2015 is forecast to be a big year for UHD TVs. Advancements in display technologies and panel sizes are expected to spur interest and further adoption despite rather restrictive prices.

Display Search estimated that global UHD TV supply this year will reach 15 million units. This is more than double the January to November 2014 total of 6.4 million. The consulting firm added that UHD TV shipments started to pick up in the second quarter of 2014 and jumped in the third when the count exceeded 3 million units. This is an astounding 500 percent increase from second quarter figures.

China will be a key contributor to the expected boom in 2015, both as an end-user and volume manufacturer.

From the consumer market standpoint, China is expected to drive growth in the smart UHD TV segment. Consulting company AVC said that by third quarter-2014, 70 percent of flat-screen TVs in China had intelligent functions. An earlier estimate placed the share at 40 percent. China manufacturers, meanwhile, have already joined this particular trend, integrating various OS and smart functions into their new UHD TVs, broadening option for content and apps.

As for new display technologies, big China brands introduced at CES 2015 a slew of advancements geared toward boosting contrast ratio, brightness and display color range.

Haier, for instance, presented its first curved ultrathin LED UHD TV that delivers 3840x2160p. Changhong and TCL launched quantum-dot or QLED 4K TVs while Hisense introduced its 4K ULED TV.

The table below shows the key features of China-made UHD TVs and how price is determined primarily by the size of their displays.

To address the anticipated jump in demand for large-screen models, TV panel vendors are expanding their selections of bigger displays.

According to the latest LCD TV Value Chain & Insight Report published by DisplaySearch, all of the top TV panel makers have set significant targets for large displays. LGE will boost production of 43, 49 and 65in panels. Samsung will increase its output of 40, 48, 55 and 65in models while reducing yield of 32in types.

In mainland China, BOE, ChinaStar and CEC-Panda are shifting focus to bigger panels, specifically those measuring 50 and 55in. Taiwan vendors such as AUO and Innolux are doing the same.

As for key markets, North America and Western Europe offer the biggest potential for business. The UHD TV retail market in the US was valued at $668 million in 2014, according to Display Search. Seventy percent of consumers there prefer UHD TVs with displays ranging between 55 and 65in. North America sales are forecast to grow 12 percent this year.

UHD TV panel primer
One of the most important parts of UHD TVs is the panel, of which there are two types.

A conventional RGB UHD panel has three red, green and blue subpixels in a single pixel and a total of 24.9 million colors. This type supports a resolution of 3840xRGB(3)*2160p.

Meanwhile, LG and Samsung have developed RGBW, a new four-color pixel technology that adds a white subpixel to the three conventional colors. Samsung’s Green UHD and LG’s G+UHD are examples of this panel type.

Industry insiders, however, consider such variations as “pseudo UHD panels” based on how UHD panels are traditionally described. In contrast, Green UHD has only RG or BW subpixels in one pixel and supports 1920xRGBW(4)x2160p. G+UHD has RGBWR subpixels per two pixels and supports 2880xRGBW(4)x2160p.

Nevertheless, nearly all TV panel makers have a line of RGBW displays, which boast enhanced color range and accuracy.

Moreover, many UHD TV suppliers are adopting RGBW panels to sustain their low-end and midrange selections. This is because the display accounts for about 65 percent of total UHD TV costs and RGBW panels are significantly less expensive than conventional RGB UHD types. A 55in RGBW panel, for example is approximately $470 while its counterpart flat RGB model is about $550. A curved version costs $665.

See a comparison table of UHD TV suppliers on GlobalSources.com