Plasma HD and SD display panel shipments reached record levels for the second straight month in the final quarter of 2007, with a leap of more than 40 percent from quarter to quarter and a yearly increase of more than 60 percent (just under 4.4 million units,) according to the DisplaySearch’s quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report.
The Austin, Texas-based research analyst attribute the big jump in plasma sets to the greater availability of 1080p panels, which maintained an 11-percent share of all plasma shipments. In the fourth quarter, plasma sets in the 42-inch rang outsold 50-inch plasma displays for the first time. Another reason for the jump in sales was pricing, where points were an average of about 20 percent below comparable LCD displays.
Better PDP pricing than LCD, with 42-inch HD PDP panels 20 percent less than comparable LCD pricing—PDP pricing is also falling faster Q/Q than comparable LCD panel sizes. Matsushita (officially to be known simply as Panasonic, its popular brand name, by next fall) saw its lead market share grow to 37 percent—with the strongest share growth coming from HD sets). In the runner-up slot, LGE overtook Samsung with a one point share gain to 28 percent. Samsung slipped to 25 percent, according to DisplaySearch.
