Spurred by Chinese TV manufacturers’ demands, LED TV penetration rates reached 95% in 2013, according to LEDinside, a subsidiary of global research institute TrendForce. The organization estimates LED TV will completely replace CCFL by 2014, and annual LED TV shipment volume will grow at YOY 3% to 209 million. However, LED for backlight TV applications market value is expected to decrease 17% to US$ 2.41 billion. The main cause behind LED TVs growing shipment volume, but lower market value has been direct-type LED TVs reduced usage of LEDs and its high penetration rate of more than 60% in 2014. Compared to edge-type LED TVs, direct-type LED TVs only uses half the number of LEDs.
Based on the survey on the global large-sized TFT-LCD capacity by WitsView, the display division of the global intelligence provider TrendForce, as there is no large global capacity expansion in 2013 and the demand for IT products is weak, panel makers shift some of the Gen5 and Gen6 capacities to high-end products, including wide viewing angle and LTPS, and to the productions of mid-and small- sized panels and touch sensors.
