Simon Lewis - Seeking Alpha 'Simon Lewis' Tag RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/author/simon-lewis LG Philips LCD To Be Squeezed by Low TV Module Pricing http://seekingalpha.com/article/15019-lg-philips-lcd-to-be-squeezed-by-low-tv-module-pricing?source=feed 15019 Witsview confirms that TV module pricing is still in free fall with drops in the last two weeks of $10 at 32" and 37" and $20 at 40" and 42"; this represents 2.7% for all but the 37" format, where the fall was a "modest" 1.8%.

Monitor module trends have reversed dramatically, with a 5.5% rise for 17" monitors and 1.6% for 19"W. Notebook prices are unchanged since mid-July.

]]> Fri, 04 Aug 2006 10:04:58 -0400 Simon Lewis Witsview confirms that TV module pricing is still in free fall with drops in the last two weeks of $10 at 32" and 37" and $20 at 40" and 42"; this represents 2.7% for all but the 37" format, where the fall was a "modest" 1.8%.

Monitor module trends have reversed dramatically, with a 5.5% rise for 17" monitors and 1.6% for 19"W. Notebook prices are unchanged since mid-July.


Complete Story »]]> LPL Simon Lewis Plasma's Bad Quarter - Good News For LCD http://seekingalpha.com/article/14158-plasma-s-bad-quarter-good-news-for-lcd?source=feed 14158

Read the data closely and the LCD industry, especially Samsung, Sony (SNE) and Sharp (SHCAY) can be greatly encouraged. Plasma is shifting its emphasis out of the 42-43" category towards the 50" market. 50" share rose from 14% to 18% and is expected to increase further to 21% in the current quarter. In other words, despite its optimism that volumes will grow by one-third in the current quarter, the plasma community is recognizing that its traditional advantage over LCD in the 42" class is being all but eliminated.

]]> Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:15:35 -0400 Simon Lewis

Read the data closely and the LCD industry, especially Samsung, Sony (SNE) and Sharp (SHCAY) can be greatly encouraged. Plasma is shifting its emphasis out of the 42-43" category towards the 50" market. 50" share rose from 14% to 18% and is expected to increase further to 21% in the current quarter. In other words, despite its optimism that volumes will grow by one-third in the current quarter, the plasma community is recognizing that its traditional advantage over LCD in the 42" class is being all but eliminated.


Complete Story »]]> LPL MC PHG SNE Simon Lewis Flat Panel TV Prices Continue To Fall http://seekingalpha.com/article/13955-flat-panel-tv-prices-continue-to-fall?source=feed 13955 WitsView today published their twice monthly panel pricing update. TV panel prices in the second half of July are still dropping precipitously with 32" and 42" panels down another 3.8% in the last two weeks, and 40" panels down 4%. 17" monitor panels are actually up $1.

Since the first half of April TV panel prices have dropped as follows:

]]> Thu, 20 Jul 2006 12:35:41 -0400 Simon Lewis WitsView today published their twice monthly panel pricing update. TV panel prices in the second half of July are still dropping precipitously with 32" and 42" panels down another 3.8% in the last two weeks, and 40" panels down 4%. 17" monitor panels are actually up $1.

Since the first half of April TV panel prices have dropped as follows:


Complete Story »]]> ATYT AUO GLW GMST GNSS LPL MC NIPNF.PK PHG PNCOF.PK PXLW SNE TRID Simon Lewis LG Philips' and AU Optronics' Challenge in Large-Screen LCD TVs (LPL, AUO) http://seekingalpha.com/article/13462-lg-philips-and-au-optronics-challenge-in-large-screen-lcd-tvs-lpl-auo?source=feed 13462


A 65" Sharp Aquos TV - the largest commercially available LCD TV

A recent visit to a Bic Camera flagship store in Tokyo showed that there were no fewer than 17 units of LCD TVs with screen diagonal of 45"-47" on the showroom floor. Of these, there were 9 Sharp Aquos, 6 Sony Bravia and 2 Toshiba. At the 40"/37" size, there were 19 Sharp units, 10 Sony units, and a very few units from all the others. There is a definite connection between what you find in the stores and what you'll see in the sales data. It's not a surprise that Sharp still dominates the Japanese LCD TV market, with Sony a distant second.

]]> Wed, 12 Jul 2006 09:52:32 -0400 Simon Lewis


A 65" Sharp Aquos TV - the largest commercially available LCD TV

A recent visit to a Bic Camera flagship store in Tokyo showed that there were no fewer than 17 units of LCD TVs with screen diagonal of 45"-47" on the showroom floor. Of these, there were 9 Sharp Aquos, 6 Sony Bravia and 2 Toshiba. At the 40"/37" size, there were 19 Sharp units, 10 Sony units, and a very few units from all the others. There is a definite connection between what you find in the stores and what you'll see in the sales data. It's not a surprise that Sharp still dominates the Japanese LCD TV market, with Sony a distant second.


Complete Story »]]> AUO LPL Simon Lewis Can InFocus and Other Projector Vendors Compete With LCD TVs? (DELL, HPQ, INFS) http://seekingalpha.com/article/13129-can-infocus-and-other-projector-vendors-compete-with-lcd-tvs-dell-hpq-infs?source=feed 13129 New York Times article talks up the future of front projectors in the consumer market -- for watching movies and TV. Meanwhile, an article in Consumer Electronics Daily, discussing the recent conference call at InFocus (INFS), implicitly raises questions as to the viability of this market. InFocus lowered its forecast for Q2 sales, based partly weaker-than-planned sales of its new entry-level consumer projector, the IN72 which suffered from a "tidal wave" of competition from flat panel TVs.

So where does the truth lie?

The $999 InFocus IN72 Projector (click to enlarge)

]]> Fri, 07 Jul 2006 16:00:31 -0400 Simon Lewis New York Times article talks up the future of front projectors in the consumer market -- for watching movies and TV. Meanwhile, an article in Consumer Electronics Daily, discussing the recent conference call at InFocus (INFS), implicitly raises questions as to the viability of this market. InFocus lowered its forecast for Q2 sales, based partly weaker-than-planned sales of its new entry-level consumer projector, the IN72 which suffered from a "tidal wave" of competition from flat panel TVs.

So where does the truth lie?

The $999 InFocus IN72 Projector (click to enlarge)


Complete Story »]]> DELL HPQ INFS Simon Lewis LCD TVs Gain Share in Critical Market Segment http://seekingalpha.com/article/13088-lcd-tvs-gain-share-in-critical-market-segment?source=feed 13088 DisplaySearch TV Flash reported NPD Group/POS data showing that, in the US market in May, LCD TVs overtook Microdisplay Rear Projection TVs (known in the industry as "MD RPTVs") in the 40" to 44" segment for the first time. The 40" to 44" segment is now the largest segment of the TV market in revenue terms, at 20.9%. The competition here is significant, since it's the main battlefield of the TV market.

Below: Samsung's new 40" Wide LCD TV (click for larger image)
Samsung 40\" Wide LCD TV

Rear projection TVs owned this segment until plasmas came along. But now it's turned into a three-way party, in which rear projection TVs and plasma TVs are also competing against LCD TVs. Rear projection TVs are losing big time. Microdisplay rear projection TVs' unit share fell to 22%. Sony (SNE) holds 59% of the 40" to 44" microdisplay rear projection TV market segment, and Samsung 28%. Sony and Samsung will continue to share the shrinking spoils of the MD RPTV market.

]]> Thu, 06 Jul 2006 04:30:28 -0400 Simon Lewis DisplaySearch TV Flash reported NPD Group/POS data showing that, in the US market in May, LCD TVs overtook Microdisplay Rear Projection TVs (known in the industry as "MD RPTVs") in the 40" to 44" segment for the first time. The 40" to 44" segment is now the largest segment of the TV market in revenue terms, at 20.9%. The competition here is significant, since it's the main battlefield of the TV market.

Below: Samsung's new 40" Wide LCD TV (click for larger image)
Samsung 40\" Wide LCD TV

Rear projection TVs owned this segment until plasmas came along. But now it's turned into a three-way party, in which rear projection TVs and plasma TVs are also competing against LCD TVs. Rear projection TVs are losing big time. Microdisplay rear projection TVs' unit share fell to 22%. Sony (SNE) holds 59% of the 40" to 44" microdisplay rear projection TV market segment, and Samsung 28%. Sony and Samsung will continue to share the shrinking spoils of the MD RPTV market.


Complete Story »]]> AUO LPL SHCAY.PK TXN Simon Lewis