Once the only rear-projection screen TV hold out, Mitsubishi has finally exited the market.
Sony abandoned the rear projection screen TV market in 2007, while Samsung ditched the category back in 2008. Both industry heavyweights shifted their efforts from rear projection TVs to focus on LCD sets, which are thinner and more popular with consumers.
When Samsung and Sony left the market, Mitsubishi was the only manufacturer still producing TVs for rear-projection fans – until now. The announcement arrived by way of a letter that Mitsubishi sent to authorized service centers notifying them that production on 72-inch, 82-inch, and 92-inch DLP projection televisions would cease.
Mitsubishi also confirmed that it would be restructuring its Electrical Visual Solutions America branch.
MEVSA Executive Vice President of sales and marketing told CE Pro, “We are in the midst of an orderly exit from the DLP TV business. MEVSA will now focus on B-to-B (projectors, display wall, printers, digital signage, monitors, etc.) and the home theater projector business.”
Mitsubishi produced some of the more popular rear projection screen TVs on the market. The value proposition for rear-projection screen TVs was cost versus screen size. You can get a 75-inch screen Mitsubishi LaserVue rear-projection TV for about $4000 while an LCD or plasma TV at the same screen size is often considerably more expensive.
