Worldwide projector sales to top 11m this year

Pacific Media Associates updates global market predictions

Some 11m projectors will be sold globally in 2012, according to research from Pacific Media Associates (PMA).

The California-based projector research specialist also reiterated that short-throw projectors and solid-state illumination will remain key in a growing market, contributing a large percentage of sales growth for the year. The analyst firm updates its predictions quarterly.

"Total worldwide shipments are expected to reach 11.3 million in 2012, nearly 20 per cent higher than 2011," said Bill Coggshall, president of PMA, in the announcement.

"The projector forecast also includes a critical update of last quarter's groundbreaking forecast for solid-state illumination technologies such as laser projectors, hybrid laser-LED projectors and LED projectors."

Coggshall added that ultra-short-throw and medium-throw will exhibit a better-than-25 per cent combined annual growth rate this year. LED-based projectors are expected to grow by nearly 60 per cent – primarily due to the appearance of pico projectors in cameras and mobile phones.

Hybrid and laser-based projectors will increasingly appear in classrooms, conference rooms, home theatres and cinemas by late 2013, he said.

"Manufacturer strategies, government funding and price sensitivities will continue to influence the mix of these projectors around the world. The US, western Europe, Canada and Japan will move closer to a 50-50 mix of ultra-short-throw versus medium-throw," he said.

PMA's latest forecast revised the outlook for ultra-short-throw projectors versus medium-throw projectors, 3LCD, DLP, LCOS and MOEMS-based projectors, as well as looking at volume and revenue performance for the full range of high-end projectors in commercial and consumer markets.