Analyst: Intelligent 3-D TV design will avoid price erosion

MANHASSET, N.Y. — DisplaySearch's research indicates that LED backlighting and 240-Hz LCDs will serve as an enabling technology for new feature developments in TVs in 2010, specifically for 3-D TVs, an area of intense interest to TV manufacturers.

Manufacturers are developing a wide variety of design elements and performance features to differentiate products and slow price declines.

"The dilemma facing TV set manufacturers is whether to rush in with cheap solutions," said Paul Gray, director of TV electronics research at DisplaySearch. "Technology alone cannot solve the economics, and it is important to take the time to develop the 3-D proposition thoroughly."

In a report, DisplaySearch analyzed the development of new features as the interplay of performance, features, cost and power consumption.

Most features and performance improvements carry cost premiums and increased power consumption, but intelligent design and utilization of new technologies can enable simultaneous improvements. Key examples of this trend are LED backlights and 240-Hz frame rate operation in LCD TVs.

DisplaySearch research indicates that there are significant performance differences by geographic region.

For example, in standby power consumption, Japanese TVs typically were under 0.3 watts, European TVs were typically under 0.5 watts. However, in North America, even the sets certified by Energy Star consume more power (typically 0.5-0.6 watts).

"In North America a substantial number of sets were found with standby power consumption levels over 1.0 Watts," said Gray in the new DisplaySearch report. "Other regions show that it is possible to reduce such waste, while saving the consumer money."

DisplaySearch forecasts that 1.2 million 3-D-capable TVs will be shipped in 2010, with growth to 15.6 million sets in 2013.