LCD Overtakes PDP In Big-Screen Segments

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 6/1/2009

Portland, Ore. — Large-screen plasma TV (PDP) sales in North America were outmatched by large-format LCD TVs for the first time in the first quarter of 2009, according to the USA Large Area Display Report issued this week by Quixel Research.

The report, which monitored sales of 40-inch and larger TV sets in the United States in the period, revealed that the LCD TV category advanced beyond PDPs in large-screen segments of the residential display market, where plasma manufacturers have positioned the category to take a stand.

According to Quixel, PDP volume in the “55-inch and above segment was flat from Q4 2008 to Q1 2009 and from Q1 2008 to Q1 2009, while the LCD TV category grew 137 percent quarter to quarter and almost 500 percent year to year, trumping PDP share for the first time.”

“The proverbial other shoe is about to drop for the PDP category,” stated Tamaryn Pratt, Quixel Research's principal. “LCD TV manufacturers have long prognosticated that they would overtake even the larger sized PDP segments. With the new LCD TV 55-inch model entries in the first quarter and increased 65-inch LCD TV sales on the horizon, we are about to see the LCD TV category further commandeer large-screen turf from both PDP and MD RPTV.”

Revenue for the 55-inch and larger LCD TV category grew 55 percent quarter to quarter and nearly 200 percent year to year, while PDP revenues dropped 12 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Microdisplay rear-projection TVs (MDRPT), meanwhile, saw unit sales of 55-inch and larger models drop 25 percent and 9 percent from Q4 2008 to Q1 2009 and Q1 2008 to Q1 2009, respectively, “but continued to dominate the 55-inch and above segments with over half of the volume but just over a third of the value during Q1 2009,” Quixel said.

The overall value for the large screen display market was down 24 percent in Q1 2009, at $4.1 billion, compared to $5.3 billion in Q4 2008, Quixel said.

Unit shipments were down 22 percent for the same time period.

LCD TV sales accounted for 78 percent of the total 40-inch and above market in Q1 2009.

Overall PDP unit sales were down 48 percent quarter to quarter but only 13 percent year to year. Quixel said the quarterly shortfall was partially due to product shortages on end-of-life models. On a positive note, the PDP category showed a 15 percent increase in sales of 58-inch models quarter to quarter.

The full report, including forecasts, is available from Quixel Research at info@quixelresearch.com.