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Quixel: Q1 3DTV Shipments Up 352%

PORTLAND, ORE. –

Approximately 586,276 3D televisions
were shipped to U.S. dealers during the first quarter
of 2011, up 352 percent from the same period a year before,
according to new figures released by Quixel Market
Research.

Of course, last year’s numbers reflected mostly those 3D
sets released in March, when products supporting the newly
issued Blu-ray 3D specification standard were first introduced.

Sets supporting the new 3D spec went on to ship 1.23
million units over the full year of 2010, and the capability is
now offered in more than 60 percent of some manufacturers’
TVs measuring 40 inches and larger, helping to significantly
bolster Quixel’s optimism for full year 3DTV-ready shipments
in 2011.

The firm is now forecasting more than 6.2 million 3DTV
shipments, including plasma, LCD and projection (front and
rear) displays, in all of 2011. The number is also more aggressive
than some other analysts’ predictions, including those of
the Consumer Electronics Association.

But Quixel was more conservative than most forecasters
last year, and was virtually dead on with its revised fourth
quarter forecasts for 3D sales for full year 2010.

The market analyst projects 3DTV shipments continuing to
build momentum in the years ahead, with forecasts of 10.3
million 3DTVs in 2012, rising to 18.6 million for full year 2014.

As for the brewing battle between 3D sets based on
active-shutter glasses and new less-expensive 3D HD LCD
TVs based on passive glasses technologies, Quixel said
passive comprised 5 percent of industry 3DTV shipments
during the first quarter of 2011, and is forecasting them to
represent 18 percent of all industry 3DTV sales by the end
of the year.

Vizio, LG Electronics and Toshiba are among the largest
TV brands to have announced support for passive glasses
3DTVs this year. The technology uses inexpensive, non-powered
glasses similar to those used for public movie theaters,
but active-shutter glasses advocates point out that the passive
technology (called film patterned retarder) also delivers
about half the resolution of full HD 1080p 3D sets using
active-shutter glasses technologies.

As for the mix of first quarter 2011 3DTV sales by display
type, 153,012 units were plasma, up nearly 3,000 percent
from just under 5,000 units in Q1 2010, while 3D LCD sales
rose 851 percent to 340,811 units.

Sales of microdisplay based projection TVs, which were
introduced several years earlier and did not initially conform
to the new Blu-ray 3D spec, rose 4.11 percent to 92,453
units from the year-ago period.

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