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IHS: 3D Lifted June Flat-Panel TV Prices

EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. —

For the third month in a
row, U.S. pricing for flat-panel televisions increased
in June, fueled by the increasing availability of highpriced
active 3D LCD TVs, according to an IHS
iSuppli report.

The study, entitled “Pricing Gap Continues between
Active vs. Passive 3-D LCD TVs,” shows
average pricing in June for flat-panel TVs reached
$1,133, up $10 or 0.9 percent from $1,123 in May.

Overall average prices for LCD TVs increased
$5 to $1,050, while those for plasma stabilized last
month at $1,590, IHS said.

The price uptick marked the third consecutive
month of increases since April, following four
straight months of declines.

“The biggest pricing increases for flat-panel televisions
last month were among the new 3D models
employing active-shutter glasses, the most popular
type of three-dimensional set on the market today,”
stated Riddhi Patel, IHS television systems and retail
services director. “There is an increasing number
of models with 3D capability in the product mix
that have higher than average prices. These sets
drove price increases for the entire flat-panel television
market in the United States in June.”

The price gap between active-shutter and passive-
glass-based 3D LCD televisions became more
apparent in June as the premium for active sets compared
to passive grew to 9 percent for the 40- to
49-inch range, and to 14 percent for 50-inch sizes;
the price difference in May for the two size groups
against their passive 3D counterparts was 7 percent,
IHS said.

The widening price gap between active and passive
3D LCD sets was also due to a drop in pricing
for passive 3D sets, falling 3 percent in the 40- to
49-inch range and sliding 8 percent in the 50-inchand-
larger group.

IHS predicts the U.S. 3D market is expected in
the future to favor passive models in place of the
now-dominant active shutter technology, given the steadily declining price of passive models and the greater
affordability of the accompanying 3D glasses required for
viewing.

Meanwhile, LCD televisions featuring the advanced
LED backlight technology saw pricing fall in every size
category between 1 an 5 percent in June. The biggest declines
occurred in the 20-inch-and-smaller group as well
as in the 30- to 39-inch range, IHS said.

For the popular 32-inch LED size, pricing fell 7 percent
from May and retreated 23 percent compared to June
2010. U.S. LED shipments this year for the 30- to 34-inch
range are expected to jump 96 percent, IHS said.

Internet-enabled LCD TVs appeared in smaller-sized
TVs while at the same time continuing to compete with
the medium- and larger-sized TV market.

Pricing rose 2 percent in the 21- to 29-inch group for
Internet-enabled TVs — considered a premium feature in
this size range — but fell 4 percent in the 30- to 39-inch
segment.

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