Projector sales growth solid in Q2

Global events sustain sales of projectors worldwide

Worldwide projector shipments expanded 3.5 per cent from the year-ago quarter and 11.4 per cent year on year in Q2 2012, according to market analyst Futuresource.

"After a reasonable start to calendar year 2012, the projectors market (excluding pico) had another solid quarter, bolstered by strong demand in the corporate and home markets of western Europe as Poland and Ukraine played host to the European Football Championships," the company said in a statement.

According to a Futuresource spokeswoman, the UK performed well in the quarter, experiencing year-on-year growth of 13.2 per cent, comprising 62,100 units in Q2.

"Good run-rate business in education and corporate markets [in the UK] was complemented by strong demand from football fans for dedicated home cinema projectors, with volumes up 45.6 per cent on Q2 2011 at 5,800 units and a nine-quarter peak in demand for SVGA product," she said.

SVGA is proving cost effective for venues showing live sports, such as pubs and bars, with the UK market taking on 14,500 units, she added.

Futuresource's press statement said, however, that although the EMEA region saw good "sales in" figures reported just before the European Championships, "sales out" are looking lower than expected and there are concerns regarding channel stock levels for Q3.

In other news, projector research specialist Pacific Media Associates (PMA) found in its June tracker that the five top sellers among front projectors in the north American channel that month were made by Epson, Optoma and InFocus.