandated change won't take place until after next year's Super Bowl -- broadcasters, federal officials and consumer advocates say it's time to start tuning in to the digital TV transition.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. said Wednesday that it would spend about $2.4 billion to build the world's largest plasma TV display panel plant amid expectations of a surge in demand for flat-panel televisions. The Osaka-based maker of Panasonic-brand electronics said it aimed for annual sales of 10 trillion yen ($84 billion) by the end of March 2010, up from an estimated 8.95 trillion yen in fiscal 2006. Matsushita dominates in plasma display flat-panel TVs with its Viera line.