PMA Research (PMA) has published their latest monthly report on large-format (32-inch and larger) displays sold by leading U.S. pro AV dealers and integrators.
According to the report, during the first quarter of 2016, sales revenues of larger screen sizes (60-inch-plus displays), UHD/4K models, and interactive models grew 22 percent compared with the first quarter of 2015. Volume comparisons also registered a double-digit gain over last year but at a somewhat milder rate than the revenue growth.
The “sweet spot” in the 60-inch-plus space remained 60 to 69-inch flat panel displays. Sharp’s LC-60LE661U and Samsung’s DM65E were the top-selling models of this range in the first quarter. PMA claims that a meaningful portion of the volume in this size range served smaller- and medium-sized business meeting rooms that had no previous display. However, one of the main drivers of revenue growth was a shift to even bigger flat panels—70 to 79-inch, 80 to 89-inch, and 90-inch and higher displays. In that size range, NEC’s 90-inch E905 was the top-selling model during the quarter. The overall weighted street price for commercial models in the entire 60-inch-plus range was more than $5,000 during the first quarter.
In the interactive display market, unit sales and revenues in the first quarter more than doubled over last year’s first quarter. PMA’s monthly tracking report showed that SMART’s 6065 4K/UHD model was the top revenue model while installations of interactive displays from Planar, MultiTaction, TriumphBoard, Sharp, and Newline Interactive also contributed to the strong quarter. “We expect the trajectory for interactive display growth to continue along the same path the rest of this year,” said Rosemary Abowd, PMA’s director of flat panel research. “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.”
