•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

Seoul. Makers of plasma display panels are pinning high hopes on the emerging but uncertain 3D TV market to claw back market share after falling behind LCD flat-screen models.

Liquid-crystal displays led the replacement of cathode-ray-tube television, as LCD’s technological edge over PDP in producing slimmer TVs helped it attract consumers trading in their bulky and boxy CRT sets.

“PDP won’t be able to challenge LCD as the mainstream flat-panel technology as LCD also continues to evolve into a better one,” said Will Cho, an analyst at Daewoo Securities.

“Having said that, it still does have strength over LCD, especially in the 3D market. So the stronger the 3D market grows, the better PDP technology will be able to recover.”

PDP has been a choice of technology in large panels — more than 40 inches — although LCDs are rapidly expanding into the market with free-falling prices.

Prices of 42-inch LCD panels dropped about 40 percent over the past two years, moderated by severe glass shortages last year, according to industry data.

LCDs accounted for about 70 percent of the global TV market of 210 million units in 2009, CRT less than a quarter and PDP only 7 percent, according to DisplaySearch.

PDP makers are making a last-ditch effort on 3D TVs, which usually come in big screens where PDP scores on pricing and boasts wider viewing angles and quicker response times.

Global TV makers including Samsung, LG Electronics and Panasonic produce both LCD and PDP sets and if PDP takes off, then Panasonic, which is making the strongest push for plasma technology, might emerge as the biggest winner.

“We believe plasma TVs are the best device to offer 3D images thanks to their high response speeds. All this attention on 3D TVs is a strong tailwind for our plasma business,” said Toshihiko Shibuya, of Panasonic, the world’s top PDP maker.

A 42-inch LCD panel costs about $340, while the same-sized PDP panel is 40 percent cheaper at about $200, according to analysts at Citigroup.

Demand for 3D TVs will likely grow more than tenfold to 27.4 million units in 2013 from an estimated 2.5 million units this year, according to DisplaySearch.

The research company expects the ratio of plasma TVs to LCD models in the 3D TV market to come to 1:3 in 2013, indicating the strong standing of plasma TVs in the 3D arena.

TVs now account for more than half of the global LCD demand, set to grow further as more households buy LCD TVs for their living rooms, bedrooms and even kitchens and bathrooms.

“LCD supply will likely remain tight until mid-third quarter due to strong demand for corporate PCs and LED-backlit LCD TVs,” said Soh Hyun-cheol, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp.

  Analysis

Reuters