Innolux Corp (群創光電), the nation’s biggest LCD panel maker, shipped 52 percent more ultra-high-definition 4K TV panels last month, supported by strong demand from Chinese TV brands during the holiday shopping season, market researcher WitsView said in a report yesterday.
Innolux has strategically pushed 4K LCD TV panels to compete with bigger South Korean rivals LG Display Co and Samsung Electronics Co, which focus on OLED panels. The resolution of 4K TV panels are four times higher than that of full high-definition TV panels.
Last month saw Innolux’s total shipments of 4K TV panels reach 1 million units from the time of their launch at the start of the year, making it the world’s biggest 4K TV panel supplier, WitsView analyst Jeffy Chen (陳建安) said in the report.
RECORD HIGHS
Global shipments of 4K TV panels jumped 39 percent last month to a record 530,000 units from 380,000 units in August, said WitsView, the LCD research division of TrendForce Corp (集邦科技).
“Continuously growing demand from Chinese brands is behind the significant growth,” Chen said.
Innolux, which holds a 55 percent share of the global 4K TV panel market, said in August that it expected 4K panels to account for half of its total TV panel shipments next year, compared with an estimated 10 percent this year.
The company plans to more than double its output of 4K TV panels to 500,000 units a month by the end of this year, from 200,000 units currently.
WitsView predicted last month that 4K TV panels would account for less than 1 percent of overall TV panel shipments this year and would increase to 2 percent next year after the price of 4K TV panels drops to 1.3 times of full HD TV panels.
CONTRACTION AHEAD
Global TV panel shipments grew 1.3 percent last month to 19.578 million units from 19.32 million units in August, but the figure is expected to contract by 4 to 5 percent sequentially this month as restocking demand ended last month, WitsView said.
Meanwhile, global shipments of panels used in monitors and laptops would decline by 4 percent and 9 percent month-on-month this month, respectively, after they shrank 4.1 percent and 9 percent month-on-month to 13.53 million units and 15.08 million units last month, according to the report.
Innolux shares dropped 0.88 percent to NT$11.25 yesterday, underperforming the TAIEX, which slid 0.43 percent.
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