Commentary: How smaller players may affect LCD TV pricing in Japan

While Japanese consumers are typically considered willing to pay more for products bearing trusted brand names, perhaps less known LCD TV vendors may still end up having an affect on pricing in the Japan market.

In general, the most successful LCD TV brands are those that have the backing of their own LCD panel production lines, so brands such as Sharp, Samsung, Sony, Philips and LG Electronics are global leaders. In Japan, trusted brands, such as Toshiba, can also leverage the quality of its chip designs and brand recognition to maintain market share, with Toshiba claiming 20% of the local LCD TV market.

However, having the backing of vertical integration is not the only way to succeed in the global LCD TV market. Taiwan-based Amtran Technology, a Top-3 branded LCD TV vendor in North America, is a good example of a company that is succeeding despite having no panel making capabilities or IP advantage.


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China and US expected to fuel LCD TV sales growth - 21st February 2008

Demand for flat panel televisions will surge in the next four to five years, it has been predicted.

According to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association (JEITA), demand for flat panel televisions will double to 180 million units by 2012.

This augmentation will largely be as a result of strong sales in China and the United States, the Japanese industry group said.

Demand for liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs is expected to rise to 155 million units over the period in question, up from the 74.8 million sold in 2007.

Meanwhile, demand for plasma TVs is likely to augment to 25 million units in 2012 from 11.4 million last year.

A JEITA spokesperson suggested that, although the forecasts are based only on expected demand from 51 nations, as the major countries are included in the study the predictions should prove representative of global demand, Reuters reports.



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Sony’s LCD Deal Could Deal Blow to Samsung

A joint venture for TV liquid display panels between Samsung Electronics and Sony is showing signs of wear, as the Japanese company will begin procuring LCD panels from Sharp.

The Japanese business daily Nihon Keizai said Saturday that Sony is in the final stages of talks with Sharp to buy LCD panels. Sony has gotten its LCDs from Samsung and S-LCD, a joint venture between the two firms.

Sony is considering buying 10th-generation panels between 60 and 70 inches to be produced at Sharp�s factories in Osaka from next year.

Japanese media also say Sony is considering buying as early as this year panels of 40 to 50 inches that Sharp manufactures in its factories in Mie Prefecture.

Sony has procured 60-70 percent of its LCDs from S-LCD and Samsung and the rest from Taiwanese makers.


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Sony plans to do Sharp LCD deal

TOKYO - Sony is planning to start buying TV-use liquid crystal display (LCD) panels from Sharp as early as April, a source close to the matter said.

Sony currently runs an LCD panel joint venture with Samsung Electronics, but procurement from Sharp is expected to help it secure enough panels to meet fast-growing LCD TV demand without heavy capital investments.

Samsung and Sony compete for the top spot in the global LCD TV market.

For Sharp, another major LCD TV maker, expanding a pool of customers for its LCD panels is important as it is ramping up its panel production capacity aggressively.

The Osaka-based company said last month it plans to boost output capacity at its latest panel plant by 50 per cent by July.

Sharp is also building the world's largest LCD panel factory, spending 380 billion yen (US$3.55 billion).


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Home AV review : Samsung LA46F81BDX (46-inch LCD)

It has been close to a year since the Korean introduced its M8 integrated digital TV or iDTV in Asia, and it's still the only one of its kind so far until now. Replacing it is the latest F8-series, a stepped-up model combining the stylish shell of its premium F9 LED-driven TV with all the familiar features of the original iDTV plus Motion Plus function. The latter is its first and much-belated attempt at the highly sought-after 100Hz motion enhancements.

The good: Razor-sharp and clean HD visuals; bassy and crisp audio; three HDMI 1.3 inputs; unofficial 1080p24 support; inbuilt HD TV tuner; sleek and stylish design.

The bad: Unnatural motion for film-based content; single TV aerial input for both analog and digital broadcasts; visible backlight leakage from the rear.

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VICTORY IN HI-DEF TV WAR GOES TO LCDS OVER PLA$MA TUBES

THE Giants may not have been big winners of the Super Bowl after all.

High-def LCD television sets turned out to be the real champs.

High-definition TV using LCD technology crushed rival plasma TVs in the run-up to the football game - the biggest time of year for television set sales.

According to a report from The NPD group, a retail research outfit which analyzed sales figures for January, more than 80 percent of all TV sales before the game were LCD sets.

There has been a bitter debate between TV experts over which technology is better - but consumers seem to have voted big for the LCD format.

Plasma flat-sets, which are typically more expensive, snared only 11 percent of sales.

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AU Optronics mulls next-generation LCD plant

HSINCHU, Taiwan, Feb 20 - Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp , the world's third-largest LCD maker, is considering building a next-generation LCD plant in Taiwan to meet booming global demand for flat-screen TV panels, its president said on Wednesday. "We do not rule out the possibility a new next-generation plant," AU President L.J. Chen told Reuters at the company's headquarters in northern Taiwan's Hsinchu science park. "We will need a new next-generation plant to power our future growth," said Chen.

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