Plasma-TV shipments had a comeback in 2010
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Most of the major television manufacturers have given up on plasma-TV technology. But the public hasn’t.
According to a report from the research firm DisplaySearch, shipments of plasma sets were up 9% in the fourth quarter of 2010. That’s especially surprising because plasma-TV shipments were down in 2009, causing many TV makers to stop making plasma sets.
Last year, shipments of plasma TVs jumped from 14.8 million to 19.1 million, an increase of nearly 30%. The reason? Price.
Plasma sets are ‘the most affordable large flat-panel TVs for many consumers,’ DisplaySearch said.
The few plasma-TV makers left saw a spike in plasma business, with plasma-panel shipments up 37% for Samsung year over year, LG jumping 30% and Panasonic up 22%.
The plasma-panel comeback also was fueled by a slowdown in the decline of prices for the more popular LCD TV sets, which were kept from falling much by the increased offering of LED-backlit LCD TVs.
Also, the aggressive TV-industry push for 3-D helped, DisplaySearch said, noting that many reviewers and consumers found that plasma TV had better 3-D performance than LCD TV in terms of on-screen flicker.
‘With 3-D functionality, plasma can reposition itself as a lasting technology in the TV industry,’ said Ken Park, DisplaySearch senior analyst for Korean TV market research. ‘In fact, plasma-TV brands are entering 2011 with 3-D across their product portfolios, from 42-inch HD to 152-inch.’
Large screens are where plasma panels are seeing the bulk of their success, the firm said.
The share of plasma-TV shipments at 50 inches or larger hit 40.8% in 2010, up from 38% in 2009. Most plasma-TV makers have abandoned the 32-inch market due to low LCD prices, DisplaySearch said.
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