The upcoming FIFA World Cup is expected to encourage consumers to replace their old TVs with ultra-high definition models, a move that could give a boost to Taiwan’s 4K2K panel shipments, DisplaySearch said in a research report yesterday.
The market researcher said that the World Cup, which is to be held in Brazil from Thursday next week to July 13, is expected to find many soccer fans looking for the clear images that ultra-HD televisions deliver.
In addition to ultra-HD panels, demand for other high quality screens — including 32-inch HD displays, and 42-inch and 48-inch full HD screens — have been rising in recent months, DisplaySearch said.
Photo: Bloomberg
Taiwanese flatscreen suppliers Innolux Corp (群創光電) and AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電), which have taken the lead in the global 4K2K TV screen market, are expected to benefit most from this market trend, DisplaySearch said.
The two companies could grasp a combined 58 percent share of the global 4K2K panel market this year, while Samsung Electronics Co and LG Display Co could take a 25 percent share, and Chinese manufacturers China Star Optoelectronics Technology Corp (華星光電) and BOE Technology Group (京東方) could take a 14 percent share, the researcher forecast.
DisplaySearch said that China is the largest market in the world for ultra-HD TVs and related products and that it is expected to become one of the major targets for flatscreen suppliers.
Separately, Japan yesterday began test broadcasts of satellite television programs in 4K, as major firms, including Sony Corp and Sharp Corp, bet on super HD technology to rescue their embattled TV units.
The technology has four times the resolution of standard HD televisions, but high prices have so far limited commercial sales of 4K-ready televisions.
“I think it’s wonderful that 4K broadcasting through a satellite will be available in households nationwide for the first time in the world,” Japanese Vice Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Yoko Kamikawa said as the test started.
“We will continue working towards a full-fledged 4K broadcast and 8K test broadcasting” in 2016, she added.
Public broadcaster NHK has already developed 8K technology, which has quadruple the resolution of 4K, or 16 times the sharpness of current HD TVs.
The country is hoping to unveil 8K technology commercially before Tokyo’s hosting of the 2020 Olympics.
Other countries are eyeing the cutting-edge technology — which can also be used in fields such as medicine and education — upping the ante for Japan as it tries to showcase its technological prowess.
“Various countries are accelerating trials and the launch of new services using [4K and 8K] technologies,” said Katsuaki Watanabe, a former Toyota president and chairman emeritus of NexTV-F, which is leading the consortium behind the test.
“Japanese industry has to survive in this severe environment,” he added.
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