OTHER TECH

"Within two years or less," says Pioneer's Dever, "you will be able to find plasma displays in the $100-per-inch price range," referring to diagonal screen-size measurements. "Our research has shown that consumers would be willing to go that extra stretch for the 'wow factor' of a plasma TV." Of course, most TV buyers are still likely to consider $4,200 for a 42-inch TV expensive.

Fujitsu, a major supplier of panels to other brands, predicts that this year plasma-TV sales for home use will eclipse sales for industrial and business applications. Last year's sales figures for the U.S. support that projection.

"Growth in consumer plasma sales has been phenomenal, especially considering the slow economy we had in 2001," says Alessandra Almgren, president of the market-research firm Home Theater Research Group, which recorded nationwide sales of 26,000 plasma sets in 2001. That's an 81% increase over 2000, though it's still a tiny number compared with the sales of tube-based TV sets, which exceeded 23 million in 2001.

"Prices have been decreasing dramatically for 42-inch panels, which is where we've seen the strongest sales," Almgren says, adding that plasma looks even stronger for the coming years. "In 2005, we estimate 270,000 [plasma TVs] will be sold, and the street price for 42-inch [sets] will be around $3,000."

Like any groundbreaking technology, plasma will need some time before it becomes both familiar and affordable enough to be taken for granted. Today, only a privileged few can lie down and watch late-night TV on the ceiling. But tomorrow, the breakneck pace of technological advancement, coupled with the inevitable drop in prices, will mean that a lot more people will be able to own an ultra-thin, high-performance, big-screen plasma TV set.