Big Growth in 1080p Sales Under Way

No one is producing much of anything in 1080p yet, but the HD format is seemingly proving to be a marketing hit, at least according to a new report from industry analyst DisplaySearch. In its latest quarterly report, the Austin, Texas-based firm said shipment of DTV units in all formats rose to slightly under 20 percent from the second quarter of 2007 to the third, and slightly more than 10 percent year-to-year—to 50.6 million units globally.

And while still a small fraction of all DTV units sold to date, 1080p sets across all technologies rose a mighty 70 percent for the quarter, and 35 percent for the year (3.4 units sold). LCD 1080p sets posted a nearly 70-percent jump for the third quarter, while plasma 1080p units were up by slightly more than 100 percent.

1080p micro-displays grew 57 percent in the third quarter. All growth lines did especially well in 1080p sets of 40 inches and larger.