News

25 August 2009

 

Samsung cuts Vizio’s lead in US LCD TV market

While Vizio Inc maintained its lead in the US LCD-TV market in second-quarter 2009 for the second consecutive quarter, second-ranked Samsung Electronics Co Ltd of South Korea closed the gap significantly as buyers gravitated toward its LED-backlit sets, according to market research firm iSuppli Corp.

Samsung’s market share by unit shipments rose from 17.8% to 21.3% (the largest increase of any LCD-TV brand), cutting Vizio’s lead from 3.6 to just 0.4 percentage points. Samsung was very aggressive in introducing and marketing its LED-backlit LCD-TVs, says Riddhi Patel, principal analyst TV systems.

Unlike traditional CRT TVs that generate their own light, LCD-TVs require an additional illumination source (backlight) to present a visible image. LCDs historically have used cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) as backlights. But, due to price reductions, LEDs in recent years have become a viable alternative. “LEDs deliver multiple advantages compared to CCFLs,” says Patel. “These include achieving greater power savings and thinner form factors for LCD-TV sets and the elimination of toxic materials employed in CCFL manufacturing,” he adds.

“US consumers increasingly are warming up to higher-specification LCD-TV models, including those using new LED-backlighting technology,” Patel adds. iSuppli estimates that 2.2% of LCD-TVs shipped in the USA used LED backlights, up from zero a year ago. In mature markets like the USA, while many consumers are moving up from their cathode ray tube (CRT) or rear-projection televisions, a growing number are replacing first-generation flat-panel sets and are gravitating toward higher-specification TVs, such as those with LED backlights.

Chart Credit: iSuppli.

iSuppli forecasts that global penetration of LED-backlight technology for LCD-TV panels will increase from 3% of all shipments in 2009 to 37% in 2013.

See related items:

LCD backlight LEDs to grow from 8bn in 2008 to 34bn in 2012

Large-area LED-backlit LCD panel shipments pass 10m units in Q1, reaching 12% penetration

Penetration of LED-backlit LCD-TVs to grow 13-fold by 2013

Search: LED backlighting

Visit: www.isuppli.com