Three fifths of TV sales to be UHD by 2020

LG’s 4K Ultra HD TV series with quantum dot technology

By 2020 61% of annual TV sales will be Ultra HD, with the technology on track to become “an established feature of TVs” in the next five years, according to Strategy Analytics.

The research firm’s latest predictions claim that more than 20% of households in leading markets will be using Ultra HD services from pay TV or online video providers by 2020.

This year alone, Strategy Analytics estimates that Ultra HD TVs may exceed 30 million units, while a recent survey of US consumers revealed that nearly two thirds had now heard about UHD, with 30% claiming to have seen it in a home, retail store or other location.

Of these, 95% said they were “extremely” or “somewhat” impressed by the technology.

“Ultra HD is rapidly becoming a de facto standard in the large screen TV market. As prices fall, tier one vendors like Samsung, LG and Sony are now looking to entice customers with enhanced UHD TVs which add wider colour gamut and high dynamic range capabilities,” said David Watkins, Strategy Analytics’ director, connected home devices.

David Mercer, Strategy Analytics principal analyst, said: “Early consumer reaction makes it clear that Ultra HD is here to stay. Service providers in pay TV and online video are now responding to this demand by launching new Ultra HD services and we expect this to be a major trend in the TV industry in the next few years.”