Industry-leading professional analysts from iSuppli have recently been able to predict that LED-backlit LCD HDTV shipments will increase in the year 2010 by a margin of about eight times the current shipment numbers. To quote specifics, shipments for 40-inch and larger models are expected to exponentially rise from 2.5 million units in 2009 to 18.8 million units in 2010.

There are various reasons for the cause of such a radical improvement in global LED-backlit television supplies. Many sources refer to the increase in commitments among various HDTV manufacturers as the primary cause, while others insist that it was a result of simple consumer demand and awareness of eco-friendly home appliances and power saving tips for the recession. It seems most likely that a fusion of these predictions is the most likely cause, and regardless of the increase in momentum, this is exactly the news that EnergyStar wants to hear.

"Panel makers have been investing heavily in LED chipmakers or have been developing their own internal technologies in order to take advantage of what they believe LED-backlit LCD TVs bring to the table: differentiation, innovation, low power consumption and, of course, the potential to reap the benefits of higher revenues," said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst for TV systems at iSuppli.



iSuppli forecasts that global shipments LED-backlit LCD-TV 40-inches and larger in size will expand to 112.1 million units by 2013, rising at a whopping Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 405 percent from a mere 34,000 units in 2008. While this may be great news for environmentalists, there are still several challenges preventing mass consumer adoption at this point. For instance, short LED lifetimes and thermal issues have always remained open for debate, while other factors include a fragmented supply chain and inadequate component supply. Finally, there is the fact that LED-backlit LCDs are still priced far higher than CCFL-based LCDs.

While the eventual economic balance between consumers and producers for LED-backlit consumption remains to be seen, there is always the possibility of government intervention. iSuppli predicts that stringent government policies are continually pushing HDTV manufacturers to adopt environmentally-friendly backlighting technologies that consume less electricity. This is the most widely accepted cause for momentum in the market, but it is always important to realize that technology cost must go down in order for government policy to remain effective. Nevertheless, we are looking forward to seeing the latest and greatest LED-backlit LCD HDTV solutions at CES 2010 in one week’s time.