Display markets remain restless

17 Jun 2002

A predicted drop in flat-panel-display revenues will be short-lived reports US market consultant.

Although a 5% revenue drop to USD 22.8 billion is just round the corner for flat-panel-displays, US-based display consultant DisplaySearch is confident that the market will recover. In a recent forecast report, the market consultant attributes the short-term decline to a weakening in thin-film transistor (TFT) and passive-matrix liquid-crystal-display (LCD) markets.

"After 70% revenue growth in 1999 and 26% growth in 2000, the flat-panel-display market will suffer its first decline since 1995," said DisplaySearch's president Ross Young. "But in the fourth quarter of this year the market will recover and grow by 7.4% as prices begin to increase."

Young claims that a "narrowing surplus in large-area TFT LCD markets" as well as rapid growth in the LCD-monitor market will trigger the price increase. He also remains optimistic about the entire industry.

"Although the overall market is down, there are a number of bright spots," he said. "Low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD revenues will rise 56% while plasma display panels will increase by 125%. [The market for] organic light-emitting diodes will jump 119%."