Spurred by Chinese TV manufacturers’ demands, LED TV penetration rates reached 95% in 2013, according to LEDinside, a subsidiary of global research institute TrendForce. The organization estimates LED TV will completely replace CCFL by 2014, and annual LED TV shipment volume will grow at YOY 3% to 209 million. However, LED for backlight TV applications market value is expected to decrease 17% to US$ 2.41 billion. The main cause behind LED TVs growing shipment volume, but lower market value has been direct-type LED TVs reduced usage of LEDs and its high penetration rate of more than 60% in 2014. Compared to edge-type LED TVs, direct-type LED TVs only uses half the number of LEDs.

For LED manufacturers, 2014 will be a price competitive year, said Jack Kuo, Assistant Manager, LEDinside. Even if LED TV penetration rates reach 100%, the TV industry’s price and cost competition has shown no signs of easing. TV brands are no longer focused on LED costs, but paying more attention to costs of the entire LED light bar cost, including PCB and lens costs. Hence, companies that want to enter the 2014 LED TV backlight supply chain must be cost competitive as well as provide comprehensive LED TV backlight solutions.

Direct-type LED TV has become one of the mainstream TVs in 2013. As this type of TV begins using LEDs with higher wattages, the number of LEDs used in future direct-type LED TVs has been reduced to meet the continual target of lowering costs. On the other hand, LED manufacturers are also using secondary optic lens to widen viewing angle. The lens can widen viewing angle to 165 degrees and improve direct-type LED TVs flaw of being much thicker.

Accompanying direct-type LED TVs lowered costs and successful slim down, the TV model is expected to become TV manufacturers’ highlighted product in 2014. LEDinside estimates, direct-type LED TV penetration rates will reach 60% and surpass edge-type LED TV for the first time.

Due to TV industry’s intense cost competition, there are signs that LED for TV backlight application specs are integrating. For example, edge-type LED TV mostly uses 7030 LED, ultra slim bezel’s 7020 LED, and for direct-type LED TV types 3528 LED, plus 3030 LED and 3535 LED that have sold particularly well in China. In the past, LED for backlight applications had to release new specs every year, but spec integrations can now help manufacturers produce on economies of scale, and in the future LED package manufacturers can also focus R&D on improving LED luminous efficacy.