That's because a significant amount of broadcasters have chosen to broadcast at 1080i which can actually make good use of those pixel. That's why the vast majority of all CRT tv remained at 480i/576i even though by the mid-90s the technology was available for cost-effective higher resolution CRT televisions.
Significant? Probably in the single-digit percentage range of the total market, it also transforms nicely to 720p.
Hardly the reason why 100% of the TVs turned 1080p.
Entropy said:I'd say that manufakturing costs takes a back seat to milking the consumers. Didn' t you notice how, for instace, HD capable 1920x1200 screens for a long time cost twice as much as the 1680x1050 ones? Despite being driven by the same electronics?
Consensual market segmentation rules pricing of consumer electronics.
In principle I agree, but I´d argue that they hardly sell TVs below production costs. Don´t you agree?