News.com is reporting that "America's love affair with all things big has moved from supersize french fries and sport utility vehicles to large flat-panel, wide-screen, HDTV-compatible televisions--the kind that can hang on a wall."

Tube sets still sell in huge numbers. In 2003, 21 million of the 31 million sets that sold were analog direct-view models, with an average selling price of $231, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

"But by 2007, sales of conventional sets will dwindle to less than half that, analysts say. Such sets will be attacked on the high end by digital flat-panel TVs and on the lower end by digital rear-projection sets.

Prices for flat TVs that use plasma technology are already dropping. A 50-inch set that cost $13,000 in 2000 can now be purchased for less than $6,000, according to DisplaySearch, a market research firm. That will drop to below $5,000 by next year and to $3,000 by 2007, the firm predicts. "

"By 2007, sales of all televisions bigger than 30 inches will jump from 17.5 million units today to 40 million units."

New.com is also reporting that "Yahoo is expected to stop selling its streaming-video service as a standalone product within the next few weeks, according to sources familiar with the plan, raising new questions about the viability of charging for television-like content over the Net."

"AOL, meanwhile, has made video a key part of its turnaround strategy"

"Portals are paying attention to online video, because the number of households that have high-speed connections has matured. About 21 million households will have broadband access by the end of this quarter, analysts estimated. Although the major portals know consumers want video content more than ever, the business model for delivering such content is still up in the air. "

"Internet ad executives say video will hit prime time with advertisers next year, thanks to greater stability in the medium and to the number of broadband-wired households. Jeff Lanctot, vice president of media for Avenue A, said advertisers take notice when a market has an audience of more than 20 million. And because of moves by AOL, MSN, RealNetworks and Yahoo, advertisers in the entertainment, audio and apparel industries will warm up to video content."

The common theme in both of this articles is that the players in these markets expect sales to increase as the cost decreases. If I'm right about change in pace of consumer acceptance of new technology, both internet based video and higher definition flat screens will hit a critical mass before 2008... within my 5 year window.