4K LCD TV panel shipments continue to rise in east Asia, driven by forces on both the supply
side and the demand side. Shipments of 4K TV panels in April 2015 exceeded three
million units for the first time, comprising 14 percent of all TV panels shipped
globally during the month, according to IHS Inc., a global source of critical
information and insight. Of all TV panels forecast to ship in 2016, one in five is
forecast to be a 4K TV panel, sometimes marketed as ultra-high definition (UHD),
due to the trend toward higher resolution panels in the high-end TV segment and
improved production efficiency of panel makers.
“Prices for 4K TV panels continued to decline in 2014 and early this year, causing a
rise in their adoption,” said Linda Lin, senior analyst, IHS Technology. “Most global
TV brands have now launched 4K UHD products and are introducing more 4K models
to their television offerings.”
When AU Optronics (AUO) introduced the first 55-inch 4K TV panels in Taiwan in
2012, fewer than 100 units were shipped each month. That same year, Innolux
introduced the first 50-inch 4K TV panels; however, due to higher manufacturing
costs, shipments still totaled fewer than 10,000 units per month. In 2013, panel
makers managed to improve their 4K TV panel yield rates, but shipments still made
up less than 2 percent of all TV panels shipped, according to recent data from the
IHS Monthly TFT LCD Shipment Database.
After panel makers instituted aggressive promotions in the Chinese TV market,
using 4K resolution of 3840 pixels by 2160 pixels as a point of differentiation in the
high-end TV market, 4K TV panel market share reached 8 percent. Red-green-blue-
white (RGBW) 4K sub-pixel technology is now widely accepted in the Chinese TV
market and has even begun to penetrate the global market.
“While panel makers in Taiwan initially developed and stimulated 4K TV panel
production, South Korean panel makers are now leading the 4K TV panel market,”
Lin said. “In fact, LG Display and Samsung Display have risen to become the largest
global manufacturers of 4K displays.”
The IHS Monthly TFT LCD Shipment Database provides the latest panel shipment
numbers from global large-area panel makers. The database includes monthly
shipments of all major TFT LCD suppliers, detailing revenues and average selling
prices, as well as shipments by unit, display area, application, size and aspect ratio
for each supplier.
