A prime time to buy high-tech TVs

The Boston Globe reports:

Sarah Larsen wanted a 55-inch Sony LCD television for her husband's Christmas present and refused to settle for anything less than a bargain at Circuit City.

Aggressive price wars over flat-panel televisions, the Cadillac of TV sets revered for their big screens, clear pictures, and sleek physiques, have given shoppers the upper hand this holiday season. Merchants have slashed prices 40 percent on average over the past year, and electronics chains are offering years of no interest and no down payments as they try to fend off discounters and newcomers, such as Home Depot, Office Depot, and Toys "R" Us, that are now selling low-cost LCD and plasma TVs.

"Prices are dropping faster than TVs are growing in terms of screen size," said Scott Erickson , a partner in Deloitte & Touche's consumer business practice. "The average American household that a year ago could only dream of putting in a 50-inch or greater television is actually doing it this year."

The miracle of capitalism:lower prices and better products.