Hitachi last week revised its forecast of plasma TV pricing for the next year. Instead of the earlier prediction of a 30 percent price drop by next March, the manufacturer now estimates a 20 percent decrease.
The company expects strong sales of plasma sets larger than 40 inches — a category less impacted by competition from LCD sets, Hitachi vice president Makoto Ebata told Reuters.
“Panels are getting bigger and demand for high-definition plasma TVs is strengthening,” Ebata said at a new flat-panel factory in Miyazaki, Japan. “We are aiming for 30 percent of the global market for high-definition plasma TVs.”
The research firm DisplaySearch rated Hitachi as the world's fifth largest seller of plasma display TVs in 2005, following Matsushita Electronics, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and Philips.
