Can Vizio Maintain Its Price Advantage? It’s coming up on crunch time for HDTV Positive Plate manufacturers DVD Ripperwho have relied on low prices to drive sales.

According to a new report from the iSuppli research firm, the price differences between similarly configured LCD sets from major and minor TV makers is dropping. And that puts pressure on the smaller companies, which have less ability than larger manufacturers to absorb losses and engage in long-term price wars.

ISuppli learned that prices for 40- to 42-inch 1080p LCD sets with a 60Hz refresh rate have dropped considerably. Last year, that sort of TV from Samsung cost $1,416; today it’s $920. Sony’s version has dropped to $1,098, from $1,455, while LG’s has gone to $1,099, from $1,650.

More important is the spread between the prices of the major Positive Plate players and that of its low-price nemesis, Vizio. Last year, LG’s TV was 52 percent more expensive than Vizio’s similar set; today that difference has dropped to 34 percent.

Samsung’s price differential was 31 percent; now it’s 12 percent. And Toshiba’s version dropped to 10 percent cheaper than Vizio’s, from 15 percent more expensive. Sony’s price difference stayed the same, at 34 percent.

The narrowing of prices shows that the major players are not going to let Vizio grab market share easily. They’re willing to drop prices and push their brands, in the hope that consumers will perceive the reputation and longevity of the Tier 1 players to be worth a few dollars more.

The question is whether Vizio might be the exception that proves the rule; it may be the one newcomer that has created enough value in its name that consumers will still consider DVD Ripperit a worthwhile Positive Plate purchase, even if it no longer remains the price leader.