LED Backlight Penetration Rate in LCD TVs Expected to Grow to 40 Percent in 2013

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter Print this article

The LED backlight market has rapidly emerged in the TFT LCD industry and is expected to continue growing for the next five years, according to DisplaySearch's latest Quarterly LED & CCFL Backlight Report. Specifically, DisplaySearch forecasts the penetration rate of LED backlights for LCD TVs to grow from less than 3 percent in 2009 to 40 percent in 2013 and surpass CCFL backlights in 2014 with more than 50 percent penetration rate.

Meanwhile, large-area LED backlight shipments for all applications will grow from 84.9 million units in 2009 to 434.8 million units in 2013, when LED backlights will be used in 54.3 percent of 10 inch plus TFT LCD panels. Thus, LED backlights will become mainstream in the TFT LCD industry.

While LED backlights for LCD TVs are growing rapidly, notebook PCs are the leading application for large-area LED backlight units, and DisplaySearch forecasts that 100 percent of all new notebook models will have LED backlights by 2012. Figure 1 shows the large-area LED backlight penetration in each application.

Figure 1: Large Area LED Backlight Unit Penetration Rate by Application
Source: DisplaySearch Q2'09 Quarterly LED & CCFL Backlight Report
Backlight units for LCD TV are expected to be the next growth opportunity for the LED industry, with leading brands such as Samsung, LG, Sharp and Philips all expected to mass produce LED backlit LCD TVs in 2010. As a result, LED backlight units for TVs will grow to 3.6 million units in 2009 and 15.1 million units in 2010.

Companies like Samsung are focusing on the development of edge-lit LED backlights, which can reduce the bill of materials by 30-40 percent compared to direct-lit models. "Edge-lit LED backlight units for LCD TV are a temporary solution to drive costs down to open market acceptance for 'LED TV' as short-term marketing strategy," noted Luke Yao, DisplaySearch Research Director. "Consumers want a low-cost solution with acceptable picture quality, but aren't always willing to pay a higher premium--making edge-lit LEDs an ideal near-term solution."

For the monitor segment, cost and performance remain bottlenecks for panel manufacturers creating LED backlit monitors. Taiwanese panel makers like AUO and Innolux have been the most aggressive in developing LED monitor panels. Because LED monitor panel sizes (18.5"W, 21.5"W, 23.6"W and 24"W) are also used for TV, DisplaySearch refreshed its forecasted penetration rate for LED monitor backlight units to 21 percent in 2013. Currently panel makers are putting efforts into shrinking the LED backlight premium to $3-5 for 18 inch wide panels. From 2010, we expect that LED backlight monitors will be developed and supported by brand name makers.

Featured Audio-Video News

24-Tech: Ideas On How To Get Your Home Theater Working Like It's Installed At CTU -

24 was a great show that had some ridiculously impressive technology. So impressive, it defied the reality of the actual technology used. However, the ideas are great. Jerry Del Colliano thinks about how those ideas could be translated to home theaters.

Latest LED HDTV

SunBriteTV Allows Users to Take the Game Outside with New Signature Line -

SunBriteTV has opened up the company's line of products to consumers with the introduction of a more affordable line of Signature products that will give consumers all the benefits of SunBriteTVs outdoor technologies.

Vizio Announces 2012 Line of HDTVs, Includes 21:9 and 3D Models -

Vizio is bringing something really big to the marketplace with their 2012 line of HD televisions. Literally. Vizio is releasing the company's new CinemaWide television line that features models with a 21:9 aspect ratio amongst other impressive features.

Samsung Unveils Super OLED HDTV -

Samsung has announced a brand new television that uses new technology to deliver great picture quality by utilizing the OLED technology, a first for the company and very rare at this screen size.

Is a Narrower Focus the Key to Survival for Some TV Manufacturers? -

It's hard to be in the television business right now. The market has seen a lot of new variables enter and had a few setbacks, which is definitely affecting the manufacturers - even the big ones.

LG Reveals Nano Full LED HDTV - the LW980S -

LG Electronics has given the first glimpse of their new LED HDTV that seems to have it all, the LW980S, which features fully backlit LED lighting as well as several other features that are in demand.

Insignia Unveils Connected TV with TiVo Design -

To adapt to the modern connected consumer, Best Buy's proprietary electronics line, Insignia, has come out with a new connected television that will allow customers to access apps and connect to online content.

Sharp Should Have Licensed The Name KURO - Not Elite -

Sharp has unveiled the new high-end Elite-branded HDTV models, complete with a very high-end price. But when looking at the television offered by Sharp, one has to sit back and wonder: why?

Samsung Announces 75-inch 3D HDTV: the D9500 -

Samsung has seriously stepped up their game by releasing the largest 3D LED HDTV they have ever released. Not only that, it is the largest that anyone has ever released, but size isn't the only thing you'll be getting with this TV.

LG Claims Global Market Share of LED HDTVs -

DisplaySearch is reporting that, in 2010, LG was the world's market share leader in LED LCD monitors. The company held an 18 percent share in the LED LCD category, which jumped from 1 percent of the total monitor market in 2009 to 10 percent in 2010.

MOG's Streaming Music Service Coming to LG Electronics -

LG will soon add another application to its SmartTV platform: the MOG streaming music service. Features of the MOG service include on-demand streaming and MOG radio. This new service will be available on LG's SmartTV-enabled HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and SmartTV Upgrader.

LED Backlight Penetration Rate in LCD TVs Expected to Grow to 40 Percent in 2013