PMA has published its data for large (32″+) displays sold in the USA, for Q1’16. Sales favoured large sizes and premium features, such as UltraHD resolution.
60″+, UltraHD and interactive displays all sold well in the quarter – combining to boost revenues by 22% YoY. Volume also rose in double digits, although not at the same rate as revenue growth.
60″ – 69″ displays remained the ‘sweet spot’ in the 60″+ category. The top two models in this category were Sharp’s LC-60LE661U and Samsung’s DM65E. PMA’s dealer survey showed that ‘a meaningful proportion’ of the volume in this size range went to meeting rooms that previously had no display.
One of the main drivers of revenue growth was the shift to larger screens, above 70″. NEC’s 90″ E905 was the top model by revenues during the quarter in the largest size range (90″+). PMA calculated the overall weighted street price for 60″+ commercial models to be $5,000 during the quarter.
Interactivity was also a key driver: unit sales and revenue both more than doubled compared to Q1’15. SMART’s 6065 UltraHD model was top in terms of revenues, although installations of screens from Planar, MultiTaction, TriumphBoard, Sharp and Newline Interactive all contributed to the result.
PMA expects the popularity of interactive displays to continue throughout the rest of the year. Director of flat panel research Rosemary Abowd said, “As interactive technology continues to grow in education and business applications, we’ll see interactive solutions from all the current top-selling brands as well as LG, NEC, InFocus, Elo Touch Solutions, Panasonic, Samsung and Microsoft flood the market with better and more affordable alternatives.”
