(Special Report) - Despite 720p TV's success in the market, some companies expect to discontinue their lower resolution displays by the end of 2008. Their reasoning? A lot of consumers, even the mainstream ones, are buying into higher resolution hype to future-proof themselves. That's not particularly a terrible thing, since they are paying more for these displays, but to a lot of people, it's just a matter of getting the absolute best, even when they can't see the difference. This thinking is leading to the demise of otherwise perfectly inexpensive and a nice group of 720p TVs.

At CES 2008, there were a lot of TVs, and the trend is definitely headed towards higher-resolution, thin, flat panel displays. However, to expect the end of 720p panels was somewhat surprising. To counter the aforementioned position, a few companies mentioned their excitement of their competitors exiting the market. That leaves room for us to expand, two companies we talked to said, after making it very clear with their intentions to stay in the market.

They believe a lot of consumers are wise enough to opt for the more inexpensive panels where picture quality continues to look impressive. Last year or not, prices for 720p TVs aren't expected to drop in the future, just like prices for high-end displays will flatten this year as well. But you should expect some consolidation in the market with the industry contracting their 720p production lines to make room for brighter, crisper displays.

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