According to IHS 4K TV panel shipments hit a monthly record on April 2015, reaching over 3 million units (or 14% of all TV panels shipped globally during the month) thanks to forces on both supply and demand side.
The analyst forecasts 20% of all TV panels shipped in 2016 will be 4K capable. This is quite the contrast from 2013, when 4K panels made less than 2% of all TV panels shipped.
“Prices for 4K TV panels continued to decline in 2014 and early this year, causing a rise in their adoption,” IHS remarks. “Most global TV brands have now launched 4K UHD products and are introducing more 4K models to their television offerings.”
One 4K/UHD TV demand driver is China, where high (3840x2160) resolution is seen as a point of differentiation in high-end TVs. The Chinese TV market has already accepted red-green-blue-white (RGBW) 4K sub-pixel technology even if still has to penetrate the rest of the global market.
As for manufactures, IHS marks LG Display and Samsung Display as the biggest global makers of 4K displays.
