LED backlit panel shipments to reach 115M in '09

"While there are still some technical and cost premium concerns about LED backlights, TFT LCD panel makers are aggressively promoting LED backlight products for better performance, lower power consumption, slim form factors and market differentiation—significantly contributing to growth in this segment," noted David Hsieh, vice president of DisplaySearch, and research leader for large-area TFT LCDs.

Table 1: Large-area LCD panel shipment by backlight type (Click on image to enlarge.)

Of the 23 million LED backlight panel units shipped, 14.3 million were notebook PC panels, 7.9 million were mini-note (netbook) panels, 0.6 million were TV panels, and 0.1 million were monitor panels. In Q2 09, LED backlight penetration was 100 percent in netbook PCs, 43 percent in notebook PCs, but only 2 percent in LCD TV, and merely 0.3 percent in LCD monitors. (See Table 1)

HannStar ranked first in LED backlight mini-note panel shipments, followed by AU Optronics and LG Display. Most of the mini-note panels shipped were wedge LED backlights, with 7.9 million shipped; slim LED shipments accounted for only 0.1 million units.

LG Display ranked first in LED backlight LCD monitor panels, focusing on 22-inch and 24-inch panels, followed by Samsung.

LG Display also led in LED backlight notebook PC panel shipments in Q2 09 with a 39 percent share, followed by AUO at 28 percent, Samsung at 19 percent and Chi Mei Optoelectronics at 8 percent.

For LCD TV panels with LED backlights, Samsung was ranked first with a 91 percent share. Despite this, LG Display was the champion in direct LED backlights, while Samsung's shipments were primarily edge-light backlights.

Table 2: 2009 Large-area LCD panel shipment by backlight type (Click on image to enlarge.)

According to DisplaySearch, Q3 09 LED backlight panel shipments are expected to reach 37.6 million units, accounting for 25 percent of all large-area LCD panel shipments. In Q4 09, the penetration is expected to reach 29 percent. As shown in Table 2, panel makers are expected to ship 114.5 million LED backlight TFT LCD panels in 2009, which would represent 22 percent penetration for the year; LED penetration is forecast to grow rapidly from 12 percent in Q1 09 to 29 percent in Q4 09.

"In Q3 09, LED backlights will pass CCFL backlights in notebook PC panels; at the same time, we expect very vigorous development activities in LED backlights for LCD TVs and monitors. LED will definitely be the buzzword for the next few years in the LCD industry," Hsieh concluded.