Market researcher DisplaySearch said that it expects sales of liquid-crystal-display (LCD) televisions with screens measuring between 40 and 42 inches to edge out sales of 37-inch sets by the end of this year, citing a shrinking price gap between the sizes.
The Austin, Texas-based research house attributed the shift in the world's slim-screen TV market to an aggressive push for big-screen sets by major TV brands such as Sony Corp, and more supply of large panels after panel-makers ramped up capacity at advanced plants.
"On the strong supply of the 40-inch and 42-inch [panels], DisplaySearch forecasts the 40- and 42-inch segment will surpass the 37-inch segment in the fourth quarter of 2006," said David Hsieh (謝勤益), head of DisplaySearch's local branch, during a flat-panel-display forum last week in Taipei.
The world's two biggest flat panel suppliers, LG Philips LCD Co (LPL) and Samsung Electronics Co, which focus on 40-inch and 42-inch panel manufacturing, will together ship roughly 4.9 million units of such panels this year, Hsieh said.
The shipments of 40- and 42-inch panels account for 10 percent of the overall 48 million units of TV panel shipments for this year forecast by DisplaySearch, Hsieh said.
In terms of TV sets, Hsieh projected that 40-inch and 42-inch LCD TVs would make up 9 percent of total LCD TV sales at 41.7 million units this year, outpacing the 8 percent of 37-inch sets.
In addition to the growing supply of large-sized panels, aggressive pricing strategies adopted by major TV vendors will also help boost sales of 40-inch and 42-inch LCD TVs, Hsieh said.
"Main TV brands such as Sony and Samsung are pushing hard for larger-sized TV sets," he said.
He said sales of 40-inch LCD TVs boomed after Sony unveiled the BRAVIA series of TVs, which are more affordable, and overtook 37-inch TV sets during the five months after the series' launch last October.
Sony, Sharp Corp and Samsung were the world's top three LCD TV vendors in the first three months of this year, according to DisplaySearch.
The shrinking price gap between the two major segments of LCD TVs has also spurred demand for bigger-screen TVs, according to DisplaySearch president Ross Young, who expected the gap to narrow significantly.
By the end of the year, the price of 40-inch LCD TVs will drop to US$2,020, just 27 percent higher than a 37-inch LCD TV priced at US$1,586, Young predicted.
The price difference between 40-inch and 37-inch LCD TVs was more than 30 percent last year, according to Young.
By the final quarter of 2010, the gap between the two segments will contract to just 11 percent, when the price of a 40-inch LCD TVs will fall to US$977 and a 37-inch LCD TV will cost US$880, Young forecast.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
RSS