Electronic Displays

US demand to register double-digit advances through 2008

Aggregate electronic displays demand in the US is projected to increase over twelve percent annually through 2008 to close to $21 billion. The overall growth outlook masks sharply differing prospects for the two major constituent categories, with sustained strong growth in flat panel displays demand ex-pected, along with further declines in the CRT segment.

Key findings:

Flat panel displays will con-tinue to build upon a recovery that commenced in 2002 and picked up further momentum in 2003. Fueling recent gains has been ongoing supplantation of cathode ray tube displays in desktop computer monitors; and strong sales of high-end por-table electronic appliances that utilize flat panels displays, including personal digital assistants (PDAs), picture phones and digital cameras.

Mushrooming demand for high-definition television (HDTV) sets will provide a further boost to flat panel displays demand through the latter part of the present decade and beyond. CRT, plasma and microdisplays (MEMS-based, LCOS and potentially others as well) all hold favorable prospects in the flat screen TV segment.

Thin-film transistor-based li-quid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs) presently dominate the market for flat panel devices and will continue to do so, though much R&D activity is ongoing in the area of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which provide superior visual quality but are plagued by structural shortcom-ings and high fabrication costs.

Global displays manufacture is dominated by Asian concerns --based primarily in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan -- which leverage their position in high-volume markets such as com-puter monitors and television screens. China is expected to become an increasingly major factor in the world displays industry as the major suppliers continue to seek low-cost manu-facturing beachheads, especially for commodity-oriented items.

US-headquartered display firms are fairly prevalent in numerical terms, but account for a relatively small share of total global business activity. They compete mainly in niche mar-kets such as MEMS-based microdisplays, industrial and commercial displays, and medical instrument displays.

Study coverage:

Electronic Displays is a new Freedonia study priced at $3900. It presents historical data through 2003 plus forecasts to 2008 and 2013 in current US dollars for displays demand by type/technology and applica-tion/sector. In addition, the study assesses pricing, macroeconomic dynamics, and other market envi-ronment factors, examines the industry structure of the displays business, presents market share data and provides profiles for over 40 US industry players.