U.S. consumer interest in flat panel televisions has exploded in the past year while demand for bulkier TV technologies such as rear projection and CRT continues to shrink. For the foreseeable future, the retail and consumer living room landscape will consist primarily of LCD and plasma technologies.

More than 60% of respondents to a recent IDC survey indicated that, regardless of price, they believed either plasma or LCD was the best technology for screens of 42 inches or larger.

"Half of our respondents want to experience this newfangled technology called 'HD' and they're willing to replace their CRTs in droves to do so," said Eric Haruki, research director, TV Markets & Technologies. "More than 35% of respondents want to upgrade their existing TV size – again very likely tied to upgrading from smaller CRTs – while 30% now believe that the time and price is right to make the jump."

For future TV purchases, LCD technology is heavily preferred over Plasma by the respondent base, 73% to 20%, respectively. A full third of the respondents plan to buy a 40-49 inch TV for their next set, indicating continued interest in larger TV sizes. Consumers would rather buy a smaller 1080p TV rather than a larger 720p TV at the same price.