14 DAY TRIAL // Ultra high-definition television sets haven't sold all that much, but they do seem to be doing better than 3D TVs did when they first came out. Vizio has just expressed its opinion about the prospects of this segment.
Since Vizio has long been a maker of all sorts of TVs and monitors, we can be reasonably sure it knows what it's talking about.
Granted, analysts are the ones most likely to make accurate forecasts, but this early in the year their own projections probably won't be any different.
Anyway, Vizio believes that 2% of the TVs sold in North America this year will be ultra high-definition models.
One might say that 2% isn't that bit a share, until they realize that UHD panels are just a very small part of the high-end segment, which doesn't really account for much of the total TV sales itself.
In fact, by the reckoning of some people, the high-end segment only accounts for less than 10% of the total sales. They have been making up for the small share with sheer price levels.
The key to the marketing performance will be the 50-inch UHD LCDs with a price of $1,000 / €738 (though more likely €1,000 since exchange rates seldom matter).
We've even seen some with price tags lower than those. They're a breath of fresh air compared to those 110-inch beasts that cost $150,000 / €150,000.
Vizio will, of course, launch panels in pretty much every size (though maybe not over 100 inches for a while), as will LG Display and Sharp.
Furthermore, China and Korea panel makers have begun to produce 48-inch and 49-inch LCDs with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels), and this will spark competition anew. If a price war happens because of it, we can expect even cheaper UHD TVs.