[hoodlum]

Not sure when this happened, but NEC dropped the price of their commercial units to $2,295 MSRP according to NEC's web site. Most online vendors haven't reacted yet, but we should see pricing well under $2K.


This ought to put pressure on all vendors to lower prices.

 

[jcpzero]

Great news - should help push the lower prices. I have not seen any NEC plasma's in person but the reviews have been great, too bad some B&M stores do not carry them.


Note: I live in Concord, CA if someone has seen these on display in any stores in the East Bay.


JCPZero

 

[exsibian]

The price is this low for few weeks now without any major impact on the online prices. You can get a couple hundred off that at most. Anyway, the price stated on NEC site is MAP not MSRP which probably explain the fact that you always have to call for price or add the display to your cart before you can see the price. I'm very curious in seeing one of these myself, anyone knows of a NYC area store that have one on display?

 

[rogo]

There is almost zero retail distribution for NEC anywhere, unfortunately.

 

[Tweakophyte]

Are these the new generation sets? I thought the new ones had come out recently.


Thanks,

 

[hoodlum]

These are the new generation sets from NEC. I believe these originally had a MAP $2,795 and they just recently lowered it.


In July, NEC announced that Best Buy would start carrying their LT170 projector. Maybe they'll soon start carrying their plasma line. This is the first time that NEC has introducted a consumer ED display (42VR5) so they will need to find retailers to sell these through. It should only be a matter of time before we are able to compare NEC plasmas locally.

NEC Makes Projectors More Widely Available to Consumers Through Best Buy Stores

 

[pj2004]

The Daewoo EDs have NEC guts if that helps at all...the inside of mine is almost completely NEC including the glass. Picture quality is incredible especially for under 2k.

 

[hoodlum]

The one advantage the NEC supposedly has over a panny is the better built-in Progressive Scan converter that is applied to all interlaced inputs. This is one area that the Daewoo would probably cut back on.

 

[jlsavs]

Re: NEC 42VP5/42VM5


Does anyone know which of these two are the better choice for your average indoor / home / everyday use ?


The differences seems to be only in the anti-glare (VP5) and anti-reflective (VM5) treatment added to the glass ...


I just don't know which would be better ?

Anyone got either of these yet ?


jlsavs

 

[hoodlum]

The anti-reflective (VM5) treatment is the same treatment NEC uses on their consumer model (VR5). Go with the VM5.

 

[jlsavs]

hoodlum,


Do you have access to these new NEC's ? How do they look ?

Do you know if they do 720p on all inputs ?

Maybe you could recommend a Canadian seller ?


I'm in Ottawa and am considering the NEC's ...

 

[hoodlum]

I know that AVdeals in Oakville has the VM5 on display. Complete-IT was willing to take $100 of their Internet pricing if you picked it up at their Mississauga warehouse. Since I talked to Complete-IT last week their Internet price has dropped $500. Probably related to the MAP price drop by NEC.

 

[jlsavs]

Complete-it and others up here in Canada still can't seem to do a price that is the same as the NEC web site usa price.


ie. Our exchange rate is now at an 80 cent dollar which equates:


$2299 usd x 1.25 ( 0.80 Canadian exchange rate ) = $2873 Canadian


Guess what ? They are typically asking $400 more than this equivalent price!

So where does that $400 bucks go?


And BTW, no one pays map/msrp in the usa - street prices are lower than the $2299 msrp for sure ...


Sorry for the Canadian rant ... it just gets frustrating up here.


jlsavs.

 

[jlsavs]

Hi all, just to clarify ...


I am not criticizing any one retailer here at all ... or even NEC's Canuck pricing policy in particular ... its the same for all the brands, and the Pio's and Panny's all have the same weirdness with Canadian distribution prices ...


Can't figure it out since the USA and Canada both have to import these products from overseas.

 

[hoodlum]

I just got off the phone with NEC in the U.S. and they told me that the Canadian MAP for the 42VM5 should be $3030. I have not seen anyone in Canada advertise a price this low. I think it may be time to send an e-mail to some of these authorized dealers.


After some checking most online retailers in the U.S. will take $200 off the MAP. We should be able to get the same discount here in Canada.

 

[jlsavs]

hoodlum, we can exchange emails on this if you prefer.


I have been seen NEC quotes that match your Canadian MAP price - they don't seem to be able to go below this ... This seems to be standard procedure up here - ie. retailers just don't bargain below the MAP or MSRP up here ... the term "street price" really doesn't seem to exist north of the border (-;


I would be nice to just get the usa MAP equivalent - not asking for the moon here!


jls

 

[hoodlum]

Has anyone compared the 42VM5 with the 42VR5? The only differences that I can see are the black vs silver frame and DVI vs DVI-HDCP.


Is there any other difference?

 

[PerryU]

A few thoughts on the higher Canadian price:

- Using .80 exchange isn't the real story. If you walk into a bank with 80us you won't walk out with 100cdn; ditto the other way around. (You'd go quickly broke changing your money back and forth!) Also .80 is the new high, reached this week... product in the channel now was bought with a lower loonie.

- Distribution's more expensive in the GWN. Smaller population centres, more space between, higher transportation costs.

- Maybe customs differences? Don't know.


I'm not justifying the differences; they bug me too... e.g. the US panny consumer (including OTA ATSC tuner / cablecard we don't get) is about the same price as their commercial model; here it's $800-1000 more. Why?


Just my .0160... Perry.

 

[hoodlum]

Noticed that the VR5 comes with 3 year warranty vs 1 year on the VM5. The VR5 may be the one to go for in Canada since it cost the same here as the VM5.