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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]
Plasma surprisingly gaining ground on LCD?
Here we are again, smack dab in the crossfire as another plasma versus LCD battle rages on. This time, it's plasma surprisingly on top, with sales of LCD TVs seeming to slow as PDP adoption grows. One may assume that the global economic situation would cause a drop in sales across all platforms, but according to a new report from DisplaySearch, that's hardly the case. In fact, one David Hsieh (VP of DisplaySearch in China) even asserted that "plasma sales are booming while LCD TV sales are beginning to slow." The reason? Low prices. Now more than ever, consumers are able to snatch up big screen PDPs for a remarkably small outlay, and in many cases, comparable PDPs are priced a hair lower than a similar LCD. Of course, we very much expect LCD TVs to be all the rage when prices tank during Black Friday, but it's good see plasma showing signs of life once more. It had us worried there for awhile.[Thanks, Vanbrothers]
BDA sez Blu-ray player prices aren't sinking anytime soon
More news from the DisplaySearch / NPD HDTV conference out in California, and this time it's from the Blu-ray Disc Association. Andy Parsons, the BDA's chairman, told attendees that Blu-ray player and disc pricing were behaving the same way as when DVD was the hot new thing. Parsons noted that "there [wasn't] enough market volume to lower prices," adding that firms first have to "build awareness and demand for the technology" before stickers can shrink. Granted, this opens the whole "chicken before the egg" debate, with pundits asserting that awareness and demand won't build until prices are low enough to be digested by the masses. Also of note, Andy suggested that consumers still wanted something "they could hold in their hands" when asked about the threat of digital downloads, but then again, would you really expect to hear anything different?
DisplaySearch forecasts skyrocketing sales of standalone Blu-ray players
Out of seemingly nowhere, DisplaySearch has became way hot on Blu-ray. At a recent conference in Hollywood, the research firm reportedly announced its expectations that "global unit sales of standalone Blu-ray players will triple this year and will double next year as prices fall, more titles are released and a larger percentage of the population own high-definition TVs." As for numbers, that's 2.38 million BD decks this year and 5.31 million in 2009, which means Sony's PS3 would no longer be the biggest selling Blu-ray player by 2010. Look, we'd love for Blu-ray adoption to suddenly get off the ground and soar, but as if it hasn't been restated enough, we simply can't see it happening without at least a few sub-$200 players on the market. Guess we'll see soon enough, huh?
North American TV shipments up 28% year-over-year, Samsung gets bragging rights
Despite the weakening economy here in the US and elsewhere, people are -- as predicted -- still showing interest in HDTV. Shortly after seeing what a nice Q2 the plasma sector had, DisplaySearch has revealed that TV shipments in general were way, way up in said quarter. In fact, North America saw the biggest year-over-year increase (28%) since the outfit started tracking TV shipments in 2004; then there's the 26% quarter-over-quarter growth, which is equally impressive. LCD TV shipments rose 52% compared to last year while PDP shipments shot up 34% in the same period, and it's safe to say that Samsung has the most to gloat about. It was the leading overall brand with shipments of its sets surging to a record 19.1% of all shipments in North America during Q2. Anxious to see who took the proverbial silver / bronze? Check out all of the stats in the read link below.
DisplaySearch Q2 plasma results shows big growth, Matsushita on top
Oh, how quickly the mighty have fallen (again). Shortly after Matsushita dropped to third in plasma shipments in Q1, the outfit has leapfrogged both LG and Samsung SDI in order to claim the gold in Q2 2008. The outfit's revenue share skyrocketed from 29.4% to 36.8%, showing a 23% year-over-year improvement. Also of note, 1080p PDPs saw remarkable growth (54% year-over-year) this quarter, which were reportedly driven by sales of 46-inch models. Looking at Matsushita in particular, over 43% of its plasma shipments in Q2 were 1080p, and overall it "accounted for over 70% of all 1080p PDP shipments." Anyone taking bets on who comes out on top in Q3?
DisplaySearch looks into crystal ball, sees an OLED future
Perennial display industry prognosticator DisplaySearch has looked really deeply into its crystal ball, and has come back with OLED TVs and mini-note PCs as the big growth sectors. Over the years 2007 - 2015, DisplaySearch pegs sales growth for OLED TV at 167-percent and mini-note PC at 74-percent, both outpacing even the golden-egg-laying goose that is the digital photo frame. On the large scale, we agree that OLED looks like it will be the future, but putting numbers on an 8-year span is a bit of a reach; or at least that's what laser TV and FED are hoping.
Widescreen LCDs going widescreen by 2010
The term "widescreen" is one of the most notoriously confusing monikers (this side of Full HD) used to describe a display's specifications. Widescreen generally translates to a 16:10 aspect ratio when discussing computer LCDs (monitors or laptop displays) or 16:9 if you're talking about the living room TV. Of course, it can also refer to the 2.35:1 ratio often used for films or something entirely different if you're Apple touting the wonders of your new widescreen iPhone. Fortunately, we're trending towards at least some convergence around the 16:9 aspect. DisplaySearch predicts that by 2010, 16:9 panels will make up 90% of new laptop displays and 67% of new monitors. Acer has been at the forefront of this transition with products like its Gemstone Blue laptops and the Acer P224W monitor pictured above. The move is being driven by panel manufacturers' desire to maximize production efficiency -- something they should have realized before the glass sizes diverged in the first place. Regardless, the end result should be more pennies saved by you, Joe Consumer, and that's a good thing.
New study shows higher resolution, interactive capabilities to drive future HDTV growth
For now, the HDTV market is doing just fine as-is. We've still got stragglers seeing the light on a daily basis, and the looming DTV transition is probably pushing sales somewhat as well. However, according to Calvin Hsieh, DisplaySearch's Director of Research, the market is set to peak between 2009 and 2011. In order to grow beyond then, he suggests that the sector will have to focus on "enhanced features for TVs, such as higher resolutions, expanded broadband infrastructure, internet connectivity, versatile applications and interactive capabilities to meet the needs of the connected digital home." Hard to argue with any of that, no?[Via The New York Times]
LCD outsells plasma 8-to-1 in Q1 2008
Not so long ago, the good people at DisplaySearch were forecasting good times for plasma. But there's no way around the first quarter of 2008 global sales numbers that show LCD outsold plasma by an 8 to 1 margin. Take a breath -- those are global sales numbers -- but it still isn't the most encouraging news for plasma fans. Worldwide, plasma has a frenemy in good old CRT, though, which actually edged out LCD on its way to the highest sales volume. Click on through for all the numbers, but globally it looks like this: LCD is taking over, plasma is moving into a very small niche, RPTV is all but gone and CRT is going down with a fight.
Worldwide LCD TV shipments surpass CRTs for first time ever
Just days after Sony vaulted to the top of North American LCD sales charts, DisplaySearch is now reporting that worldwide shipments of LCD TVs have overtaken CRT TVs for the first time in the history of the universe. More specifically, LCD TV sales rose some 56-percent year over year, and 47-percent of the world's TV market is now held by said technology. Reportedly, the transition from CRT to LCD was seen as a logical one, considering that it could extend down to sizes smaller than 20-inches and satisfy desires for large-screen sets. We know you're just itching to go diving head first into more numbers on the subject, so feel free to toss on those wire-rimmed glasses and hit the read link below. [Via TGDaily]
Video Business breaks down Black Friday sales figures
For the statistics freaks out there, you're sure to love this one. After DisplaySearch churned out a plethora of data surrounding Black Friday sales in the HD realm, Video Business took the liberty of breaking it all down for easier digestion. Interestingly, some 600,000 DVD players were moved while only 57,000 high-definition players were sold during the week ending November 24th, but less shockingly, (cheaper) HD DVD players made up 62-percent of that 57K. Nevertheless, Blu-ray hardware grabbed 52-percent of the revenue, even though it sold substantially less units than HD DVD. On the software side, BD titles made up 72.6-percent of all high-definition movie purchases, while HD DVD claimed the other 27.4-percent. We know, numbers only say so much, but it doesn't really look like any recent trends shifted over the US' biggest shopping holiday of the year.[Image courtesy of SmackShopping]
DisplaySearch numbers show global TV sales growth
Research firm DisplaySearch compiled its global numbers for Q3 2007 and found unit sales up 18% and revenues up 17%, quarter-over-quarter. People all over the planet are buying sets, and flat panel sales are particularly strong. The sales aren't just in small panels, either: even though the average panel size is 27-inches, panels in the 40 - 47-inch class experienced the fastest growth in both units and revenue and now account for almost one-third of TV revenues. Not surprisingly, the "1080" moniker is hot in Japan and North America, posting huge gains for both LCD, plasma and microdisplay sets that flaunt the spec. Manufacturers and retailers have to be happy about the this -- the premium cost of 1080 sets helped to hold the decrease in year-over-year average sale price (ASP) to just 1%. More numbers than you can shake a stick at after the link.
DisplaySearch forecasts bright future for plasma displays
DisplaySearch has issued a report that adds to the good outlook for the future of plasma displays. After poring over the numbers and taking a tour of Panasonic's Plasma Display factories, the firm cited motion performance, cost, and "luminous efficacy" among the technology's competitive features. The motion performance is something we've covered before, with the best PDPs besting even the latest LCDs, even if only by a bit. But what got the analysts really excited is the increased luminous efficacy coming to PDPs in the future. Obviously, more brightness per Watt will result in more energy efficient and cooler-running PDPs, but we can also look forward to increased performance in bright settings and better lifetime and reliability. And of, course, more torchy torch modes! Seriously, we hope the report is on target -- more competition is always better for consumers.
Bargain HDTV shopping this holiday season
Despite what we say, many people wait till the holiday season to buy and HDTV -- more specifically Black Friday. There are a few strategies that work, and Consumer Reports' Electronics Blog has a couple of pointers for this holiday season. While the theme to finding a bargain seems to 720p, they really seem to believe Plasmas might offer the better bargain. In fact, DisplaySearch believes you'll be able to find a 42-inch 720p Plasma for as low as $599 on Black Friday, which seems pretty crazy. This is not to say that there won't be any great deals on LCD TVs, but just like that normal debate goes, it's really about size since there aren't many Plasmas under 42-inches. No matter what you end up picking up, you can rest assured that although you missed another entire year of HD, you most certainly saved yourself some money.
Displaybank says LCD to reach 66% of TV sales by 2015
In case you hadn't heard, CRT sets are on their way out, and LCD is the display technology that will replace them in popularity. According to to market research firm Displaybank, the LCD portion of TV shipments will grow from 38% this year to 66% by 2015. By our math, that's close to 2-out-of-3. Chalk that growth up to a blanketing of the market -- LCD already has the less than 50-inch market pretty well sewn up, and is already making inroads to larger sizes. We love us our plasma (even at less than 50-inch sizes), but on the showroom floor LCD's are compelling for many consumers. No matter how you slice it, consumers are going to benefit -- put the Displaybank numbers against DisplaySearch numbers on market value for LCD's, and you can see that LCD prices are going to come down even further.
Are OLED TVs a reasonable prospect?
With all the great things we hear about OLED TVs, it's understandable to think that the next display technology is here. Ultra-thin dimensions, eye-popping contrast ratio and low power consumption, what's not to like? The technology does have some big uncertainties, however. According to the link, the most significant isn't display lifetime, but market potential. DisplaySearch projects huge growth for OLED TVs, with a market of $37 million in 2008 to $884 million in 2011. That would outpace the predicted 15% growth in LCD TV demand over the same period. Rosy for OLED, right? Not so fast -- the total market for LCD in 2011 is expected to be $92 billion (with a "b"). When considering these projections, it's easy to see why the president of Samsung SDI says OLEDs are "ideal for portable displays," but holds off on making any TV display commitments. The fact that Sony is committed to producing a set makes OLED more promising than some other next-gen technologies, but we're not throwing out our plasmas and LCDs yet.
Blu-ray, HD DVD players to appear in panel discussion
It looks like the Blu-ray / HD DVD format war isn't about to end soon. Worse still, it's hard to separate real information from rhetoric on the state of the battle. We're hoping that some things come to light on October 10 though, at a panel discussion on HD media formats at the DisplaySearch HDTV Conference. The session, titled "The Format War Is Over! No Wait, This Just In...", is the conference opener, so you know they've lined up a good panel. There are heavyweights representing both formats, and promised topics of discussion include some pretty pointed questions: "Is consumer adoption where the industry expected, and what will it take to motivate more to buy?"; "Will the Paramount defection prolong the format war?"; and "When will the collective power of the 190 Blu-ray Disc companies actually begin to demonstrate its clout?" We're pulling for the moderator to keep the panel honest and on-point. Any predictions on what will come out of the session?
