Another year of double digit growth for MD RPTVs

ALSEA, OR - February 9, 2005. 1080p content or not, many consumers decided to take the "future proofing" route when selecting an MD RPTV in the Q4 2005, providing the momentum for another annual increase in sales for 2005. This trend represents a distinct reversal of the one expressed at the DisplaySearch conference held last year in Beverly Hills. At that time most manufacturers were writing off the rear projector business. Quixel Research's MicroDisplay Rear Projection Market Review for the fourth quarter 2005 reports, however, that 1080p resolution MD RPTVs accounted for 31 percent of the revenues for Q4 2005 and 14 percent of the revenues for total 2005.

"For many consumers, 'more is better' whether it is screen size, storage capacity, mega pixels, etc. Currently, the MD RTPV category is the only Advanced Display technology that has a truly compelling 1080p offering in the market," comments Tamaryn Pratt, Quixel Research's principal.

"Averaged across screen sizes, consumers were even willing to pay up to $1800 more for a 1080p MD versus a 720p MD." Revenues for the USA Microdisplay RPTV category almost topped the $5B mark in 2005. The value for the USA market was up 22 percent from 2004 to 2005, with sales topping $5.8B in 2005 versus $4.7B in 2004.

Worldwide MD RPTV sales were also up, with the category expanding 23 percent for the same time period. In all regions, Microdisplay TVs with screen sizes 50" and above were the dominant force behind the category's growth. The 50" segment accounted for 80% of the revenues and over 75% of the total value of the Advanced TV market in the USA, which was worth over $11B in 2005. The Microdisplay RPTV segment represented over 32 percent of that market.

Quixel Research's projections for the worldwide MicroDisplay Rear Projection TV market show the category reaching almost $3B in sales by 2009, with the largest share of the market comprising the USA region.

Source: Quixel Research