Flat-panel LCD TVs relying on LED technology accounted for a little more than one-fifth of all TV sets purchased in the United States in the final quarter of 2010, according to new IHS iSuppli research.
According to the research, “Changes in TV Preference as Q4 2010 Prices Dip,” LED-backlit LCD TVs accounted for 22.5 percent of U.S. TV purchases for the quarter, up almost 3 points from the Q3 2010 level.
“In comparison, a full three-fifths of consumer purchases were for LCD TVs featuring the older technology of cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL),” said Riddhi Patel, director for TV systems and retail services at HIS. “LED models are brighter, more power efficient and have thinner profiles, but they are also much more expensive than their CCFL counterparts, which explains the market disparity between the two flat-panel LCD technologies.”
In the fourth quarter of 2009, two quarters after their introduction, LED models had 6 percent share, nearly four times less than what the latest totals indicate.
Plasma TV purchases remained flat despite aggressive end-market pricing, with sales growth hindered by the declining prices of LCD TVs in general as well as by consumer perceptions that plasma offers lower-grade specifications.
