Projector sales up 16 per cent in Q2

Global sales of projector devices rise year on year for latest quarter

US-based projectors analyst Pacific Media Associates (PMA) says the worldwide front projector market leaped 16 per cent in the second quarter of 2011 year on year, with new-era models leading the way.

PMA divides the front projector industry into three brightness ranges, each associated with its own set of buyer types and applications: new era or fewer than 500 lumens, mainstream devices offering 500 to 4,999 lumens, and high-end projectors promising 5,000 or more lumens of brightness.

Michael Abramson, vice president of projector research at PMA, said the new-era range showed "unprecedented year-on-year growth", achieving a 195 per cent uptick in sales by volume.

"Part of this phenomenal growth can be attributed to an increase in shipments of products with embedded pico projectors, such as camcorders, digital still cameras and mobile phones. The new-era projector category also gained ground due to strong initial shipments of Wide XGA personal projectors," he said in a statement.

The high-end category expanded 26 per cent worldwide in the quarter, compared with the same quarter in 2010. D-cinema shipments rose 50 per cent or more, with momentum expected to continue.

"The traditional high-end market for large venues also performed well, with double-digit gains continuing in sales of Wide XGA and Wide UXGA models," Abramson said.

Mainstream units, on the other hand, fell four per cent in the quarter, compared with Q2 last year. Although education markets stayed strong and the number of interactive projector models increased in the quarter, corporate and home markets remained sluggish.

"The year-on-year slowdown in the mainstream market was seen mainly in developed markets, many of which saw buoyant sales during last year's second quarter because of the industry's post-recession inventory correction, sporting events such as Euro football, and strong education technology spending from the US stimulus," he said.

However, ultra-short-throw projectors, including the emerging interactive models, continued to outperform the overall market even in developed countries, Abramson added.