According to Displaybank, worldwide Plasma Display Panels (PDP) module shipments reached 1.39 million units in May, rising some 10 per cent compared to April.

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And in terms of shipments by size and resolution, the 40-49-inch segment accounted for “56.9 per cent of the total shipments while the 50-59-inch segment took up 26.1 per cent”, the research firm said.

Shipments of Matsushita’s 42-inch full HD products increased fast during the second quarter, and sales of its new 46-inch full HD panels also grew.

Decreases in the amount of Matsushita shipments during the first quarter gave Korean companies “an increase in their share to 63 per cent in March, but an increase in shipments from Matsushita and other Japanese companies in the second quarter resulted in a drop for Korean companies’ share to 55 per cent”, Displaybank said.

Samsung SDI’s shipments are expected to “increase during the third quarter, while LG Electronics’ shipments will also increase due to the addition to its product line up of a 37-inch module during the second half of the year, during which Matsushita plans to initiate a new production line”, the report added.

However an increasing market cannot be guaranteed for the latter half of 2008, as the slowdown in the global economy is weakening demand in the entire TV market, Displaybank warned.