IN PICS! LED TVs to be expensive from April 1, check out details

If you are ready to buy an LED TV, now is the time to put stress on your pocket.

Some companies are preparing to increase the prices of LED TVs from the month of April.

The price of open cell panels in the global market has increased by 35% in the last one year.

Some companies like Panasonic, Haier, Thomson are planning to increase the prices of their TVs from April.

So some companies like LG have already increased the price of their TVs in view of the rising prices in open sale.

Panel prices have been steadily rising and this has led to a rise in TV prices, said Manish Sharma, President and CEO, Panasonic India and South Asia.

TV prices could rise further by April. Given the current trend, it could increase by 5 to 7 per cent by April, he said.

We have no choice but to raise prices. Eric Briganza, President, Haier Appliances India, said that the open sale has seen a sharp rise in prices and this trend is likely to continue.

"If this continues, we will have to keep raising prices," he said.

Open cell panel is an important part of TV production and covers about 60% of the unit.

Companies import television panels into the open cell state. This requires assembling with value addition from sale to market.

According to Super Plastronics, which is licensed by French electronics brand Thomson and US-based brand Kodak, there is a shortage of open cell in the market and its prices have tripled in the last eight months.

The price of the panel has been rising month by month for the past eight months. The price of LED TV panels has gone up by 35 per cent, said Avneet Singh Marwah, Chief Executive Officer, Super Plastronics.

The global market has affected the panel market. Even after this, it has increased by only 35 per cent in the last 30 days, he said.

He also informed that the unit of TV will be increased by Rs. 2 to 3 thousand from the month of April.