EDTV? Plasma? Confusion over flat-panel sets stifling growth

Do you know the difference between HDTV, LCD, EDTV, and plasma?

If the technobabble around flat-panel televisions leaves you feeling lost, yet you are still yearning for one of those sleek babies on your living room wall, you've got plenty of company.

In fact, confusion over the technology behind flat-panel televisions -- thin TVs with flat screens that fit on a tabletop or can be mounted on a wall -- is one of the few barriers to explosive growth in that market, according to the results of a new survey by Framingham-based technology research firm IDC. The other drag on growth: prices that are still just slightly out of reach for many consumers. The market for the slender sets won't slow down anytime soon, but it could grow even faster if the costs of larger screens fall and retailers do a better job of explaining the technology, the study concluded.

Nearly 1,300 consumers worldwide responded to IDC's survey on the market for flat-panel televisions; more than 23 percent of the respondents said they already owned a flat-panel television, while three-quarters of those who indicated they were in the market for a new television said they would buy one with a flat panel . All respondents said they were either somewhat or extremely likely to buy a flat-panel television by the end of this year.

A strong market for a high-end product with significant room for growth: every retailer's dream, right? Well, almost.

One problem for retailers is price: 60 percent of those surveyed said they expect to pay less than $2,000 for a new television. Prices on flat-panel televisions, particularly high-definition models, have dropped dramatically in recent years but the cost of the biggest and most popular models -- those with 40-inch and larger screens -- can cost upwards of $2,500.

The survey also indicated that retailers and manufacturers need to simplify how they market flat panels to consumers, because many shoppers are confused by the labyrinth of terms for the technologies associated with them.

While flat panel generically refers to the slim profile of a television compared to the big, boxy girth of tube and projection sets, flat panels can be either liquid-crystal display (LCD) or plasma models -- each with distinct technologies for displaying a picture. And while most flat panels are high-definition, or HDTV, compatible, meaning they can display stellar digital-quality pictures with very high resolutions, not all of them are. Some are enhanced definition , or EDTV, models, which produce better pictures than a regular television but not the vivid images possible on an HDTV set.

Get it?

If not, you can take solace in the fact that you're not alone, and that television manufacturers and retailers are learning that they are going to have to do better to close the deal on that elegant television you apparently already want.

Keith Reed can be reached at reed@globe.com.