The 50- and 60-inch class segments will become the common size in the PDP (plasma display panel) TV market in the future, according to Takashi Fukuro, president of Pioneer High Fidelity.
In the 50-inch TV market, LCD technology will gradually eat PDP TV's share in 2009 when more eighth-generation (8G) lines come onboard, Fukuro estimated. This will push PDP TV makers to further develop 60-inch class TVs.
The global PDP TV market will reach 16 million units next year, up from 13 million units in 2007, amid the takeoff of digital broadcasting and more acceptance of Blu-ray Disc (BD), Fukuro indicated, adding that Pioneer should be able to deliver 780,000-800,000 PDP TVs in 2008, compared to 720,000 units this year.
Most of Pioneer's PDP TVs are made in-house while only 1.38% are ODM-based, according to sources. Pioneer currently has a capacity of 970,000 PDP TVs per year, the sources added.
