Although CRT is still the dominant display technology in the market--and considering price points, it will be for a while longer--flat-panel screens are taking increasing amounts of the DTV market, according to market research firm In-Stat. This may seem to fall into the "so what else is new?" category, but consider this: In many countries--including those already offering digital terrestrial broadcasting--flat-panels are the only DTV sets available for purchase.
In the United States where that clearly is not the case, flat-panels are increasingly popular anyway, says the survey--with 66 percent of U.S. respondents "who plan to buy" a DTV in the next two years hoping to purchase flat-panel screens." (Like a similar "plan to buy" survey released in March by the CEA, widely variable price points of today's various technologies and screen sizes were not supplied to respondents.)
Worldwide, the survey also finds that 45 percent of respondents who "plan to" buy a DTV are most interested in LCD, while 26 percent plan to buy a plasma, and 24 percent plan to buy an RPTV (rear projection). The report, "Worldwide Digital TV Sets: Flat Is In" (#IN0501847ME), provides five-year unit shipment, ASP and revenue forecasts for LCD, plasma, RPTV and CRT by region.
