LED-Backlit LCD TVs Comprised a Fifth of Q2’s TV Purchases, iSuppli Says

One in five LCD TVs sold in the U.S. during Q3 this year used LED backlighting, said a survey by iSuppli. LED-lit LCD TVs accounted for 19.6 percent of TV purchases last quarter, up from 17.9 percent in Q2 and 4 percent in Q3 2009, iSuppli said. The share of 3D TVs among overall purchases, meanwhile, barely registered “a blip,” according to iSuppli, which said those purchased were in the 50-inch and larger segment.

Analyst Riddhi Patel said consumers are attracted to LED technology because of thinner design, improved picture quality, better color saturation and energy efficiency. Traditional CCFL LCD TVs represented a 65.3 percent share of the overall U.S. market for Q3, iSuppli said, basically flat from the 64.6 percent share in Q2. Plasma TV sales slipped to 13.5 percent of TV sales for the quarter, from 14.2 percent in Q2, it said. Tube TVs represented less than 1 percent of sales for the period and “continued on a trajectory of irreversible decline,” it said.

Survey results also indicated consumer interest is on the rise for connected TVs, with nearly half of respondents saying they bought TVs with Internet connectivity. Key applications for Internet TV included YouTube, personal videos and Netflix’ streaming service, iSuppli said. The most popular TV sizes were in the 40-49-inch range, which accounted for 45 percent of TV purchases during the period. Nearly a quarter of respondents had bought a 32-inch TV in the quarter primarily for placement in a secondary room such as a bedroom, it said. In the plasma group, the 42-inch size was predominant.

According to the survey, picture quality was the primary purchase factor ahead of technologies including LED backlights or Internet connectivity. Price and screen size followed, while brand names are losing significance, Patel said. Brands are exerting less influence on the decision-making process, he said, because performance among brands in store environments “is perceived to be similar by consumers.” Among popular brands, Vizio dominated at Walmart and club stores across the country, said the survey, while Samsung led in other retail outlets.

The results of the quarter are taken from iSuppli’s U.S. TV Consumer Preferences survey, which polls more than 2,200 U.S. households randomly each quarter from a continually refreshed pool of more than 2 million consumers. Respondents are polled about TVs they've purchased, including where they bought them, how much they spent and what factors influenced the purchase.