Market heat continues for videowalls and display tiles

Futuresource analysis estimates continued growth rates in excess of 50 per cent per year

UK videowall and tiled display sales will exceed 10,000 units in 2012, representing a growth rate of 60 per cent year on year, according to Futuresource Consulting.

Parmjit Bhangal, market analyst at specialist display market analysis firm Futuresource, said sales of videowalls and tiled displays in the UK topped 6,000 units in the 2011 calendar year, with almost 90 per cent of sales in unit terms being taken by super narrow bezel displays.

"Super narrow bezel display vendors enjoyed strong results through the first half of 2012, as sales were up more than 120 per cent on H1 2011 with the 55in to 59in screen size category showing particularly strong growth," Bhangal told ChannelWeb.

The first six months of 2012 were unique for the UK, with jubilee celebrations and the Olympics helping drive the installation of digital signage offerings all over the UK. Network operators have been looking to capitalise on the increased footfall during these times, noted Bhangal.

Futuresource's figures come from its latest report on videowall market growth worldwide, which estimate expansion of 60 per cent by volume – tipping 380,000 units – for the full 2012 calendar year.

"Recent innovations have breathed new life into this comparatively mature industry," Bhangal confirmed. "Since 2009, LED backlighting has been integrated into rear-projection displays, negating the costs of bulb replacement and maintenance.

"However, LCDs with a super narrow bezel (SNBs) have been the real game changer, finally offering a viable alternative to rear-projection devices and plasma screens."

SNBs allowed vendors to drive new revenue streams from new markets, most notably retail and public display, as well as defending their positions in video-based verticals, Bhangal said.

The rear-projection category also continues to grow steadily, with forecasts suggesting that growth will continue beyond 2015. The introduction of solid-state technology has been key, with LED accounting for nearly 40 per cent of sales in 2011, though this figure would be far higher if China, a huge lamp-based market, were excluded from the analysis, according to the analyst.

The four key videowall markets, it added, are retail and public display; corporate and exhibition; broadcast; and control room.

"We are going to see strong double-digit growth over the next three years, reaching sales of close to one million units in 2015. However, as major CE and pro AV display heavyweights enter the market and focus on volume business, value will be driven out of SNB displays, putting pressure on the entire videowall category," concluded Bhangal.