The 3D format isn’t just our industry’s latest buzz-word, it’s also a synonym for display sales. Displaybank, a display industry market research group, predicts that 3D display sales in 2010 will top 6.2 million units worldwide. This represents a 91% compound annual growth and 3% of the entire TV market. 

The Displaybank report goes on to predict 83 million displays in homes by 2014, making up 31% of the TV market. 

“[S]hutter glass type would be the mainstream 3D TV technology type in 2010. Excluding LG Electronics, other major TV makers including Samsung Electronics, Sony and Panasonic are launching 3D LCD TV with shutter glass type and polarizer glass type would only show 2% penetration in 2014,” says Sarah Han, senior analyst at Displaybank. Han also expects the glassless 3D TV models to be launched in 2014.

As sales in the category grow, the number of models available are predicted to grow sharply to roughly 40 discrete SKUs. 

“The 3D TV market is expected to see sharp growth marking year 2010 through the aggressive strategies by makers,” says Andy Yu, vice president in Display research group at Displaybank.

Stephen Hopkins

Stephen Hopkins is chief technology editor for EH Publishing. He writes product reviews, features, and focuses heavily on 3D TV, iPhone and iPad apps, and digital content.