Injunctions, hail, sleet or snow, VIZIO kept shipping its LCD HDTVs in large amounts during the second quarter, enough of them to account for 21.7% of the market, according to iSuppli. That was enough to narrowly hold off Samsung, which saw its numbers rise sharply from 17.8% in the previous quarter to 21.3%, reportedly due to its introduction and marketing of new LED sets, which contributed to 2.2 percent of all LCDs sold during the period. The analysts also see a growing trend of customers coming back for their second flat panel television to replace an older one, just the kind of people it thinks might gravitate towards features like skinny, power efficient LED designs. We'll see if that's enough to swing the balance Samsung's way, or if customers stick with VIZIO's approach.

Read - VIZIO Again Ranked #1 in U.S. LCD HDTV Shipments
Read - Samsung Cuts Into Vizio's Lead in U.S. LCD TV Market in Second Quarter

If you thought there was a row over the Energy Star 3.0 requirements for TVs, you haven't seen anything yet. Research firm iSuppli rightfully calls out some challenges for even the energy-miserly LCD TVs to duck under the numbers in the draft version of the Tier 2 (effective 2010) and Tier 3 (effective 2012) versions of the standard. For example, a 50-inch TV will have do limbo underneath a 153-Watt peak for Tier 2 compliance and 108-Watts for Tier 3. We're confident that some clever engineering will allow LCD to reach those figures; the real impact might be on plasma TVs, however. It pains us to say it, but plasma's going to have a hard time making that grade; of course, that's assuming that plasma TVs are still being made and marketed towards consumers who value the Energy Star label. For those of us who want efficiency and ultimate image quality, it's time to pull for LED-backlit LCDs.

Read - Energy Star TV requirements draft [Warning: PDF link]
Read - iSuppli predicts change in LCD design

Even the economy can't keep HDTV sales down, according to iSuppli's research. In lieu of travel and going out, we're buying bigger TVs to stay home and watch, with sales of flat panel displays in the $600 - $999 range rising the fastest, while Wal-mart is very close to catching Best Buy in marketshare. Samsung's plasma sales kept it narrowly in the overall lead over upstart (and new LCD champ) Vizio, but we'll have to wait and see how long that lasts.

[Via Yahoo Tech]

With DirecTV launching HD service in Latin America, we'd say it's about time its residents realized that flat-panels are the wave of the future present. According to a fresh iSuppli report, the Latin American television market is expected to make a hasty and noticeable transition between now and 2012. Reportedly, LCD TV shipments to the region are set to rise and account for over 83% of the market in under four years; meanwhile, shipments of bulky CRT sets will decline to make up around 8% of the total market. The numbers are pretty baffling when you consider that CRTs held 77.4% of the market just last year, and it's actually rather scary to think where all of those soon-to-be-unwanted sets will end up.

The times, they are a-changin'. Back in February, we found that LCD TV shipments had surpassed CRTs for the first time in history. Now, an iSuppli report on HDTV growth has shown that HDTVs overtook standard-definition televisions "as the leading TV shipped globally" in 2008. Sure, the current economic environment may put a damper on HDTV sales for the moment, but the previously mentioned research sees no sign of growth slowing in the long-term. In fact, it forecasts that HDTV unit shipments will surge to 241.2 million by 2012, up from 97.1 million units in 2007; in comparison, it reckons that just 23.1 million SDTVs will ship out in 2012. Oh, and if you're eager for even more smile-worthy news, the report also suggests that HD set-top-boxes will represent 50% of the overall STB market in under four years. Time will tell.

[Via InformationWeek, image courtesy of ThePoolSide]

Samsung and Sony are celebrating (with their new displays no doubt) a 1-2 finish in iSuppli's second quarter LCD TV sales report. Vizio's slipped from the number one spot last year, to behind Philips, Sharp and LG, respectively, accounting for only 6 percent of the market. According to iSuppli's analysts, major name brands moving aggressively into smaller sizes and budget retailers like Wal-mart is squeezing the smaller Taiwanese competition out of the picture. Vizio bust onto the scene with extraordinary deals on flat screens, at this point does it become an also-ran as its principal supplier hooks up with the big names, or (we hope) is there at least one more hurrah coming Black Friday?

Not that it bears repeating, but LCDs have a pretty firm grip on the display market at large. Of course, that doesn't mean that other technologies will just sit idly on the sidelines, and research firm iSuppli managed to take a closer look at emerging competitors to see just how viable some alternatives actually are. It should be noted that the report tends to focus on displays used in smaller wares, such as navigators, cellphones and heads-up displays, but the findings can certainly be applied to the HDTV industry at large. Throughout the writeup, bi-stable displays -- defined as "electronic displays that are capable of presenting an image without using power" -- are expected to see the biggest growth in the coming years, while near-eye display revenue and the global HUD market will see slightly less impressive gains. Moreover, the pocket projector market is poised to explode, as it promises gigantic output from an incredibly diminutive footprint. Granted, it remains to be seen how long it'll take for a 1080p projector to fit in the palm of one's hand, but we can safely say we're already infatuated with the idea.

[Image courtesy of PolymerVision]

Just when we were ready to give the North American LCD throne back to Samsung and Sharp, iSuppli has released its numbers, claiming Vizio is still on top. In contrast with the previous rankings from DisplaySearch, iSuppli saw Samsung improve its marketshare in the third quarter to 12.8 percent, but still unable to match Vizio's mark of 13 percent. Along with the new numbers is information that the other manufacturers have taken note of Vizio's success and increased their promotions, the tight competition should promise many choices and better prices as we get into the all-important holiday season.

[Via TG Daily]

Vizio may have snatched the sales crown when it comes to LCDs in the U.S., but Samsung maintained it's position as the largest worldwide TV manufacturer in the second quarter. Following Samsung's 12.4% market share were LG with 11.4% and Philips with 7.1%. The numbers were run by iSuppli, who forecast the quickening demise of the CRT, with it dropping to 38% of unit shipments in 2009, compared to 56% this year. No word on exactly what part of that was HDTVs, but we hope buyers are getting the most quality possible out of those new plasmas and LCDs.

[Via TV Snob]

TI has given its 20-year old DLP technology a shot in the arm in the form of a $100 million advertising and marketing campaign. The ads should be airing during HD broadcasts of ESPN's Monday Night Football, as well as ABC and ESPN's Nascar Nextel Cup offerings. And if you don't have a HDTV, TI will be moving a 60-seat DLP 3D cinema around the country during the Nascar season to start your HD addiction. This marketing effort is taking place even when iSuppli has estimated shipments of 1.5 million DLP sets in 2007, about flat from last year. It's a bold move for a technology facing increasing competition from plasma and LCD. We're hoping the DarkChip 4 devices deliver real-world results, or the slogan "It's all in the mirrors" could morph into "It's all smoke and mirrors."

Toshiba's $499 HD-A1 HD DVD is "priced to make a profit" according to Toshiba executive Mark Whittard, despite reports from iSuppli that it actually cost around $700 to make. He also sought to clarify statements made by CEO Atsutoshi Nichida recently calling for unification between HD DVD and Blu-ray, and Toshiba's long term strategy for HD DVD. Their plan is to "stitch up" relationships with movie studios to ensure more support for the format, enable third party manufacturers to produce rebadged HD DVD players and increase its exposure in the marketplace. As far as unification? That is "just good business sense", since a format war confuses customers and shrinks the market. He remarks that Blu-ray does have some strong features, but thinks HD DVD matches up comparatively well, especially with support from Intel, Microsoft and HP.

Finally, the launch of the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on is mentioned, he expects Microsoft will release a version of the console with an internal HD DVD drive and that they will announce their plans to do so "fairly soon". We're not too sure about his statement that most of the studios who originally supported Blu-ray now have a foot in both camps, because Blu-ray still has an advantage there. It's good to see that someone realizes how much sense a unified high-def standard makes, however with the two sides both so firmly entrenched behind their format it's hard to see either one giving in to the other or even agreeing to a compromise anytime soon.

[Update: Cesar from Microsoft's Gamerscore blog has posted that Microsoft has "no plans" to include an HD DVD drive in the 360 and are going forward with the aforementioned add-on, thanks Eli!]