Date: 22/12/2010

LED backlighted TVs grow in sales but 3D TVs not a hot one

iSuppli, has reported one out of every five liquid-crystal display televisions (LCD TV) sold in the United States during the third quarter used light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting. But as per iSuppli the share of 3-D TVs among overall purchases was negligible, barely registering a blip. Nonetheless, of the 3-D TVs that were purchased, most were bought in the 50-inch-and-larger sizes by higher-income groups, adds iSuppli.


LED-backlit LCD TVs accounted for 19.6 percent of TV purchases in the third quarter, up from 17.9 percent the previous quarter and from 4 percent during the third quarter of 2009, an iSuppli survey of U.S. consumers has revealed.

"On the demand side, consumers are attracted to LED-backlit LCD TVs by attributes including their thinner form factors, improved picture quality, better color saturation, power savings and other green attributes," said Riddhi Patel, director and principal analyst for television systems at iSuppli. "On the supply side, television and panel makers are investing in technology and offering a plethora of products to take advantage of LED-backlit LCD TVs, including product differentiation, innovation, low power consumption and the potential to reap the benefits of higher revenue."

iSuppli also finds the majority of U.S. consumers in the third quarter continued to buy older non-LED-type LCD TVs-also known as cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL)-backlit sets. The share of the overall U.S. television market for CCFL LCDs according to iSuppli rose to 65.3 percent, up from 64.6 percent in the second quarter, with the increase coming at the expense of other display technologies, including plasma, rear projection and cathode ray tube.

On the other technologies iSuppli finds plasma purchases accounted for 13.5 percent of the U.S. television market in the third quarter, down from 14.2 percent during the second quarter. Both rear-projection TVs and tube-type cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions continued on a trajectory of irreversible decline, down to 0.9 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively.

iSuppli also reports consumer interest was also on the rise for Internet-enabled television (IETV). In the third quarter, among consumers who said they connected their televisions to the Internet, almost 50 percent bought sets with the option for built-in Internet connectivity, compared to those who accessed the Internet through other means, such as a game console, an Internet-enabled Blu-ray player, a PC or laptop, or a digital video box.

YouTube and Netflix tops the internet applications for TV.

On the preferrene for dispaly size, iSuppli says the favorite LCD TV size was in the 40- to 49-inch range, accounting for 44.8 percent of all purchases during the period. The 32-inch continued to be popular for use in secondary bedrooms, evident in the 23.2 percent share of consumers buying TVs in the 30- to 39-inch sizes. Among those who bought plasma televisions, the 42-inch was the preferred size.

"Picture quality was rated as the most important criterion when buying a television, trumping even the presence of advanced technologies like LED backlights or Internet connectivity," Patel said. "Next to picture quality, price and screen size followed in significance. On the other hand, brand name is losing its once-powerful allure and is now less influential in the decision-making process, because front-of-screen performance among different brands in store environments is perceived to be similar by consumers. Consumers today buy what they believe to offer the best picture quality, and brands able to demonstrate superior front-of-screen performance in stores tended to win over the customer."

Among brands, Vizio dominated at Walmart and club stores across the country, while Samsung led in other retail areas.