How much does it really cost to...

[BrinNutz]

Produce an LCD TV/Monitor

Now, I know there are differences such as resolution, TV Tuner capabilities...etc, etc, etc...

But, say we take the Westinghouse LVM37-W3SE and compare it to the Westinghouse TX-42"

Both are 1080P sets. One is a monitor with no TV Tuner (W3) and the other is a TV (TX-42). Each has at least one HDMI port (1 on W3, 4 TX).

But, they are not the same, I know, but just as a basis for something...How/where can I find how much it really costs a manufacturer to produce TV's. I am curious as to the actual mark up of these TV's, which I'm thinking to be in the several hundreds of dollars.

Kudos to anyone that can give relevant info!

 

[jbzx86]

Doing only a little preliminary research on costs of manufacturing, I came across this article: http://displaydaily.com/2006/12/14/lcd-prices-continue-to-tumble/. This most likely is off now, as this article is almost a full year old. However, I do think it shows you what it costs a manufacture to make and sell to make some kind of profit.

Also, check this article from April/May of this year: http://www.twice.com/article/CA6435441.html

These articles show the price of LCDs coming down a lot in the last 2 years. Also, earlier this year many manufacturer's of 32" LCD panels cut back on production because the price had fallen below the cost of manufacturing. Therefore, one can assume the manufacturing cost of a mainstream, mid-pack 32" LCD display would be in the $400 to $500 range. This is most likely a 720P panel at that. I imagine a 1920x1080 (or 1080i) panel would run well north of that by another $2-$300 dollars.

So when you purchase a 42" 1080i LCD tv for less than $1200, most likely it is costing them somewhere around $800 to bring into the store.

What I would be really impressed is if someone could quote prices for the various panel types in terms of $x per square inch or $x per diagonal inch.