As much of the global economy continues to show some headway in pulling out of one of the most serious downturns since the Great Depression, DTV shipments continued a strong rebound in the first quarter in many regions of the world — although not in North America.
Growth rates of TV shipments of HD and SD units are rebounding "from the very weak levels of early 2009, as improving global economic conditions led to greater demand for TVs," according to industry analyst DisplaySearch. In its latest quarterly report for January-March of this year, it said total TV shipments increased a healthy 25 percent (55 million units globally) over the first quarter of 2009.
LCD HD shipments were even more impressive: They grew a solid 50 percent year-to-year — to almost 40 million units. That didn't quite meet expectations, but it was close, said DisplaySearch.
A notable exception to the global trend was North America, where DTV shipments grew by a paltry 1 percent for the quarter.
Plasma TV shipments also showed robust staying power — growing by more than 20 percent in the first quarter, according to DisplaySearch.
