Sony plans to manufacture and ship a special line of LCD TV units to several low-cost, big box chains like Wal-Mart and Target in the near future. The marketing move comes as flatscreen HDTV sets become an increasingly ubiquitous product for consumers--and when that happens, prices often begin to gain more leverage with potential buyers than longstanding brand names.

This week, a Sony marketing exec said a "unique series" of LCD TV models would be sent to big-box outlets by late summer. Rather than as a means to simply sell more LCD sets, albeit at lower prices, Sony's strategy is to sell to a wider array of target groups, including specialty retailers on the other end of the CE retail spectrum that cater to early adopters and higher income customers, according to CNET.com.

Through Sony's Bravia HD series, the firm's most recent bestselling display is its 40-inch LCD (compared with a bestselling 32 inches, on average, for the industry at-large). But Sony thinks the screen size of choice for watching HD content will eventually be 50 inches.