TV unit shipments worldwide fell 21 percent quarter over quarter in seasonally weak Q1 '07 but rose 4 percent year over year to 45.5 million sets, according to display market research and consulting DisplaySearch.
The figures for the quarter, part of the company’s “Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report,” also show that blended TV prices fell 1 percent Q/Q while rising 5 percent Y/Y to $524, the lowest value since Q1 '06. LCD and plasma TV prices continued to experience rapid price erosion, falling 22 percent and 33 percent Y/Y to $936 and $1562, respectively.
Despite the rapid price declines, the flat-panel TV share remained flat from Q4 '06 to Q1 '07 at 37 percent because of a shift in the regional mix caused by the Chinese New Year holidays.
North America had the fastest annual unit growth, up 9 percent, on strength in the warehouse club channel and in flat-panel TVs, which rose 96 percent Y/Y and offset a decline of more than 40 percent in both CRTs and CRT RPTVs. Microdisplay (MD) RPTVs were down 10 percent Y/Y, though DLP RPTVs rose 28 percent to earn a 56 percent share of the MD RPTV category in North America.
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