CCFL TV to be Phased Out, LED Specifications for TV Application to be Unified
LEDinside’s latest market report showed that in 1Q13, the cost of direct-type LED BLU dropped by approximately 2.7%-4.7%, while the cost of edge-lit LED BLU decreased by 4.3%-5.3%.
Affected by the rapid increase in LED TVs and chubby LED TVs, TV brand manufacturers have continued to reduce CCFL TV price in order to clear inventory. Forecasted by LEDinside, CCFL backlight module cost will fall by less than 1.5% in 2Q and only 1% in 3Q.LED TV products are already fully developed, and LED package sizes are roughly defined. Mainstream LEDs include 7020/ 7030 for edge-type LED TVs and 3528/3030 with lens for direct-type LED TVs. LED power has increased from 0.4W each to 1W-2W or more; in order to solve this problem, LED package materials shifted from PPA and PCT to EMC.
Affected by Consistent Price Drop in Medium Power LED, High Power LED Price Fell by 6%-9% in 1Q13
In terms of LED price for lighting application, medium power LED asp fell by 7% in 4Q12 due to the price cuts by Korean manufacturers. Substantial price cut has enhanced the lighting demands in China—part of LED packages has shown shortage. In addition, high power LED asp has also dropped significantly along with the price cut by Korean manufacturers. So far, high power LED asp has fallen by 6%-9%. LEDinside indicated that the falling price is not only due to the medium power LED price cut, but also agent conversion and the manufacturers’ goal to reduce inventory before Chinese New Year Holiday. Although the lighting market demand has been slowly increasing after Chinese New Year, due to the new medium power LED introduced by Korean manufacturers, there will still be intense price competition in the LED lighting market.
Perspective From LEDinside
LEDinside indicated that due to the enlarged light guide plate, the number of optical films must be increased in order to enhance module brightness in 46-inch or larger edge-type LED backlit TVs. Such being the case, however, module cost will also increase. In 46-inch backlight modules, for example, there is a price difference of 1.5 times between edge-type BLU and direct-type BLU. This year, Korean TV brands Samsung and LG simultaneously introduced direct-type LED TVs of all sizes, accounting for over 70%. Lacking brand advantage, Taiwan’s two major panel manufacturers AU Optronics Corp. and Innolux have conservatively chosen edge-type LED backlight as the panel light source. Among China’s six major TV brands, the proportion of edge-type and direct-type LED backlight is approximately 4:6.
As for lighting applications, cost-effective medium power LED 5630 has been applied in both bulbs and LED lamps. High power LED price has started to fall in response to the continuous decline in 5630 price since 2012. In addition, high power LED price has fallen by approximately 5%-10% compared with last quarter, and certain products may face an even greater price decline.
