That was the consensus of industry analysts at the InfoComm 4th Annual Projection Summit who shared their forecasts for the $12 billion worldwide projection market. InfoComm, produced by the International Communications Industries Association, Inc., brings together component manufacturers and companies that make entire displays.
Analysts from six leading market research firms made predictions in several projection categories:
Presentation front projection sales will expand from 3.1 million units in 2004 to between 6.4 and 12.9 million in 2009. Rear projection TV sales of 5.7 million in 2004 will grow to between 6.9 and 12 million units in 2009. And front projection TV sales are expected to grow from 500,000 units last year to between 2 and 4.3 million in 2009.
Sales of flat panel (plasma) displays to consumers will leap from 2.1 million units in 2004 to between 9.2 and 18.6 million in 2009. And plasma sales to business will reach between 1.3 and 2.2 million units in 2009, versus 400,000 in 2004.
Consumer sales of Active Matrix LCDs (AMLCDs) (30 in. and larger), which totaled 1.2 million units in 2004, will expand to between 20.7 and 37.0 million in 2009. Finally, business sales of AMLCDs are expected to grow from 100,000 units in 2004 to about 1.1 million in 2009.