TrendForce：LED TV Backlight Price Trend in Q4’12, Large-size and High-resolution TVs Become the New Highlights in LED Backlight Market in 2013

According to LEDinside, a research division of global market research company TrendForce, affected by global economic downturn and a decline of orders visibility, LED price for TV backlight applicationprice has fallens by 5-7% in Q4’12. The price of 7030 / 7020 LED package for major edge-lit LED TV applicationpackages 7030/7020 decreaseds by around 7% in Q4, and the price of 3528 LED package for drop rate of direct-lit LED TV droppedpackage 3528 byis approximately 5% in this quarter.

Although the prices keep downtrend due to weak market demand, as the continuous growth of TV size, the average size will raise from 38.6” this year to 40.1”. The growth of TV size may drive the increase of average LED package usage, and add lots of imaginary space to the LED TV backlight market next year.
Large-size and high-resolution TVs become the new highlights in LED backlight demand.

In 2013, TV size is in an uptrend; the proportions of 50”, 55”and 60”TV will gradually increase and drive the LED backlight market demand. At present, the major design pattern of large-size TV design still focuses onis edge type-lit  TV model, and the  the quantity of LED backlight usage volume forin 50-60”LCD TV is about 130-150. In the future, TV sizes above 70” will target high-end customers.

In addition, 4K2K high resolution (3,840*2,160) makes up the resolution shortage of large-size TV, and LCD panel manufacturers in Japan, Taiwan and mainland also bring out 4K2K TV panel in succession. According to LEDinside, the improvement of TV panel resolution will raise LED backlight module brightness, which means the quantity of LED backlight usage volume will increase by 30-50% in TV of the same size.

Largely driven by price drop, LED TV penetration rate in 2013 is expected to reach 90%

The price of CCFL backlitght LCD TV has almost reached production cost, which makes the price drop space quite limited. As the improvement of direct type-lit LED backlight LCD TV specifications and technologies in 2013, the usage volume for quantity of low cost direct type-lit LED TV usage will be further reduced by 30%. It is expected that in 2013, the price gap between low cost direct-lit LED TV and CCFL backlit TV can have the same price level with CCFL backlight LCD TVwill go to zero.

The major suppliers of direct-lit white HB LED packagee are Samsung, LGIT (LG Innotek), Unity, and AOT. In light of HBwhite LED usage in the most popular 32”TV, direct-lit LED TV uses 21 LEDs, and slim direct-lit LED TV uses about 40-44 LEDs; the number of LEDs used in 46”direct-lit LED TV is around 72, and goes to 80 in the slim type; there are about 100 LEDs in 50”direct-lit LED TV, and 130 LEDs in 55”slim direct-lit LED TV.

LEDinside points out that the sales performance of overall LCD TVs is not positive, and CCFL LCD TV is exiting the market more rapidly. However, with the driven power from Korean, Chinese and Japanese brands, the overall LED TV penetration rate in 2012 is estimated to be 73% approximately, and reach 90% in 2013. And the penetration rate of direct-lit LED TV in overall LED TVs will raise from 11% in 2012 to 25% in 2013.