LCD Panel Demand Drops

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1638451,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532' target='_blank'>http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1638451,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>LCD panels have now moved into a period of oversupply, foretelling lower prices, an analyst firm said this week. In conjunction with Stanford Resources, analyst firm iSuppli Corp. said that during the second quarter the available number of LCD panels outstripped the demand for those products by 6.4 percent. The firm predicted that in the third quarter demand would fall even further, only reaching parity sometime in the fourth quarter. The analyst firm said that "disappointing demand and faster additions to supply" contributed to the imbalance, the result of eight new LCD fabs that are supposed to enter production this year. However, consumers continue to snap up LCDs. Demand, the firm said, is constantly increasing, and by the fourth quarter demand is once again expected to outstrip supply by about 1 percent. "Panel prices are coming down significantly for LCD TVs," the firm said. "However, consumer prices are still not low enough for demand to meet suppliers' expectations. Disappointing demand in the first half forced suppliers to reduce their 2004 demand forecasts.</i>"<br /><br />LCD prices have been so volatile over the past couple of years. Still lower prices is good for those of us who have not bought dual LCDs in the past couple months. With demand expected to increase, now might be the time to make your move.

[mcsouth]

Well, lower pricing is always a wonderful thing for us cash-strapped consumers! :D However, you wouldn't know that there is a reduction in demand where I work - because our department is ahead of budget in a big way so far this year, my boss has authorized some serious PC upgrades for us. While the PC's come from our IS dept, my boss has been paying for LCD's for most of our group - I think we're up to 25 LCD's that we've bought so far, and we're not done yet. Smallest we've been getting are 17" LCD's for junior staff - we're getting 19" LCD's for certain folks (including me :D ). Since I've been doing most of the purchasing, I'm certain that NewEgg has been very happy to see my orders!

I thought I was on cloud 9 when I replaced my 15" CRT with a 17" LCD at home - at work, I'm running my new Dell 1150 in extended desktop mode, so that I'm using the laptop screen and my 19" LCD together. Man, lots of screen real estate is certainly addictive!!!

[Suhit Gupta]

Wow, I find this to be very surprising news. I was completely under the impression that the demand was really high at this time. Like mcsouth, I am also noticing that more and more researchers here at Columbia University are dumping their CRTs and getting LCD monitors instead. In fact, one of our major computer labs in the CS department was just re-equipped with a bunch of Sun 19" LCD monitors.

Suhit

[Mojo Jojo]

I been flip-flopping between a new CRT and an LCD for the last month. My biggest worry is dead pixels. With companies having return polices now numbering eight dead pixels the thought of dropping some good cash keeps me away.

When I used an LCD that had one dead and one stuck, that little white pixel bugged the hell out of me. For some reason my eyes just kept finding it.

This may sound weird but I would rather LCD makers concentrate on quality over lower prices.

[DiGiTYZED]

Wow, I find this to be very surprising news. I was completely under the impression that the demand was really high at this time. Like mcsouth, I am also noticing that more and more researchers here at Columbia University are dumping their CRTs and getting LCD monitors instead. In fact, one of our major computer labs in the CS department was just re-equipped with a bunch of Sun 19" LCD monitors.

Suhit

yeah, i'm sure the back-to-school season will drive up the demand too. I'm looking to replace my 19" CRT with a 17" or higher LCD myself