Sony Quitting Rear-Projection TV Market

More interesting news from the television front: Sony is ceasing to manufacture rear-projection televisions, saying it just isn't profitable enough to make them any more.

I hadn't realized it, but Hitachi and Seiko have also left the business in recent months, according to this PC World story.

Projection TVs have long been a bastion of affordability for buyers looking for a cheap, yet large, television. (And there are still numerous consumer adherents to projection technology out there, many of whom say their projection sets look just as good as flat panels.)

Projection TVs are still the size leader, too. As recently as last year's CES, the largest TVs on display were still projection models. That, however, is on the cusp of changing in a major way (though I can't say more on that front until next week).

Sony's projection TV sales fell through the floor in 2007: Down 50 percent vs. 2006's numbers, while LCD TV sales have jumped the same amount over the same time period. In lieu of investing further in projection tech, Sony says it will continue to focus on LCD and plasma technology as well as emerging technologies like OLED (though OLED's looking a little rocky as well).

LINK: Sony Halts Rear-Projection TV Production