$585 Million Plea in LCD Price-Fixing

Message

rssb · #1 Post by **rssb** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:34 pm

There is a news article running now:

***************************************
$585 Million Plea in LCD Price-Fixing

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 12, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three electronics companies have agreed to plead guilty and pay $585 million in fines for conspiring to drive up prices for people buying computers, TVs and other LCD screens.

In a plea deal filed Wednesday, LG, Sharp and Chunghwa Picture Tubes agreed to cooperate in an antitrust investigation being run by the Justice Department.

*******************************************

Is it possible that the non availability of regular 4:3 screens to do something with this ?

j-dawg · #2 Post by **j-dawg** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:07 am

I think the shortage of 4:3 screens has more to do with the fact that nobody wants them anymore.

I'm not saying that's a correct sentiment, but I don't think it has anything to do with price fixing.

Superego · #3 Post by **Superego** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:58 am

Agreed. Once people hopped on the widescreen bandwagon (or they were told to) it kind of killed the demand for 4:3 screens, and caused me to die a little inside

.

beGi · #4 Post by **beGi** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:23 am

j-dawg wrote:I think the shortage of 4:3 screens has more to do with the fact that nobody wants them anymore.

Not true, i want them. And i'm not saying that i would like to see every notebook in 4:3 format, atleast to have them on offer. Both formats have pros&cons...

ajkula66 · #5 Post by **ajkula66** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:06 pm

Anyone who follows this and other notebook forums knows that the demand for 4:3 ratio is still very much there, but the offers are not...

rssb · #6 Post by **rssb** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:24 pm

Thanks to whoever moved it to the correct forum !.

The demand is definitely there, most people working in professional enviroment ( atleast where I work) miss the 4:3 screens. There was a survey taken and 93% people said they would prefer the 4:3 screen over widescreen, if all the other hardware remained the same.

#7 Post by **AlphaKilo470** » Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:37 pm

I really prefer to do my work on a standard definition screen. However, I do enjoy having the wide angle for television viewing.

From my angle, widescreens are easier to market because they are still relatively new to the public and at the same time, it makes it easier on manufacturers to just produce one or the other; whether it be widescreen or standard def.

Truthfinder · #8 Post by **Truthfinder** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:53 am

ajkula66 wrote:Anyone who follows this and other notebook forums knows that the demand for 4:3 ratio is still very much there, but the offers are not...

I fully agree..................

I would like to buy a T400, but don NOT want the wide screen.... Yes, they are great for playing videos, but more than not, Thinkpad users, more over T series users are using ThinkPads for business use and this does not cover watching videos......... The 4x3 LCD is the way to go................ My 2 cents.

the Truthfinder

#9 Post by **ZaZ** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:17 pm

I can live with the widescreen, though I prefer standard, but I'd prefer a higher quality panel instead of the junk they've been giving us of late.

Truthfinder · #10 Post by **Truthfinder** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 1:38 am

FredGarvin wrote:I can live with the widescreen, though I prefer standard, but I'd prefer a higher quality panel instead of the junk they've been giving us of late.

Yes, I fully agree. The LCDs that they are pushing on us are typical junk, unlike what we have come to enjoy from the past, when IBM was at the helm..... Oh well, maybe Lenovo will wise up and get back to the business of providing quality LCDs with vivid imaging.

mattbiernat · #11 Post by **mattbiernat** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:23 pm

statistically statistics are incorrect 50% of the time.
i think that most people, the consumer market want widescreen because they can play movies on their laptop. i know... i know... you can use a TV to play your movie but most people seem to be using laptops as music, internet and DVD players. a little bit of word processing here and there.
so this explains why everybody wants widecreen, plus it sounds cool doesn't it? "i have a WIDESCREEN laptop"

beGi · #12 Post by **beGi** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:00 pm

mattbiernat wrote:statistically statistics are incorrect 50% of the time.

???

mattbiernat wrote: i think that most people, the consumer market want widescreen because they can play movies on their laptop...

Maybe, and it does feel better to play movies on 16:9, but 4:3=mobility...

mattbiernat · #13 Post by **mattbiernat** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:11 pm

beGi wrote:
mattbiernat wrote:statistically statistics are incorrect 50% of the time.
???
mattbiernat wrote:

what i mean is that statistics are very easily manipulated. that's where the saying comes from. learned in freshmen year English course.
but yes i do prefer 4:3. too bad they are gone.

beGi · #14 Post by **beGi** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:27 pm

English course and statistics, strange combination... It's true that someone who knows nothing about statistics can be easily manipulated, but others who do (myself included) will almost instantly know that something smells bad, or atleast not to take it for granted... Skepticism my friend(s) is the only way to know the truth...

Truthfinder · #15 Post by **Truthfinder** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:11 pm

For myself, I would opt for a 4"x3" screen as I use my THINKPAD as a tool, not a movie machine, music toy and the such. This is actually why I went with IBM nearly 14 years ago.
If I was in the market for a toy, I would have purchased a H.P./ Acer, or one of the other $399.00 junkers.

JUST my 2 cents.

But, to each his / her own.

Best to all

$585 Million Plea in LCD Price-Fixing

Non Availability of 4:3 screens due to price fixing or some kind of price gouging scheme by LCD manufacturers ?

$585 Million Plea in LCD Price-Fixing

16x9 vs: 4x3

Who is online