High expectations are being set for the digital TV (DTV) market as Instat/MDR says that 93 million sets will be shipped worldwide by 2008.
During 2004, 76 million units are expected to be shipped but this will rise by a further 17 million over the next four years. The technology analysts at Instat/MDR say that ‘great things’ can be expected from this market.
This upbeat outlook comes as a result of the FCC mandate in the United States, which forces manufacturers to integrate digital tuners alongside analogue tuners. Other factors contributing to the upbeat forecast are the falling cost of switching to digital and the fact that a number of European terrestrial broadcasters are going digital.
Michelle Abraham, senior analyst at Instat/MDR, said: “There are two important trends in the TV set market today. CRTs [cathode ray tube sets] are being replaced with flat panels and microdisplays in direct view and rear projection TVs (RPTVs). Digital tuners are being integrated alongside analogue tuners in large TV set markets like North America, Europe and Japan.”
Asia is predicted to be the largest DTV market however, as with Europe, Asia’s future is less certain than that of the US which will continue strongly due to the FCC mandate. Consumer demand rather than manufacturing supply will be the deciding factor in Europe and Asia, says InStat.
The price difference between analogue widescreen TVs and idTVs in Europe is declining to less than the price of a set top box. As a result, in markets where there is no digital terrestrial box subsidy, consumers are more likely to replace their analogue TV set with an integrated digital one.
In the UK, media and telecoms regulator Ofcom has warned that digital TV take-up and the analogue switch-off are likely to be stalled unless the Government intervenes and encourages consumers to switch (see Digital TV Take-Up Will Fall Short Of 2010 Deadline).
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