[By Jonathan Sutton]

A recent report has revealed that in June the prices of flat-screen TVs in the United States increased for a third consecutive month, driven primarily by the popularity of active-shutter 3D TV displays. The information came from respected global market research firm IHS.

The figures showed that the average cost of flat-panel televisions in the United States reached $1133, which reflected an increase of $10 compared to May, equating to a 0.9 percent increase. According to a breakdown of the numbers, the overall prices for LCD TVs came in at an average of $1050 in June, representing a $5 increase, whilst the overall prices for plasma TVs stabilised at $1590.

The average pricing on these HDTV sets has been rising for the past three months, although the increases have only been small. However, prior to this prices had actually been decreasing, having declined for four months in a row. Riddhi Patel, director for television systems and retail services at IHS, said that the most popular type of three-dimensional sets on the market today are 3D TVs that used active-shutter 3D glasses, and he stated that these had seen the biggest jumps in price. He added that these price hikes had driven up prices for the whole of the flat-panel TV market in the USA.

The data also showed that the price gap between active and passive 3D LCD TV sets has become more obvious now, with the difference between active and passive sets now coming in at 9 percent for sets of between 40 and 49 inches, and 14 percent for 50 inches and larger. In May, the difference between active and passive 3D sets was just 7 percent. This gap is also said to have been due to a drop in pricing on passive 3DTV sets, which fell by 3 percent for models of 40 to 49 inches, and by 8 percent for models sized 50 inches or larger.

See the original story here: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/flat-screen-tv-prices-higher-201107161293.htm