Prices of large screen displays are “pretty much in a free fall” according to David Naranjo of DisplaySearch, a market research firm. Panasonic, for example, is expected to drop prices dramatically for its plasma displays. Olevia has said that they’ll match any Panasonic price decrease, according to News.com. A plasma screen that retailed for $20,000 five years ago could sell for close to $4,000 this season. I always thought that plasmas were overpriced!

And according to The Ledger, a 65″ plasma from Panasonic will come in at half the price of existing models:

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. will start marketing a 65-inch plasma television worldwide toward the end of the year for less than 1 million yen — half the price of existing models — The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Friday. An official announcement is expected from Matsushita on Thursday. Company sources said Matsushita, best known abroad for its Panasonic brand, had slashed production costs of plasma televisions while keeping them compatible with the “full high vision” standard — the highest resolution of television pictures.

Bring it on!

News.com - Falling costs of big-screen TVs to keep falling
The Ledger - Plasma TVs to Cost Less
ABC News - Flat-Screen TV Prices Finally Coming Down