Triage carrier Research firm

Triage carrier

Research firm DisplaySearch reported this week that shipments of 3-D LCD sets totaled 9 million units in the first quarter of 2011, up 104 percent from the first quarter of 20 Overall, 3-D LCD sets made up 9 percent of all LCD panels shipped in the quarter. And, as you can see, that penetration rate is expected to soar over the next few years: Whats driving that growth? Well, I think one factor is that anyone in the market for a high-end HD set these days is probably going to go ahead and just get a 3-D TV. After all, you can just watch a regular 2-D signal on any 3-D television. You never have to take the glasses out of the box if you dont care about 3-D. And with the price difference between 2-D and 3-D sets shrinking to just a few hundred dollars, you might as well go big and get future-proofed in case 3-D really takes off. And a lot of people are ready to go shopping for HD televisions. The results? Some 24 percent said their number one gadget priority is buying an HD television, followed by 17 percent who triage carrier to buy high-def Blu-ray players: According to senior analyst Michael Inouye, As consumers replace older TVs, there really isnt much choice now but to buy an HDTV, so even if the consumer doesnt necessarily want to view HDTV content, thats usually what they end up with. Prices for HDTVs have fallen quite a bit, and many households are now replacing their second and third-string televisions. That forced migration to HD is interesting, because I think the same thing will soon happen with 3-D. Manufacturers will slowly stop producing 2-D-only sets at least in the larger sizes, so youll be stuck with buying a 3-D set whether you really care about 3-D or not. What will be really interesting to see, though, is whether demand for 3-D video content rises as 3-D TV sales rise. Just because they own the hardware, are people subscribing to the 3-D packages offered by their cable and satellite providers, or buying 3-D Blu-ray players and discs? UPDATE: Phil Swann at emailed me to point out that, in reference to the DisplaySearch report above, shipments are not the same as sales. In other words, just because manufacturers are shipping products to stores doesnt necessarily mean consumers are buying all those products. Thats a valid point, and certainly there are occasions where device makers force far more units onto retail shelves than actual people are willing to buy. This happened, if memory serves, with both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at various points. Its called channel stuffing. But over the long run, triage carrier shipment numbers can only hold up if people are buying the product. No retailer is going to just keep accepting pallet after pallet of 3-D TVs with no buyers in sight. Those assets depreciate fast. And as the ABI report linked to above says, people are definitely buying HD televisions right now. If manufacturers simply start draining the supply of 2-D-only sets in favor of 3-D units which I think they are gradually starting to do, then 3-D sales will rise almost by default. But, again, it is worth highlighting the difference between shipped and sold. Cameron Coursey, associate vice president of product development with ATTs emerging devices division, speaks Tuesday at the Mobility Everywhere: Beyond the Smartphone panel discussion in Austin.