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VIZIO keeps the LCD TV crown in Q2, but Samsung is closing

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 23rd 2009 at 6:32PM


Injunctions, hail, sleet or snow, VIZIO kept shipping its LCD HDTVs in large amounts during the second quarter, enough of them to account for 21.7% of the market, according to iSuppli. That was enough to narrowly hold off Samsung, which saw its numbers rise sharply from 17.8% in the previous quarter to 21.3%, reportedly due to its introduction and marketing of new LED sets, which contributed to 2.2 percent of all LCDs sold during the period. The analysts also see a growing trend of customers coming back for their second flat panel television to replace an older one, just the kind of people it thinks might gravitate towards features like skinny, power efficient LED designs. We'll see if that's enough to swing the balance Samsung's way, or if customers stick with VIZIO's approach.

Read - VIZIO Again Ranked #1 in U.S. LCD HDTV Shipments
Read - Samsung Cuts Into Vizio's Lead in U.S. LCD TV Market in Second Quarter

Flat-panel TV sales jump 23% over last year, Vizio leads the way

by Donald Melanson posted May 11th 2009 at 5:38PM


We'd already heard that Vizio has vaulted back into first place among LCD TV manufacturers, but a new series of numbers compiled by the folks at DisplaySearch is now shedding a bit more light onto how much the flat-panel TV market as a whole has surged over the past year. Apparently, about 7.2 million flat-panel sets were moved during the first quarter of 2009 alone, which represents a sizable 23% increase over the numbers from the first quarter of 2008. DisplaySearch also expectedly reconfirms Vizio's number one status, although its figures are a tad more conservative and peg Vizio's market share at a still impressive 18.9% (as opposed to the 21.6% found by iSupply), which is well above the 8.5% earned by the likes of rival Funai (producer of TVs for Sylvania, Emerson and other low-cost brands). As you might expect, higher-end brands like Sony and Samsung weren't as able to buck the economic downturn quite so easily, and they actually saw their sales decrease compared to the same period last year.

Best Buy still leads in Blu-ray sales, but Wal-mart is closing in

by Richard Lawler posted May 11th 2009 at 12:49PM


Looks like the gap among HD media retailers is narrowing, with Wal-mart slowly closing in on Best Buy's 40 - 50% marketshare estimated by retail analysts asked by Video Business. As the DVD market shifts to Blu-ray, it's expected that market shares begin to resemble those of DVD where Wal-mart holds sway with 40% of the sales. Our poll results show that most of you report copping at Amazon (home of the frequent BOGO, low prices and other promotions,) but do you see changing dealers as Blu-ray goes more mainstream?

Poll: Did you go Blu in 2008?

by Darren Murph posted Dec 27th 2008 at 12:00PM


At the front end of this year, we made ten bold (and mostly not serious) predictions for the format war in 2008. Comically enough, a few of 'em actually came true. Most notable was the fall of HD DVD and the rise of Blu-ray, and while it has only been a matter of months since Blu became the lone high-def physical format, quite a lot has happened. Prices of players went higher, then lower, while digital downloads have emerged as a real threat to the format in the long-term. The question that's burning on our mind here at the tail end of '08 is this: did you go Blu-ray this year? If you didn't, what are you waiting for? Prices to fall? More movies to appear? Are you opting for a digital download service instead? Spill your tale in comments below.

[Image courtesy of SonyInsider]

Did you go Blu in 2008?

Blu-ray recorders surpass 50% market share for all DVD recorders in Japan

by Darren Murph posted Dec 9th 2008 at 7:28PM


Okay, so having half of the DVD recorders in Japan be of the Blu-ray variety is pretty impressive in and of itself, but considering that this same statistic sat at 30% in late October (with players included), we can't help but be floored. Going back to October 2007, BD recorders made up just 10% of the market, and perpetually falling prices are thanked for the rapid increase over the past year and change. Additionally, new research has found that "Blu-ray Disc recorders are replacing DVD recorders 1.5 times faster than DVD recorders replaced VHS recorders," and not surprisingly, the availability of low-cost HDTVs is credited with helping to speed the transition. Just imagine these figures post-Christmas.

High-def found to increase ratings in sports programming

by Darren Murph posted Dec 7th 2008 at 4:42PM

Go ahead, pick your jaw up off of the floor. We'll wait. On the real, you can't possibly be surprised to hear that high-def makes sports entirely more palatable, and a recent Nielsen study on the matter has found that HD broadcasting of sporting events has increased ratings on those very events by quite a margin. The numbers show that at least 22% of US households receive HDTV programming (up from 10% in September 2007), and its ratings for TV sports are 20% higher than the US overall. Even though we know the answer (or, so we think), we'll pose the question to you -- are you more inclined to tune to sports if an event is in HD?

[Via SED-HDTV]

New study shows higher resolution, interactive capabilities to drive future HDTV growth

by Darren Murph posted Jun 23rd 2008 at 11:32PM


For now, the HDTV market is doing just fine as-is. We've still got stragglers seeing the light on a daily basis, and the looming DTV transition is probably pushing sales somewhat as well. However, according to Calvin Hsieh, DisplaySearch's Director of Research, the market is set to peak between 2009 and 2011. In order to grow beyond then, he suggests that the sector will have to focus on "enhanced features for TVs, such as higher resolutions, expanded broadband infrastructure, internet connectivity, versatile applications and interactive capabilities to meet the needs of the connected digital home." Hard to argue with any of that, no?

[Via The New York Times]

LCD outsells plasma 8-to-1 in Q1 2008

by Steven Kim posted May 22nd 2008 at 6:01PM

DisplaySearch global sales volumesNot so long ago, the good people at DisplaySearch were forecasting good times for plasma. But there's no way around the first quarter of 2008 global sales numbers that show LCD outsold plasma by an 8 to 1 margin. Take a breath -- those are global sales numbers -- but it still isn't the most encouraging news for plasma fans. Worldwide, plasma has a frenemy in good old CRT, though, which actually edged out LCD on its way to the highest sales volume. Click on through for all the numbers, but globally it looks like this: LCD is taking over, plasma is moving into a very small niche, RPTV is all but gone and CRT is going down with a fight.

More research asserts that Blu-ray adoption isn't apt to surge soon

by Darren Murph posted May 14th 2008 at 3:45PM


Don't freak out, you're not experiencing any weird case of déjà vu -- reports are simply continuing to come out that suggest that Blu-ray adoption isn't taking off. The newest of the bunch comes to us from Harris Interactive, which surveyed upwards of 2,500 individuals in mid-April. Results showed that 87% of those polled owned a DVD player, but just 4% owned a dedicated Blu-ray deck while 5% owned a PlayStation 3. Comically enough, 6% claimed that they had an HD DVD player, while another 1% owned an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on. Most notably, just 9% of respondents stated that they were "likely" to purchase a BD player within the next year, even when made fully aware that BD was the victor in the now-concluded format war. Of course, just 35% of those polled owned an HDTV, which is certainly worth considering, but even analysts at Harris agreed that getting BD player prices well below $300 was necessary for adoption to surge. Hit the read link for lots more stats.

[Image courtesy of Syracuse]

Samsung reclaims throne in latest LCD market share report

by Darren Murph posted May 9th 2008 at 12:01PM


Welp, that didn't take long. Just months after Sony found itself surprisingly atop the North American LCD sales rankings, Samsung has vaulted back to the pole position while watching Sony slip to second. Granted, the top three suppliers -- Samsung, Sony and Vizio (in that order) -- were all separated by just three-tenths of a percentage point, with each firm's market share checking in at 12.8%, 12.7% and 12.5%, respectively. Below the trio, we find Sharp, LG and everyone else gasping for air. It was also noted that Vizio recognized the strongest year-over-year growth of any top five flat-panel brand, and interestingly enough, Sony managed to maintain its leadership position in the LCD category of 40-inches and up for the tenth straight quarter. Alright number lovers, hit up the read link for even more statistics.

Study finds high prices, hamstrung players limiting Blu-ray's dominance

by Darren Murph posted Apr 29th 2008 at 5:52PM


ABI Research has just confirmed feelings that we've had for months: Blu-ray just isn't going to dominate the market until prices sink down from the stratosphere and players emerge that are fully-featured. A new study from the previously mentioned firm has suggested that we still have "12 to 18 months" before the BD market really kicks into gear, and it specifies that "fully-featured" decks need to come in at $200 or below before the general public will consider coughing up the cash required to make the jump to high-definition media. It's also noted that many are perfectly satisfied with the quality of DVD, and until prices make it manageable to switch, the outfit feels that huge chunks of consumers will simply stay put. Additionally, we're told that PS3s will "make up over 85-percent of the BD players in the field" during 2008, and we won't see Sony's console fall from the top until 2013 when the installed base of standalone decks / PC-based BD players overtake the installed base of PlayStation 3s. Yeah, you're hearing echoes on that last tidbit.

[Image courtesy of LA Times]

Verizon adds 263,000 new FiOS TV customers in Q1 2008

by Darren Murph posted Apr 28th 2008 at 6:01PM


Verizon's Q1 2008 results just hit the streets, and only three months after the carrier landed its one millionth subscriber, it's now well on its way to netting the second million. During Q1, the company managed to sign up 263,000 new FiOS TV customers and 262,000 net new FiOS internet customers, bringing the grand total to 1.2 / 1.8 million for each respective service. Call it a hunch, but it looks like Verizon's really onto something with this fiber-based TV thing.

Sony looking to stuff Blu-ray recorders in select LCD HDTVs?

by Darren Murph posted Apr 7th 2008 at 11:52AM

Given that Sony has primarily used its PlayStation 3 console to snag market share in the home video sector thus far, it's not surprising to see it branching out now that Blu-ray stands alone. Nevertheless, the next logical step has already been hinted at by Ryoji Chubachi at a recent press event in Taipei. Reportedly, Sony is hoping to "increase the global market share of its BD products from 20-percent currently to 50-percent by the end of 2008," and in order to do so, it's looking to gift select LCD HDTVs with "BD recording functionality." Of course, it was only a matter of time before those DVD / LCD combos became Blu-ray / LCD combos, but giving users the ability to capture broadcast material without an external burner is certainly an interesting twist.

[Via Electric Pig]

Worldwide LCD TV shipments surpass CRTs for first time ever

by Darren Murph posted Feb 19th 2008 at 8:19PM


Just days after Sony vaulted to the top of North American LCD sales charts, DisplaySearch is now reporting that worldwide shipments of LCD TVs have overtaken CRT TVs for the first time in the history of the universe. More specifically, LCD TV sales rose some 56-percent year over year, and 47-percent of the world's TV market is now held by said technology. Reportedly, the transition from CRT to LCD was seen as a logical one, considering that it could extend down to sizes smaller than 20-inches and satisfy desires for large-screen sets. We know you're just itching to go diving head first into more numbers on the subject, so feel free to toss on those wire-rimmed glasses and hit the read link below.

[Via TGDaily]

Blu-ray players grab 93 percent of market after Warner went Blu

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jan 22nd 2008 at 1:03PM Breaking News

HD DVD and Blu-ray players sales pie charts
According to the latest NPD group report, during the month of December Blu-ray players held 60 percent of the HD media player market -- despite the fact that HD DVD players were considerably cheaper. While that might've helped Warner in its decision to go Blu, the move has definitely had a dramatic effect on player sales since. According to the same study the week after the announcement, Blu-ray players were able to grab 93 percent of the market, which puts the year to date (short, we know) share for Blu-ray players at 70 percent. Granted, it's hard to put too much stock in just a week or two of data, but if this and the recent media sales numbers (85 percent) becomes a trend, maybe this won't be such a slow death for HD DVD after all.

[Via Blu-ray.com]




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