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Posts with tag DisplaySearch

LCD sales expectations raised for the rest of '09


Same old same old, despite the screams of plasma fans, LCD sales are expected to reach higher than ever this year, as DisplaySearch has raised its estimate to 127 million units worldwide in 2009. Total TV sales are expected to drop, as well as those of plasmas, but even in the liquid crystal world all isn't pretty. As a result of the ongoing price war, even with higher sales manufacturers are raking in less cash, with revenue projected to be down as much as 6 percent. We doubt that will result in the long predicted LCD price spike, but we do have to wonder how much lower we'llssee sales go later this year around usual bargain hunting times like Black Friday, there may not be much room left.

Flat-panel TV sales jump 23% over last year, Vizio leads the way


We'd already heard that Vizio has vaulted back into first place among LCD TV manufacturers, but a new series of numbers compiled by the folks at DisplaySearch is now shedding a bit more light onto how much the flat-panel TV market as a whole has surged over the past year. Apparently, about 7.2 million flat-panel sets were moved during the first quarter of 2009 alone, which represents a sizable 23% increase over the numbers from the first quarter of 2008. DisplaySearch also expectedly reconfirms Vizio's number one status, although its figures are a tad more conservative and peg Vizio's market share at a still impressive 18.9% (as opposed to the 21.6% found by iSupply), which is well above the 8.5% earned by the likes of rival Funai (producer of TVs for Sylvania, Emerson and other low-cost brands). As you might expect, higher-end brands like Sony and Samsung weren't as able to buck the economic downturn quite so easily, and they actually saw their sales decrease compared to the same period last year.

DisplaySearch finds some positive news in big screen LCD shipments


As with most industry sectors, there hasn't been an awful lot of incredibly great news flowing from LCD makers. Thankfully, that's changing this month, as a new DisplaySearch release shows the first increase in unit shipments and revenues since September of last year. By the numbers, we're looking at month-over-month growth of 23 percent, with large-area TLT LCD revenues reaching $2.96 billion. Of course, laptop PC and monitor panels still outsold panels for TVs, but not by a huge margin. As for the company breakdown in terms of overall LCD revenue, Samsung was predictably atop the pile with a 30.2 percent market share, while LG Display followed with 26.8 percent. For the rest of the figures, just give that read link a tap.

OLED market set to skyrocket in 2011, says DisplaySearch


You've seen the prototypes tucked away in trade show corners, and you've seen the demise of existing generation technologies -- it doesn't take an industry expert to realize that the door is wide open for OLED to walk through. According to a new report from -- who else? -- industry experts, the OLED lighting market is set to boom in 2011, with OLED revenues expected to surpass PMOLED displays in the 2013 / 2014 time frame. Specifically in the OLED TV market, manufacturers are scrambling to assemble large-screen OLED TVs that are even close to affordable, and estimates we've personally heard put those on the market just after the next decade begins. Clearly, the biggest hindrance from OLED domination right now is the prohibitive pricing, but once those XEL-1s are given away inside King Size cereal boxes, we'll really be onto something.

DisplaySearch shows slight LCD TV shipment decline in Q4 2008


Not that we didn't see it coming, but it's still somewhat deflating to watch the dream die. Preliminary DisplaySearch numbers are showing that LCD TV shipments slipped year-over-year for the first time since this style of tracking began, though on the bright side, the decline was but a meager two percent. More specifically, shipments slipped from 8.9 million units in Q4 2007 to 8.7 million units this past quarter. Things look a touch grimmer when viewing all TV shipments, as those fell seven percent in North America to 10.7 million units in the same period. The crazy part? Shipments of plasma TVs increased 28 percent quarter-over-quarter and 10 percent year-over-year, and all the while, we're seeing PDP makers jump ship like the end is near. Ah well, more statistics and figures await those that love 'em in the read link below.

DisplaySearch sez 50% of flat-panels will be "green" by 2011


While many TV makers have rushed to announce that their future sets were Energy Star 3.0 compliant, there's apparently quite a few manufacturers out there with aways to go in the eco-friendly department. A new report from DisplaySearch has it that in 2008, just 20% of flat-panel display shipments had "green features," while that percentage should rise to 50% by 2011 and 70% by 2012. So, just what does a set have to do to be classified as "green?" It needs to meet one of the following conditions: use environmentally friendly components and materials, achieve lower power consumption by using new components or technologies, be compliant with environmental regulations such as waste disposal, use production processes that reduce energy and materials consumed, be completely or partially recyclable after useful life or use green or eco-friendly concepts in product design. Seriously, just one of those? Not too high a hurdle, guys.

[Via CEPro]

LCD vs Plasma in 2009

Although the debate between LCD and plasma has raged on for years, the real battle only started two years ago when manufacturers started producing LCDs big enough to go head to head with plasmas. Now that it has been raging for two years, we've seen some interesting trends develop. LCDs have been very successful at pushing plasma out of its most popular size, 42-inches, and some manufacturers have stopped producing that size all together. Also a result of the success of LCDs, the number of plasma manufactures has decreased over the past two years. Pioneer is the most notable to announce its plan to stop producing its own plasmas starting with the next model and will instead buy glass from Panasonic, but Hitachi and Phillips have also announced similar plans -- and Fujitsu got out of the display business all together. Some might use these events combined with the latest green movement to conclude that plasma is dead, but not so fast.

Samsung opens up lead on Sony in US TV market

Samsung fights Sony
Sure, this week's CES could net Samsung some bragging rights over Sony if rumors of a 6.5-mm thin LED-backlit LCD display come true, but that's just about corporate pride (and Sony's XEL-1 is a shipping product to boot). The real hurt comes in the form of new numbers from DisplaySearch that show Samsung widening its lead in US sales, moving up to 26.7-percent of the US market compared to Sony's 14.8-percent. Those figures are through November, and it's pretty amazing that more than one in four digital TVs sold in the US were Samsung.

Displays to match pocketbooks with thinning profiles, says DisplaySearch

LGX LCD TV
Wallets all over the world are getting thin, and DisplaySearch says that displays will match that vanishing act in an effort to hang on to product differentiation. Calling for negative sales growth in 2009, the prognosticators still see sales of ultrathin (less than 40mm thick) displays reaching 14 million units in 2012, with the profile being even more important than LED backlights in product differentiation. We'll admit that styling is a big feature, and we rank thin profiles above the "Hertz race" we see spiraling out of control, but honestly we'd rather see emphasis on image quality -- LED backlighting included. Tell us your take, and try not to spill the beans on this "thin is in" trend to LaserVue.

[Via TGDaily]

DisplaySearch revises LCD TV forecasts for 2009, takes 'em lower


No surprises here, but the analysts at DisplaySearch have evidently been working overtime in order to revise the 2009 forecast for LCD TV shipments. We're not particularly sure where the originals sat, but if these new numbers prove true, we'll see LCD TV revenue fall year-over-year for the first time in the history of LCD TV shipments. The updated report notes that key factors in the downturn are "reductions in forecast TV prices and revised forecasts for year-over-year shipment growth for LCD and PDP TVs in 2009, down by 7 and 6 points from previous, respectively." As of now, LCD TV revenues are slated to drop 16% year-over-year, with total TV revenues falling 18%. Get a few big-screen OLED TVs out for under two large, and we bet all that changes -- don't mind that we're asking for the impossible or anything.

Standalone Blu-ray player sales triple over Black Friday


Black Friday sales overall may have been weak this year, but high-def sales were something special. HDTVs were up, and judging by the latest DisplaySearch numbers, so were Blu-ray players. Not including Sony's PlayStation 3, Blu-ray Disc player revenue during the week of Thanksgiving in the US and Black Friday "more than tripled from a year earlier after Sony and Samsung dropped their prices of entry-level machines below $200." Over $30 million was generated on sales of 147,000 Blu-ray decks, and overall prices averaged $200 compared to nearly $400 just a year ago. Of course, we can't say that the momentum will carry now that prices are hovering back up, but at least the BDA will have one particularly bright spot to brag over when it looks back at 2008.

Global TV shipments up 6% year-over-year to 53 million units


Open wide -- it's time for your latest dose of DisplaySearch numbers! The latest figures from the research firm have found that global TV shipments are up (imagine that, right?) 6% year-over-year and 11% from Q2 to Q3 2008. In fact, over 53 million units were shipped, though it's hard to say how many are still collecting dust in warehouses given the downturn in consumer spending. As predicted, the research points out that Q4 isn't likely to be nearly as rosy, but if we're sticking to last quarter, you should know that China had the largest quarterly gain at 15%, while North American shipments rose 12% year-over-year. We've spoon fed you the highlights, and per usual, we'll leave the nitty-gritty to the number crunchers in attendance.

[Via Digital Home, image courtesy of ZoneaUnlimted]

DisplaySearch reports rise in Q3 plasma shipments, but who's buying?


Generally speaking, a rise in flat-panel shipments is good news. But in these curious times, we're wondering if the customers are screaming for the suppliers to slam on the brakes before slapping another shipping label on an HDTV. DisplaySearch's latest look at plasma shipments shows a 37% rise year-over-year and an 18% increase quarter-over-quarter -- question is, who's buying? We've already learned that bulging inventories are leading to near-across the board price drops, and this economy isn't exactly fostering new waves of television purchasers. Whatever the case, Panasonic is holding down the top spot in Q3 2008 with a PDP market share of just under 40%, while Samsung SDI claims the silver with 29.4%. Here's hoping all these shipments lead to record low plasma prices in just a few Fridays.

DisplaySearch director takes a stab at Black Friday HDTV prices


It's impossible to know just how accurate Paul Gagnon, DisplaySearch's director of North American TV market research, will be with his latest predictions, but we figured it prudent to pass along these figures if for nothing more than to look back and see just how right / wrong they were. With Black Friday 2008 hastily approaching, Mr. Gagnon has put out his assumptions of where prices will head on that fateful day. He reckons that a 19-inch LCD will be selling for just under two bills, while a 32-inch LCD HDTV will go for $399 to $499. For those seeking a big screen, we're hearing $799 to $999 for a 40-inch 1080p set, $599 to $699 for a 42-inch HD plasma (for realz?) and $899 to $999 for a 50-inch HD plasma. Mark 'em down folks, and make sure you're not utterly shocked if these end up being off by a buck or two (or more).

[Via Home Theater Mag, image courtesy of TeamSugar]

DisplaySearch report takes long, hard look at flat-panel maturity


It's pretty obvious that flat-panel sales have the potential to slow (and that sets could get really, really cheap) in the current economic environment, but a new report from DisplaySearch asserts that the problem may be exacerbated by flat-panel maturity. According to David Barnes, DisplaySearch strategic analysis VP, the "concerns over contracting consumer demand over the near term may grab headlines today, but slower growth may be a long-term trend in the flat-panel market." In fact, it's expected that 4 out of 5 TVs in 2011 will use flat-panel technologies, meaning that this double-digit yearly growth we've grown accustomed to could be coming to an end. Of course, techs like OLED, SED (ahem) and holograms are just around the corner -- and be honest, who wouldn't trade in their KURO for a floating 1080p image with perfect contrast?

[Via TWICE]




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